Lovely Friendly Perfume Thread: Part 3

[MrsCocoa]

Continuing the discussion of all things perfume related. Tell us about your long standing favourites and tell us about the latest finds you've sniffed out. Everyone is welcome.

With you all going on about Black Opium, I tested it today, my DD (6) tried Viktor and Rolf Bonbon. She prefers Black Opium and I prefer Bonbon. I don't know if I could wear Bonbon on myself though!

I have just scored a half bottle of Safari from Spanish ebay and a 30ml old Givenchy III from ebay.it. And been to the PO for some Boots Blue Fern bath cubes and talc, Morny Sandalwood bubble bath and Boots Freesia gift set, all look to be 70s, and the Morny and Blue Fern swept me back to Sunday bath nights and drying my hair in front of the gas fire.

Been a v lazy perfume week, yesterday and today PP Infusions d'Iris, discussing it with a perfume-mad colleague and she said she didn't like it as much as the vintage 19 I stuck under her nose the other day- I explained I wear it on my tired-out days when anything else would be too demanding.

I recently bought Juliet has a Gun ,Another Oud ..which i am loving . It's musky and gorgeous ..keep sniffing myself and it lasts ages .

I also treated myself to Chanel Beige when I was at Heathrow , have always loved it ..slightly disappointed that it doesn't last very long on me.

House of Fraser was sadly a bust for all your suggestions, there's another one not too far away so I'll have to go a-hunting another day.

Pest, I am getting married on the east coast so the dreaded midge is not a problem! Typing this on my phone so can't go back and check your name, but the person who asked about flowers, I don't know and won't until the week of the wedding, I'm getting wildflowers from the venue's garden! Also, if you like almond, have you tried the Amande Infusion from Prada? It's lovely and creamy almond.

Today I wore Serge Lutens' Fleur d'Oranger, which I did find in HoF and squirted on me - it's very pretty but I'm not getting any dirtiness as promised by the reviews.

I'm growing to like Black Opium. It has a sugary quality to it (vanilla I guess) that I was kind of looking for in La Vie Est Belle which I found just a bit overwhelming.

MrsC yes, yes to AIBU? and Vipers' Bunfight for flankers, and let's add Did You Mean To Be So Rude? and FOTTFSOFAWYGTFOSM - the latter would have to be a very in-your-face 80s style scent bomb.

Cheap hope your DCs are on the mend and no one has swiped your 4160s out of the in-tray.

Mary what a frustrating trip for you. You can get decants of MMM Untitled and probably a few of the others that interested you here.

Scarlet always good to hear of another potential Black Opium convert. It works best for me in winter. On a freezing day it is wonderfully comforting, rather like a hot chocolate.

Les, super haul. I might have a Paris en route myself.

DS and I went on a sniffing expedition to Boots today. I was hoping to get a squirt of the new Black Opium flanker, Floral Shock, only some wretch had pinched the tester! I did try Mon Guerlain and was fairly unimpressed, only by the time we got home the dry down had developed into the gorgeous antiquarian bookshop aroma that I find irresistible. DS plumped for Poison Girl and still smells scrumptious.

My progress through the JHAG discovery sets has been halted by the new 4160s crowd funding samples so plans to give Another Oud another go are on the back burner. I am not hopeful - oud seems to be more miss than hit here. Yesterday's 4160s Green turned out to pair well with Library of Fragrance Daisy and today's, Red, smells of roses and raspberries and is lovely. They don't project very much at all though so I find they work best sprayed on a scarf.

I read that Ms Jolie is giving all the money she received from the adverts for Mon Guerlain, which is great.

thank you!

I must try Black Opium and the new Mon, I don't get out often enough and when I do get to a perfume department, I get over excited and don't have enough wrists

I'm so glad someone else mentioned BonBon, I absolutely hate pink sugary stuff

Oh and vintage I am very jealous of your haul, especially the bath cubes! Are you all gritty now?

I have been trying to track down the bath salts my mother used to use (in the 80s). They came in a greenish blue box a bit like a butter dish, with lots of tissue paper and there was a teeny tiny scoop. (I loved this and still love a teeny scoop and have lots for things like cat treats ). I cannot track them down at all.

I didn't know I could order from America, I thought customs would stop them! Vistas open up! I'll wait until I've been to the other perfumeries locally though, and some of my last haul should start arriving on Monday/Tuesday.

It's a funny thing, but I'm not sure I could ever purchase a bottle of something called Beige, however lovely. I notice the same effect with paint colour charts!

Black Opium fans: currently in stock on the TK Maxx site - but no idea how prices compare?

They have some Jacomos too - anyone smelt any of their recent stuff?

SotD: Inevitable Crimes of Passion. Am thoroughly enjoying a sedate review of the 4160 Crimes of Passion series (having ripped through them like a woman possessed when they were first delivered). I some how missed the orange notes the first time around

I'm in Lady Vengence today again. DH declared it his favourite perfume on me yesterday.

MrsCocoa, I love Inevitable Crimes of Passion! If I had to pick only one perfume to keep, that would be the one. I can definitely smell the Terry's Chocolate Orange, but It's not overly sweet and I adore the deep, dark drydown. I have never smelt anything like it. I would be interested to know what you think.

