The Scarf of a Thousand Scents: Lovely, Friendly Perfume Thread 4

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Welcome to instalment number four of the friendly perfume lovers' thread. Pop in and tell us your SOTD, share your discoveries or ask a question because one of us is likely to know the answer.

Everyone is welcome to join in, whether you are dipping a toe in scented waters for the first time, or a full-blown fragrance addict.

Oh vintage I think I can smell you from here Talking of greedy Ebay sellers, I have just seen a bottle of my beloved Penhaligon's Lily and Spice - £250! Two hundred and fifty pounds But I love it so much, it's the epitome of elderly lady scent - in fact DH used to say I smelt like an elderly lady in a fur coat at a funeral. No higher praise, really, is there?

Lady I know what you mean about the one note thing, I'm the same especially with something "heavy" it takes me ages and lots of sniffing to detect the other notes. Some good suggestions here, I know it's "mainstream" for perfumistas but I do love the Chanel.

Top five perfumes - almost impossible! There was a thread recently on top two perfumes - definitely impossible. Five is easier - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Christmas. Christmas is Opium but the others need careful consideration...

I've won an e bay bottle of nightmusk!!!

I've won an e bay bottle of nightmusk!!!

Badders

I went over to the fruity side today. SOTD was DKNY Summer (hideous, huge PINK bottle ) which I only ever crack out when I feel the need for an extreme blast of sweet freshness. Its screechy on first spray, but the dry down is pleasant...ait 'meh' but suitable for my office.

Just showered and switched for Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche, though, and its much better. The Chance flankers are well done if you like that sort of thing...

Twas my DD who coined the title Floofy and she is delighted it is a success. I'm very glad to hear you're enjoying the 4160s - if I had to stick to one perfume house for the rest of my life it would be 4160 Tuesdays.

Three I love New York 1955 too, and Mrs Gloss Made Me Do It, which is even pinker smelling - but I wouldn't put them in the minger class! Just cheerful and very frivolous. A pink smelling minger is something like the Juicy Couture something or other DS and I casually spritzed on in Superdrug once, only to scuttle home at top speed to scrub it off. That was yuck!

Don't apologise for waffling Badders - all the Desert Island Top Fives and perfume memories are fascinating - though your poor mum with two DDs spraying Obsession and Paris at the same time!

I cannot think what planet some Ebay sellers are on. The one that sticks in my mind (and craw) is the 2ml bottle of vintage Vent Vert for £50 - it is titchy enough to display in a dolls' house.

I have fallen head over heels for Malle's Portrait of A Lady. Such a glorious affair of perfectly blended rose and patchouli and such sillage and longevity - I could still smell it on my wrists when I woke up this morning. I dabbed on my sample to go out to a family dinner yesterday and didn't think I'd been particularly generous but in the car I started to worry I was going to knock people over at six paces. I don't think I did but perhaps it was a good thing it was an Indian restaurant and I had all the delicious spices for competition!

SOTD is Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca - lovely minty freshness for a hot day.

I've never smelt Audace but I do have some vintage Madame Rochas. It's still a classic perfume but no longer a favourite, although it has memories. My favourite Rochas is Byzance (87) and I am so pleased to be recently reacquainted with it.
I can easily do a Desert Island top three but then get stuck...

1. Coromandel
2. Byzance =3) Seville a l'Aube/LLempcka L'Eau en Blanc..... That's not cheating, honest,

Lady, I am very partial to Noir Epices, and would definitely race through a 5ml decant. And French Lover from Parfumerie Generale is equally lovely but not the same. I'm drawing on old olfactory memories so can't be very specific on notes.

Audace is huge, dry, green and mossy. You expect it to go on like that forever but for the last couple of hours the moss drops out of view leaving an unexpected final twist; a creamy soapy amber.

L'Artisan's Rapelle Toi has a big gardenia note plus sandalwood Lady. (Plus honey and gin).

Hello ladies, a guerlainiac here - it's now easier for me to point out the ones I don't have at the counter now - got mitsouko; shalimar; nahema; apres le ondee; chant des aromes; petit guerlain; chamade; Jardins des bagatelle; shalimar parfum initial; le heure bleue and numerous aqua allegoria.

Ah, I missed the new thread. DH is going away and I'm caught between a bottle of rive gauche and bronze goddess as an easy duty free present. We'll see which one i get!!

spent all day wafting in a cloud of EA Green Tea Cherry Blossom, it was lovely and refreshing in the heat. Think i need to get a bigger bottle of one of the green tea variants if its going to continue being warm as sometimes heavier scents can make me headachey and sick feeling in the heat

A solemn day today...my thoughts and love to any of you who may be affected by yesterday's atrocious attack x

However, by not acting as normal we let these monsters win so....

I felt I needed comfort this morning so wore Valentino poudre...it's so creamy and powdery...like a hug in a bottle and I needed that today.

Then I got home and my Les senteurs samples had arrived...

