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

Caldey Island No1 smells ok on me today.
This is the one I scrubbed during the blind sniff, it was just over powering palma violets. Did smell nice on DH

Skin chemistry has a huge effect on how stuff smells. And that changes from day to day. Could one day's minger / scrubber be another day's mmm may be FB worthy?

Lyric today, forgotten quite how much I love this. A good one (along with NdN) for those of us who usually struggle with rose, it has none of the sourness you can sometimes get. Of course being an Amouage it's spicy and has that comforting oriental heft,

Yet again I'm woefully underdressed.

Snap, Janet! Except , mine's the PP dupe, and it doesn't last like Amouage.

Haha, what are the odds! Does it smell very similar to the Amouage?

Yes, it's pretty much spot on from my memory, although the genuine sample was a looooooong time ago! The first couple of hours are great value, but it fades down.

Must admit that I didn't and wouldn't pay full retail for my Amouages, god bless Notino and all who sail in her!

Pest that's funny. I've tried it again today in solidarity with you and I'm getting a huge, chalky parma violet note. I quite like it.

Not sure if anyone else saw the latest edition of the Tauer magazine, but there were stern words for Notino...

Ooh MrsM that's intriguing... why?

Great work everyone on The Big Sniff - looking like it's going to be good fun!

SotD was 4160Ts Sleep Knot. Was a freebie from other order and a resounding "ok". Not a scrubber but not worth staying awake for...

It ran through several articles, including interviews with independent shops and perfumers. Can't find the magazine to check, but I think it was along the lies that undercutting margins of small producers and retailers may make these businesses unsustainable...?

Interesting question. Some of my unswerving loyalty to 4160Tuesdays is down to their commitment to creativity whilst also making their stuff affordable to people who love perfume but don't have very deep pockets.

I'm sure Amouage can afford to lose a few sheckles if I choose to buy from Notino.

SOTD was FM Hiver, but now showered and in pjs after a long day, with Rive Gauche. Tomorrow will be 19 for the endodontist - send jaw strengthening thoughts my way at 2!

Yes Janet - all that super-luxe price exclusivity leaves me cold.

Judy, coincidence or what, but I was in Liberty yesterday testing iris-based perfumes. I went to the Frederic Malle counter and tested both Iris Poudre and L’Eau d’Hiver, eventually choosing the L’Eau d’Hiver! The Malles come in 10ml sizes, so really good for not spending a fortune.

SOTD was Lolita Lempicka. This has strong liquorice/violet/anise notes, very sweet and dries down through caramel and chocolate to earthy florals. It is one to test before buying as it is so sweet (I like sweet!). I like it because it changes several times on the skin. Bonus - It lasts a long time and is not expensive!

Amouage Lyric sounds very tempting!

mrsgruber, thanks for the Fume Chat link 😊

Calm - have you tried Liquo (Angela Ciampagna)? The best licorice ever..licorice and warm earthy hay (some lavender, vetiver and incense all adding subtle depth). Bloom sell samples...

I love a lot of the 'exclusive' ranges from Dior and Chanel etc so I'm not exactly adverse to spending when necessary but even I won't entertain By Killian, Roja Dove and the like. A girl has got to know her limits, right?

I'm still in Lyric, that stuff lasts.

Interesting question....I think there are exclusives and exclusives. The more I go down the perfume rabbit warren the more I feel sure enough of my own tastes and views to say yes, absolutely I'd pay £250 for 30ml because a) I can b) I only have one pair of shoes and cut my own hair. I also think, and I think a lot of "niche" houses are pulling the wool over our eyes (or trying to) of piss taking and emperor's new clothes selling.

In other news, yesterday was PP Rive Gauche which I can still smell on my jumper this morning and yesterday post-shower was Opium. I'm edging into fresher for daytime as the days start to get longer, but am still viscerally needing my warm spice at night.

Had some great news yesterday (small things) school closes early on Saturday because the new bishop is being enthroned (or whatever one does with a new bishop) and I don't start till late, so I get a day off I wasn't expecting. It's an unpaid day off obviously, but the way I feel at the end of this January marathon I almost wept with joy. I said to dp "I can clean the house!!!!" "I can iron!!!"

No sotd today as have headache.

I did snag an old bottle of Avon Eau Givree on ebay though.

Speaking of which, there's what looks like a pretty old bottle of Cinnabar up for grabs.

BAD sentence alert....up there I meant to say...

