Our negligees may be covered in cat hair but at least they smell divine - it's Lovely Friendly Perfume Thread number 9!

[explodingkittens]

Welcome to the long-running perfume thread! All are welcome - drop in to chat about old loves or new discoveries. Ask a perfume question and someone here will know the answer.

Be warned though, we are a bunch of terrible enablers and you may wish to put your credit card in the freezer before entering

mrsreynolds, 4160Tuesdays have Shazam on sale. It’s in their Naughty Cupboard “Best sellers, back from their adventures”. 100 mls for £36 (plus postage). You can get other sizes for 20% off using the code “bighint” in the non-sales parts of the website, but they’re not as bargainous.

Looks like PP Vol De Nuit needs to go on the list then. I started off with the PP oils but also had the thought that the small sprays were so inexpensive that it was easier to just get those. Will have to add more to the list to make it worthwhile...

Went out this morning and came home to a small parcel with a Y sticker - was both excited and puzzled because I couldn't remember having ordered any Decided I must have ordered something in the early hours during a settling DS2 session and forgotten. Turned out it was actually a Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow with a sample of her perfume chucked in! Phew...!

Shame the Guerlain concession wasn't too well stocked PIAM but at least they did have LHB.

SotD was 4160Ts Sex Goddess. Absolutely not what a sex goddess would wear - opening of swizzles fizzers settling into Parma violets.

I love chanel perfume but can't afford it on a regular basis so my DIL sent me three bottles of the chanel-a-like perfume called Vogue off Amazon. It's fantastic! Not only lasts all day but everyone asks me if I am wearing chanel, it's the best copy I've ever had so I have to tell you all about it. Cheap too.

PP Noire de Noire today. I think they do TF pretty well, and if it's still on their list, the Sahaara Noir is also great, but the TF original was discontinued before I smelled it. The Prada Infusion dupes last better than Prada and have more oomph IMVHO. I too have given up on the oils and just go straight to the 13ml sprays. For under £6, it is as PIAM says, less fattening than coffee and cake.

The January Dryathlon is well underway here, possibly interrupted by DH's birthday, or maybe not: his nibs is underwhelmed at the idea of being 62! So while I am not actively low carbing, I expect to be a little smaller by February. Chicken curry with Bombay potatoes for dinner tonight chez Sock, all made ab initio! And very good it was.

Ooh, sounds nice sock. Home made egg fried rice for us tonight courtesy of DH who likes to cook on a Saturday for a "treat"!

No dry January here though. Oh no. Nearing the end of our first proper school holiday and have learnt that I am most definitely stay at home mum material. Have already been at the Edinburgh Rhubarb and Ginger stuff (which I'm sure has been mentioned here before) and now easing into the good old fashioned regular G and Ts.

I consider it a good choice though - not low carving but watching intake and exercise and keeping the balance on the right side. So - for these purposes - less red wine, more g and t.

SOTD was LDR, for the last lunch out of the holidays. I am almost weeping at the thought of returning to work on Monday.

Have dipped out on the clearance Miller Harris at TK Maxx but did find a crazily cheap pair of cashmere socks. So wearing those tonight with an accompanying squirt of Coromandel...life doesn't get much better than this .

SOTD Etui Noir layered with 4160 rhubarb and citrus. Loved this combination but yes, Etui Noir is quite woody and leathery. Promise not to wear if we meet in future! Would probably wear Addict or Infusions d’iris as these seem to be in the middle of our Venn diagram!

I’ve been impressed by the PPs. I still need to give all the Guerlains a test drive, will report back here when I do.

Pest thanks for signing up to find out more info about perfume groups. Bloom got back to me with a 10% discount. Will wait for the Perfume Society to respond on Monday then we can make a decision together.

I was in Next today having a good old sniff - lots of decent stuff in there for the price

That's a combo I'm going to try Bluebell - sounds good. I like Etui Noir as well as R&C. Fingers crossed Pest has better luck than I did...

Irritated- which Chanel does Vogue smell like? We're always in the market for a good dupe on these threads!

bluebell....i cant remember where I read it but people in the industry really rate the next scents
They are made by "proper" parfumiers and not in some lab in slough 👍
I can't stretch to £40 this m9brh for shazam 😔 I saw some on eBay a couple of months ago but didn't bid and it went for £18!!
Argh!
No idea what sotd will be...maybe knowing

I think Vogue is one of the Milton Lloyd dupes? IIRC it is meant to be No. 5, IMHO it doesn't smell like it, but they're pretty good scents for a fiver. I have (I think) Tutu which is reputed to be Coco - again doesn't smell like it to me but a pleasant smell which does last. I have the J'Adore copy too which actually is pretty close but I just don't think you can beat PP for dupe-y-ness though.

Isn't it exciting when a parcel arrives with a Perfume Warning cheap and even better when you've forgotten that you've ordered something!

Happy Birthday MrSock. I like hearing what people have had for dinner, it appeals to the nosiness in me Last night I had the remains of the Christmas chocolates and a slice of pizza in bed

On that note Good luck to those low carbing and dry January-ing - I'm afraid I could never give up carbs but will definitely be sober - does this balance out the fact I have already broken my resolution of no new perfume on January? I may have slipped and ordered a sample of Insolence - I can't believe I haven't tried this one!