Well. Im baffled!...lipstick rose is lovely. Powdery rose. But it hardly lasted half an hour on me!.... Is this normal for FM fragrances?
My skin does seem to canabalise fragrance but...half an hour!?
Portrait of a lady...hmmm....wow. This is an odd one isn't it? I can only really smell patchouli tbh but I do keep sniffing my wrist and it's the one I can still smell now 2 hours later...

Hello everyone, sorry for intruding into your thread but I just wanted to ask you about a scent I am a little bit obsessed with - it's Diptyque Oud Palao.

Firstly, is it offensive? It's very strong and distinctive and although I squirted a bit in the shop and love it, will it make people feel sick?

Secondly it is ungodly expensive and I wonder if you could suggest others to try? It's an Oud/rose scent but not sweet with a very smoky/sandalwood scent too. I think it's unisex. I like fruit scents that aren't sweet eg Miller Harris cassis en feuille and Aqua di Parma iris nobile which are very different to this but sort of similar to my nose (in that I like them???!). I have and like Dior Addict which is a bomb of a scent but doesn't have the complexity of the others I mentioned.

So that's clear as mud. Anyway, any advice? Do I just have to bite the bullet? Should I chance eBay??

Hello
I'm not familiar with diptique fragrances tbh but could you get a sample from diptique or on eBay?
Maybe wear it every day for a few days and then see how you feel?
Obv if you love it then hang the expense! 🙂
You would probably love what I'm wearing now...Frederic Malle portrait of a lady....rose but wow! So spicy and warm too.
I'm getting a dusty Victorian parlour with artificial roses under glass, velvet sofas with antimacassers and young swains at the piano....
😀
It's an odd one...do I love it or hate it?
Time will tell....

Thanks for replying Badders I was thinking of that but is eBay reliable? I loved it on my skin, the rose and Oud both stuck around for yonks, even the next morning faintly. There is one on sale for £75 full bottle on eBay but am I going to get scammed?

I've bought quite a few samples on e bay (not liked all of them though!) and I go for sellers with 100% feedback and if pictured with the bottle the decant is from all the better.
Not had any issues yet...
£75?
Is that a good price for diptique?
I've just looked at prices for POAL....£240!! 😳😖

Sadly, yes! £30 discount on full price . I looked up POAL and saw the price too! Beyond my means. I like the unisex feel of Oud Palao. It's liked being hugged by a sexy man (my Dh obvs...) as you go about your business.

Sounds lovely!
I'm all for a bargain...I'm afraid we are all enablers on this thread...😇

However, by not acting as normal we let these monsters win so....

How very right you are Badders.

I was surprised at how quickly Lipstick Rose disappeared too. I wonder if we got a dodgy batch? On Fragrantica a couple of reviews said the longevity and sillage were weak but there were a lot of other reviews that didn't mention either. One said it lasted around eight hours! I'm sure mine didn't last beyond an hour-and-a-half, and I don't usually have trouble with longevity - the upside of oily skin.

Portrait of a Lady is a complete contrast. A little goes a very long way and it is utterly gorgeous. I'm not sure it's very well named though, there's a definite touch of skank in there and it seems more boudoir than drawing room to me. The prices are eye-watering but I may have to save up for a 10ml travel spray - it's such a heavy hitter I know it would last me a good while.

Auld wow! What a Guerlain collection. I am seriously impressed and more than a little covetous!

Swimming if you like rose and oud you might also like to look at the Juliette Has A Gun range of perfumes as they tend to be heavy on both. They do sample sets which you can find here and here.

SOTD is L'Artisan Parfumeur's Seville a L'Aube, which smells like incense, honey, bitter orange and spice to me. Beautiful, but quite dark and it doesn't strike me as springlike at all, despite it being based on memories of Easter Holy Week.

A peaceful day to everyone.

And to you green x

Terrible day here in Manchester. My DCs had friends at the concert, they are all accounted for and no serious injuries but obviously it was a very long night. They're all very shocked and very upset for those families who have had worse news. It's incomprehensible. Sending love to any MNers affected by this.

One of my DCs is at home but the rest went into school in an effort to restore some normality (I don't want that to sound insensitive). Will make them a nice tea and early nights all round I think. Wearing Allure as I too wanted something familiar and reassuring.

Love and peace to you all and I hope you and loved ones are safe.

Well I just bought a couple of small PP jo Malone dupes instead, to scratch the itch. I really can't afford the Diptyque right now. Went for earl grey and cucumber and wood safe and sea salt. Neither of which are anything like Oud Palao 😂. I don't think I would have bought the JM ones from JM because even though they smell lovely they last 5 mins on me and I can't be refreshing all day... Anyway thank you so much for your help lovelies, carry on smelling fabulous x

Floofy sorry X post!!! Didn't mean to be insensitive!

I have both original Jo Malones and they last approx 10 mins on me!! I wore green tea today because someone mentioned it.

Oh floofy ... thank god they are home safe! How strange it is that scent can be so comforting at such times.
I spent many a happy weekend in Manchester in the early 90s as my bf at the time was at UMist....happy days.
If the terrorists think they can frighten mancunians...well....they don't know them very well!!
Love to all x