I have been wearing 4160Tuesdays Lemon Sherbet today. It has lovely sharp citrussy top notes, with a gorgeously soft musky drydown. It's not strong, but it lasted for more than 4 hours, with wafts of scent drifting up. It reminds me of Invisible Ben from that line, but that has a woodier dry down and has more notes.

Damn you Disappearing! You know I'm not going to rest until I find them now!

I'm not gritty-bottomed because I haven't even taken the cellophane off the box. It was such an extreme sensory moment even sniffing them through there I thought I might cry if I took it off! (I probably need to read Proust don't I?)

Hi all, I started another thread as I didn't want to derail this one, but it was suggested that I should try here too.

So, my challenge is that I'm looking for a new Summer perfume. I have just returned to work and would like to treat myself.
My favourite smell is eau dynamisante but it doesn't last. I have googled similar perfumes and have tried the suggestions:
Eau Sauvage - which I like but it doesn't last and hasn't got the zingy herbal-ness of eau dynamisante for me. (You're probably realising I don't know much about perfume!)
I've tried the Prada iris perfumes - I don't think I like anything too floral. Tom Ford Cafe Rose and Tobacco Vanille (I really like them, but to me they're winter perfumes).
I've tried the Miller Harris discovery set and I like them but they all have a 'powdery' finish which to me says comfort and winter, rather than fresh and summery.
I've tried Mitsouko (which smells like the back of a rubbish van on me), and L'Heure Bleue - lovely comforting old lady smell on me - nice but not what I'm looking for.

Other perfumes I like are Miller Harris La Pluie and Bronze Goddess. I'm not a fan of Jo Malone as they turn to air freshener on my skin.

Any ideas of perfumes to try, or how I find out more about what I like (and to know what to look for) before I bankrupt myself with samples?

Thank you!

Loving all the MN inspired perfume names
We have finally broken up from school and both DC have typically come down with some sort of bug, have spent most of today disinfecting and washing!

My Miss Dior turned out to be the 'originale' version, it's been a long time since I had vintage Miss Dior but I think this one is a bit lighter and actually more wearable (although I wouldn't mind having a proper vintage bottle as well.)

Today's SOTD is Badgley Mishka, which works really well in the warmer weather we've been having.

Welcome papersmile! If you go to the fragrantica.com site and search for the name of a perfume you like, it will come up with suggestions for other perfumes you might like along the left hand side.

Papersmile have you tried any of Guerlain's Aqua Allegorias? I find them ideal for summer as they are quite light and there are a few citrussy ones- the newest I think is bergamot. I also love Herba Fresca, which is green and minty and Mandarine Basilic (although these two may be discontinued, they add new ones and discontinue others quite frequently.)

Hello! I've been lurking for a little while and have tried the fragrantica site - It's really helped me to try to get a grasp of the scents that I like. I think I like chypre; citrus, aromatic and herbal scents.. but I may be wrong! I don't like very floral scents. I would really like to learn more about perfume as I don't really understand the terms and the perfume families etc.

I haven't tried Lancome O so will give that a go next time I'm in town.
I haven't tried any of Guerlain's Aqua Allegorias either - I will put them on the list.

I've enjoyed reading about perfumes, they all sound beautiful and then I try them and they're not what I was expecting - whether that's my skin or my lack of experience i.e. not really knowing what tuberose for example smells like.

Does that just come with time? and a lot of sniffing?

Oh poor Les, hope the DCs make a quick recovery and don't pass it on to you.

Papersmile I think sample sets are the best way to try out as many as possible without bankrupting yourself. 4160 Tuesdays have some very unusual and exciting perfumes - descriptions here, and they sell sample sets which can be pre-selected or you can pick your own. Off the top of my head Ealing Green, What I Did On My Holidays, Sunshine & Pancakes, Lemon Sherbet and Invisible Ben would be lovely in warmer weather.

Atelier Colognes are beautiful and fresh, at least the ones I've tried are. I gather the longevity can be hit or miss but my favourite, Bergamote Soleil, lasts all day and is sunshine in a bottle. You can find the discovery set here.

You can also get beautifully packaged discovery boxes from the Perfume Society which are well worth investigating. They also make marvellous presents (for someone you like a lot!).

You might like to look at the Hermes Jardin series. I particularly like Un Jardin sur le Nil, which has mango and grapefruit top notes and all sorts of interesting notes underneath, such as bulrushes, incense and lotus (not that I can smell these notes individually!). The longevity is good for a citrussy perfume, 5-6 hours on me.

I'm still on my perfume journey. I think it's by reading and sniffing that you learn more. I now find that I can usually name a note (or three by blind sniffing), but then go to Fragrantica to find out the rest of the notes. I'm also much more forward in asking people what perfume they're wearing!

gah! I accidentally discovered the Atelier cologne discovery box will ship to Italy.

Then I accidentally bought it.

Make me stop, I need to buy shoes!

it was the idea of bergamotty things that did it.

First outing of the year for EL Bronze Goddess today. I don't really love this, I think I like the idea of it more.