"I also think, and I think a lot of niche houses are doing this, that there is a lot of piss taking, pulling the wool over our eyes and emperor's new clothes selling"

Cheap Sleep Knot was one of the 4160s that was a "grower" on me - I think I discounted quite a few of the 4160s too soon and when I revisited them more patiently (not easy for me!) I liked them much more.

Good tooth vibes for today Judy!

MrsG I think I know who you are Hope NC for security wasn't for anything worrying.

The big bucks thing is interesting and I will give it some proper thought later. I definitely agree though there are a lot of Emperors' new clothes Tom Ford but I actually would pay ££££ for something I loved and thought was worth it in terms of quality or cost per use or even just buying the happiness I would get from using it, if that makes sense!

Easier for me to say though as I have very shallow pockets atm and even cheap perfume is a "luxury" item on our budget! Perfume however is a great obsession hobby/indulgence as it is more accessible due to samples. If I had more money though I would totally (and have in the past) splash out on any item I loved enough to justify the cost. (Some people might shudder in horror at spending £££ on perfume but spend the same amount on daily coffee or wine, or a tech item obsolete in 12 months like DH The longevity, cost per use and enjoyment variables differ from person to person, don't they. Someone might think Tom Ford, for example is bargainous!

I have been thinking about it and I love this thread as there is no serious judgment re this - I imagine starting a thread in AIBU about spending some of my disability benefit on perfume and the replies I would get! Whereas I see it as an investment in my happiness, a couple of pounds for a sample which gives a lot of enjoyment and interest I get in an otherwise boring restricted life. I would rather spend it a few pounds on perfume and have cheaper crutches/sticks or less help in the home! And there is just as much love here for Yardley, and Britney Spears (well some of them ) and PP, as there is for Killian and other "exclusive" type scents. And if I had the funds, I would buy all the perfume I cared to if the cost was worth it and I could afford it. It also ties up with the perfume being art (or craft!) also - especially vintage ones, especially vintage ones in beautiful bottles. Worth every penny, IMHO and it's justifies the money spent on it for the enjoyment it buys.

I fear I am waffling now, perhaps I should say at this point no SOTD as I am still ill and extremely medicated but luckily still at home and not hospital (hurrah) to enjoy all my beautiful perfumes...I'll stop now!!

Oh god that's a horrific wall of text, sorry Feel free to skip it! It might not even make sense

It makes perfect sense Floofy!

OcSockOrphanage
I have your fantastic perfume!
The package arrived yesterday, but I discovered it last night.It’s absolutely lovely and arrived beautifully wrapped up.
Thank you for being so kind and thoughtful 🌹.

Floofy, I also spend some of my disability benefit on perfume samples, and candles, and make up, and books...
So, I completely agree with you. It was when I started reading this thread, a few threads back, that I discovered I could buy samples online. I decided to start collecting them and wearing a different one most days (SOTD is Jean Paul Gaultier Scandal) just to have something nice to look forward to, as I'm housebound unless my husband is home.
They help my mental health.

Glad you're still at home and haven't had to go to hospital.

SOTD is Chanel 19,for courage. Made it!

calm I got the set of 3 x 10mls of Hiver for my birthday last year. I really love it. I also have a full bottle of Lipstick Rose which I am dying to get back into when it’s less horrible and cold. (That was also a birthday present.)

floofy hope you’re okay. I think you are absolutely right to spend your money on things which give you pleasure. No matter how skint I have been, I have always had fresh flowers in the house. Sometimes they are M&S “whoops” bargains, and currently we have £1 daffodils in every room, but I also have a monthly subscription to Bloom and Wild. I know this probably seems extravagant with DP not working, but they really make me so happy.

Well, my Bloom violet pack arrived last night and was not a success. Two of them had leaked extensively so all the little sprays absolutely reek. As do my clothes, my hands when I touch them and the fabric sofa I opened them near. I think the least pleasant two were the leakers as well. No sign of the Smoke & Rar set either. Not a success.

4160 Paradox arrived the same day though. Big success and all day at work people kept asking about Parma Violets.

Oh no Lost!! What a nightmare... my package was really well packaged. I wonder if they'd send a replacement?

SotD was Aerin Evening Rose. Unlike AC Silver Iris I read the notes first so was prepared for the blackcurrant... but then didn't get it!! Perhaps just my cold but I did get the rose so who knows... Anyway it was quite pretty but not really my cup of tea.