Witches brew root canals and carrots; Lovely, Friendly Perfume Thread - 8

[MrsPestilence]

A continuation of our Long running thread. Think this is just in time.

Lots of lovely things to smell.
Everyone is welcome.

SOTD was Mitsouko for a chilly walk, and an upsetting evening trying to soothe the cat who is so scared by the fireworks.

PIAM I haven’t loved most of the 4160 scents i’ve tried either. I’d love to do the workshop, and I am generally intrigued by the brand though.

SOTD Noix de Tubereuse

Terrible day, trying to get somewhere for work but ended up doing a marathon 7 hour train journey after one long delay and another cancellation. That’ll learn me for travelling on a Sunday. Made worse by having no internet connection on phone. Now installed in hotel room looking forward to an uninterrupted nights sleep without my toddler (although I’m missing her already!)

I’ve got mixed feelings about the 4160 Tuesdays Rhubarb & Custard. They are dead on spec but I’m not sure how wearable the R&C and cologne are. The vanilla has a weird tarry smell but that quickly goes. The rhubarb however smells a bit BO like. I’m just not sure I can get over it.

I’m going to leave them and go back to them in a few weeks after they’ve settled.

Recently I’ve tried Brigadoon and that’s too manly for me (heavy on the whiskey) Silk lace and chocolate (cosy night in scent) and WIDOMH (totally bonkers - lovely top notes, but also a bit whoah!!).

So I’ve tried 6 x 4160 and I don’t love any of them yet, but I’m still very fond of them as they are so wacky and different. I’ve enjoyed trying each of them. They’re definitely not wallflowers!

kittens I’m also intrigued by the cafe in TK Maxx. My two local TK Maxx’s are crap for perfume. I realised this after reading about the beauties all you ladies discover at your local stores. Also I recently visited a T K Maxx in the west of Ireland. They had loads of fine perfumes - like really expensive niche brands for €25 /€35 for 100ml. I was hand luggage only, got confused and thought I could only bring back for 50ml. What a plonker! The ones I wanted were E Coudray

^ that’s a bit misleading - they weren’t most expensive niche brands, but more high end than typical department store and lots of EDPs.

[sorry for spamming the thread with multiple posts, I hit ‘post’ then think of something else to say!]

SOTD is Amour Nocturne. This is fast becoming my go-to comfort scent.

Trying to decide whether to go into office or work from home. I think 'from hone' might win on a chilly Monday morning!

bluebell that journey sounds grim. Hope you got a good night's sleep anyway!

I agree about 4160s in general, I think. Love the brand and the ideas, not convinced they always pull it off. I've only loved Dark Heart of all the samples I've tried, and certainly the lighter scents are the less successful imo. I did read a review somewhere suggesting that there's not as much quality control as there could be - something along the lines of 'whatever they mix they sell' which I think is unfair but...they have a huge range for such a small outfit and I wonder if they are perhaps spread a wee bit thin. I dunno, I know nothing about this stuff and am probably talking rubbish!

Having said that am very much looking forward to my samples arriving and would love to do a workshop!

Totally agree...dark heart is the only one I like but dh hates it
Ugh
Monday

I went to the 4160 Tuesdays open house on Saturday. And picked up some bargains: the original Mrs Gloss (not my thing but DD2 loved it), Who Knew, Maxed Out and London 1969 from the tester box, all 30ml with a bit gone for £10 each. If you were an Ealing Green fan (I am not) they had 100ml bottles with a bit gone for £10 too. We went for the 3 for 2 offer as well and got Rosa Ribes, Inevitable Crimes of Passion and the new Beta one in that.

I was musing on 4160 as I sloshed through puddles to get to work. There is a "thing" in all of the ones I've tried, even the wondrous London and Ealing, that makes them smell, if only for a short time, like a PM. It's the thing that new Y has, and Yvresse and Dolce Vita. The sweet fizzy thing that comes after the first initial spray and before the dry down.

Today I am in L'Air de Rien. It's calmed down into a nice warm chypre now but it was very pungent at first. Does it share a note or two with Seville a l'aube. It seemed to have that thing which makes me like, but never love Seville. Is it lavender? I think lavender only works as a soliflore and is better as a soap or a cream. It seems to be harsh in a perfume.

Ah, just looked at the notes, so it's the orange that it shares with Seville, but a very pungent orange.

I like it a lot now it's settled though, don't get skank mind you. Just a warm mossy chypre.

That does sound a nightmare journey Bluebell.

I am sick with jealousy Mrs S - hope you had a good time; was it crazy busy?

SotD is 4160s Rhubarb and Citrus which is fabulously sharp and exhilarating but in an oddly delicate way, but will have everyone in your life asking why they can suddenly smell rhubarb! Custard does what it says on the tin, but is a bit less interesting (especially in the wake of the vanilla delight that is Hyperbole). Think I might have reversed the ratio of rhubarb to custard in the blend.

And just on 4160s, think this Luca Turin review captures their essence pretty well. "The overall feel of 4160 Tuesdays I would describe as jubilant and unpretentious, a happy wallowing in the richness and beauty of fragrance materials". They are also great educators and enthusiasts which I guess is also why there is much love for them here.