I have replaced this resolution with one to learn more about layering perfume. I find this hard, A because I don't know enough, and B it goes against my nature to "layer" things. I can't even have different foods touching on my plate and have very strict rules about, well, everything I am going to learn to relax and mix it up a bit! Any tips gratefully received.

SOTD is lovely soft 1881 as I feel like I have a cold brewing, I bloody hope not.

Sympathies to all returning to work and school, I hate January for this. The days are getting shorter though

Thanks for contacting Bloom and TPF BluebellGal.

I've got a bloody cold AGAIN and am just going to do breakfast then yoga then back to bed because I'm coughing really badly and have a headache. Had 2 days back at work last week and although things weren't busy it's more tiring than being at home (although that might have been our big night out on Friday when much alcohol was consumed!).

Been working through the last few ACD samples since new year. Not fussed about Figuier Ardent (too masculine for me) or Citron d'Erable (too woody). Musc Imperial (starts very bitter then settles into a tempered citrus) and Sous le toit de Paris (medicinal then violet) bit more interesting. I liked Cedre Atlas, a very typical AC that was mainly lemon but modified by the cedar and jasmine so it became a warm spicy citrus. I've just got Rendezvous tomorrow then it's time to try my favourites again. Going to struggle to find just one favourite to spend my voucher on.

I'm already planning my scent for tomorrow morning...prob knowing - nice a warm and comforting for first day back 😣😣😣😔

Another snotty perfumista here. I really, really hate colds - they're rarely bad enough to justify eg: time off work or taking to one's bed, but they manage to make everything miserable and difficult nevertheless. Gah. I'm currently lemsipped-up and on the sofa with a big woolly wrap on. Have just had some lovely homemade soup though so it's not all bad...

SOTD is Or de Serail, another Naomi Goodsir. it's quite sweet and possibly bit overpowering for me in my weakened state . It starts off with a liquorice note on me, which I rather like, but isn't mentioned anywhere in the fragrance notes so I'm probably just imagining it . Then settles into something fruity and spicy and seasonal, but it is quite full-on. Generally I am impressed with this line, though, and imo they are all quite coherent as a group when you smell one after another, iyswim.

Just popped on to thank you all for previous recommendat ions for cruelty free scents.

I wasn't blown away by any in The Body Shop as none offered the 'fresh/clean' scent I am after.

Found it almost impossible to smell the perfumes in Lush as the smell of the shop itself is so overbearing. I went back a second day (was heaving on my first attempt) and the assistant sprayed me one wrist with Dirty which was okay but not a fresh/clean scent and then one called strawberry jam (or something similar) which was vile and overbearing and made me want to cut my arms off to get away from the scent!

I tried all of the Stella McCartney /Prada (both male/female) that I could find in department stores but again, all either floral or musky.

I went on 4160 but can't find contact email to ask about animal testing? I could only find the blog but no email/phone number?

Finally, I had a general sniff of various scents to at least be able to offer a better indication of the scents I like. Best I came across were CK One snd the (male) Hugo one that comes with a screw top (almost like an old fashioned water canister).

Phew! Thank you if you read that far!

MeThen from 4160 website:
No EU cosmetics are allowed to be tested on animals, so ours aren't. European companies who boast that their cosmetics aren't tested on animals are just doing it for the marketing. (It's the ones who fight to stop raw materials to be tested on animals who are the good guys, like Lush, Sarah's former employer.)
China insists on animal testing cosmetics so we don't sell our perfumes there. (Most of the big guys do; look it up if you're interested.)
Our products are vegetarian. There is honey absolute in Babylon Sunset, Dirty Honey and Sunshine & Pancakes, and there's butter extract in Time to Draw the Raffle Numbers.

4160 contact details are available on the contact us page.

PerfumeIsAMessage

It smells like coco chanel to me but DIL says it's no 5. She works for a perfumier.

SOTD is Heeley Hippie Rose, plus the waft of despair at returning to work. Hope all poorly people get well soon.

SotD was Crabtree & Evelyn's Indian Sandalwood. This is being flogged off in M&S but it turns out it is a lot less interesting that their former gorgeous creamy Mysore Sandalwood. This one didn't really smell so much of Sandalwood, and is a pleasant but unremarkable woody aromatic.

Have topped up at home with AdP Colonia Intensa, one of a trio of cardamom/cardamon fragrances I came upon in Autumn 2017 (also Jardins D'Ecrivains George and Kenzo's L'Elephant).

Thank you-will get myself some sample sizes ordered from 4160.

Just to add that I have emailed to ask them to advise on a scent to suit so thank you for contact details too.

Great work Bluebell! Even if TPS don't come back as positively that's a good outcome. I wonder if they've read the thread(s) to help decide...

Sorry to hear about the colds/impending work doom... DS2 has had a very dribbly nose today so we might be on the verge of something here. Meanwhile DS1 has been claiming a bad cold. I'd have sympathy but he hasn't done a single cough and follows this with "so I can't go to school tomorrow". Hmmm...

SotD was the Scent of a Dream sample from yesterday. I rather liked it - don't think I'd buy it but will probably reach for the samole again. Did get an intiguing initial cider note though despite there being no mention of Apple anywhere...

SOTE PP Guerlain vol de Nuit. It’s nice, but to me smells like old fashioned gentleman’s soap. I realise that’s not very sophisticated a description though I do quite like it.