It wasn't particularly busy, no. I sniffed the rhubarb and custard scents. I thought the rhubarb was a little too rhubarby, and the custard was just custardy and vanilla-y. Didn't do it for me.

In the never ending quest for something for DH to smell like an expensive Lebanese businessman, I bought him the new Tauer Ville Patch Flash. He's not sure if he likes that either. I found Les Senteurs very underwhelming, and their stock quite limited. There was Creed in abundance, Tauer (but none of the popular ones - they had sold out). Amouage, and a few others, including Etat Libre d'Orange. I thought Liberty had more choice, or even House of Fraser on Oxford Street. Customer service was a bit crap too - the boy (he looked about 12) had literally no idea.

Your DH is a lucky man MrsS
That's surprising about Les Senteurs. As the demise of the wonderful Burgins of York illustrates, it must be hard to run a high street operation. Would've thought great customer service/product knowledge would be the key value add? Thought Bloom was good when I visited - with a very friendly and unstuffy approach.

The tart Rhubarb is still going strong. I really love this and may need a bigger bottle....

I'm in avon soft musk again..one of my eBay bargains
I like the sound of tauer perfumes....LADDAM sounds right up my street but at £100 a bottle it shall never be mine 😣
I'm afraid PMs seem to be everywhere atm...a trend I find deeply annoying and worrying

I am currently in Selfridges.

I am in love with Christian Dior's Grand Bal. 😨 ❤😍

SOTD E Coudray Iris Rose for business away day.

Business dinner this evening, just about to head to hotel bar before hand. I’ve doused myself in my favourite perfume Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood. I’m in love with it but don’t get to wear it much. You can only get away with it for black tie in the evening as it’s very full on. Will probably scare all my colleagues away

mrsS Very disappointing to hear Les Senteurs customer service was poor - that’s their USP! Did you visit the refurbed shop? Is it nice?

So I sprayed Paris 48 in the crook of my arm and it smelt like ponies (thereby continuing the theme of reminding me of my grandmother). So I wore it normally today and I prefer it to Lady Rose Lion even though they are clearly sisters. It feels like a very grown up perfume to me so I might have to douse myself in it for tomorrow because I'll have to present some bad new to my boss in front of my colleagues (somehow this is worse than telling the customers because my boss is super smart and will ask lots of relevant and pertinant questions.).

What makes a PM a PM? It's sweet but is that sugary (e.g. honey) or fruity or floral? Or can it be any of the above? Or should I just sniff TKD when I get it later this week? If I was to wander into Boots what should I sniff to understand what you all mean?

Good question!

I bet we all have a different answer too....for me a PM is sweet and fruity. I think it's the fruit to me that turns it into a PM. For example, Anais Anais is massively sweet, but it's white flower sweet, so not (IMO) a PM. Paris thingy, on the other hand, for me is a PM, because of that overload of peachy sherbet. L'Air du Temps- sweet, but not a minger. Diorissimo, sweet, and heavy, but not a minger.

An excess of vanilla also contributes to PMness.

Dewberry was a PM. (actually, despite me blaming Tresor and Eden for being the mothers of all the PMs in existence, I realise I'd forgotten the monster that was Dewberry)

Will muse some more.

Having changed my clothes 3 times today because of getting wet in torrential rain I am now in PP Opium after a Lush bubble bath bar bath and feeling very very cosy.

Enjoy your business dinner Bluebell and good luck for tomorrow Fosco!

Have PP not started doing dupe Tauers yet? Shall we suggest it?

Yes please!!
PMs imo are sickly sweet. I love vanilla in perfumes. But almond/marzipan sugary sweetness???
Noooooooo
It seems I have an issue with violets too. And sickly rose.
I find I dislike any perfume in a link bottle. Odd.

That Givenchy Live Irresistable Deliciuese is a PM if ever I smelt one. Had a free sample and the notes mentioned almonds but was just sweet and fruity and pink. Not a good pink. A kids Disney princess perfume set pink.

Have fun Bluebell - hope It's good company and you can enjoy a child free night after journey from hell. And good look for tomorrow Fosco. Hope your boss is a good 'un.

Am not doing too badly for Christmas but it helped that I started in July 😁 Finding the DC very easy to sort but DH not so much... grown ups are so hard!!

SotD was Chanel 19 just 'cause. I like the odd just 'cause day!

Yes, I agree, a PM for me is sweet and usually fruity. There's often a fizziness as well - so sherbety-sweet? TKD for me is fizzy-pink sweet.

So Amour Nocturne is sweet, but not a minger because it's a smoky-caramel sweet. Dark Heart is sweet but cigar-and-rum sweet.

I'm not sure that PMs in themselves are a bad thing - there's probably a place for sweet and fruity perfumes (although not in my collection) - it's the ubiquity of them that depresses/bores me.

Had a quick squirt of SJP Stash today - it reminded me a bit of Timbuktu. Not bad for £15.99. I didn't buy any though