Scent of the day part 10, the friendly perfumistas are spritzing again!

[IDontHateRainbows]

Shiny new thread just in time for the new season - I'm thinking smoky, spicy gourmands as we head through autumn.

Old thread here
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5536911-scent-of-the-day-part-9-with-the-friendly-perfumistas-cheapies-or-niche-were-smelling-divine?reply=152661590

i think Side Effect is one of the 3 SFAC Initio perfumes? I liked Lift me up & side effect, hard pass on oud for greatness though.

It was oud for greatness, lift me up and musk therapy in the SFAC

Vyrao Mamajuju today. It's a cold and very wet autumnal day and this captures the essence of that. Looking forward to switching to Witchy Woo for Halloween.

This was a 5ml size in a box so definitely not SFAC. SfAc was musk therapy lift me up and OFG.

Ooh new thread time... it'll be thread 11 so something to do with heaven?

Oh yes. Am away & very underslept! Meno brain in overdrive. Side Effect was one of the samples I was given at the Initio counter in Selfridges last week, I think. It rings a bell. But brain is scrambled so who knows? 🤷‍♀️

I've bought that many calendars and kits I've literally lost count. I've put myself on a buying ban for ooh at least a week until I can sell enough to make some money back, otherwise it will be beans on toast and porridge until pay day.

I had a great time playing around with the Selfridges calendar today. i should have waited a bit though as the prices have come down on Ebay.

I googled some of the reviews to get a better understanding of the notes,

New Notes Latte Di Cherry - its medicinal but does dry down to a much nicer scent. seems very hyped on social media, I'm still waiting for the vanilla to come through that a lot of reviewers can smell!

Bibbi Parfum The Last Mango - I thought there may be more too this but i can just smell mango. its too artificial for me.

V Canto Arkano Della Luna - very fruity and sweet. still making my mind up about this one.

Ormonde Jayne Suede Silhouette - oh gosh this is so metallic, not one for me and will be going DH.

I'm looking forward to trying out the rest. I did want to wait till December to open them but i didn't have that much willpower. may have to get HN fragrance calendar to keep for December! 😅

Not worn a lot of scent this week due to a cold virus type thing. Felt a bit better today so SOTD was Le Labo Matcha from SFAC. I like it, subtle and easy to wear. Didn't seem to last long but I suppose that could be my sense of smell.

Tonight I have dvn havana gold on one hand. This is like a more grown up version of jazz club with tobacco notes. Love it.

On the other hand, kilian love don't be shy. Nice. Boozy. Sweet.

@OvaHere hope you’re feeling better soon. I always feel that The Matcha doesn’t last, but then other people compliment it hours later. So I think it’s got better staying power than I give it credit for!
eta debaser in bloom this evening. 26 degrees and a beautiful balmy night and it works perfectly!

SOTM was Cœur de Pétales, L'Atelier, and SOTE is Replica Coffee Break, Margiela, both thanks to a very kind MNer 💛

Both are very wearable for me, but I really like Coffee Break - it was one of those times you spritz something and it's just right for that moment. It developed really well for me, veering powdery briefly before settling into warm woody, slightly herby-floral. I didn't really get the coffee note at all, but really like it.

Cherry di Latte is my scent of the day, from my Selfridges advent calendar. I don’t love it quite as much as Lost Cherry, but I’ll still enjoy wearing it. Honestly, Lost Cherry is the winner for me! Mine is only 30ml, so having Cherry di Latte to rotate with it will help make my Lost Cherry last longer.

I went to the le labo store today to test some fragrances. I know the matcha is in the sfac so wanted to test it again. I used to love this and wore it ages ago but it just wasn’t vibing with me today on the dry down. Very subtle on skin but the lady also sprayed my top which is stronger. I wish I could test vanille 44 but it’s a Paris exclusive. So next time I’m visiting family I may see if I can get my nose on it. I’d also love to test gaiac 10 which is a tokyo exclusive. Very apt with my username :)

There’s been a bit of drama on social media over the last few days, and a lot of fragrance content creators are panicking. A major creator with millions of followers recently had his TikTok account deleted because a distributor holding the rights for some of the big brands such as Creed and Roja for Germany came after him for comparing dupe fragrances to the originals.

A lot of them freaking out, the reality is that so many brands - from dupe clone houses to mainstream original brands - spend massive amounts on influencer marketing, direct payments, pr packages, fancy trips. And dupe houses are the experts in that - they frequently fly influencers to Dubai, and even creators who aren't currently on the payroll or getting free flights are constantly pushing Arabian perfumes in hopes of getting noticed. Kayali is another company, not dupe house that is expert in this too.

Years ago, I tried a few arab dupe samples and the messaging was, "It might not smell good now, but give it time to macerate and it'll get better." Yeah, right. When I buy a perfume, I want something I like immediately, not something that might become wearable in a few months.

Mainstream brands and dupe houses are all doing the exact same thing in terms of trying to bribe and pay influencers. It’s no longer about who makes the best fragrance, but who can generate the most hype on social media.

I used to follow a few smaller European creators, I looked at video of one Portuguese lady and she said all 15 high end fragrances in the review were PR gifts. All glowing reviews, not a single I am not so sure. Even without PR, fragrance is far too subjective to rely on someone else's taste just because you agree on one or two scents.

It makes much more sense to support brands that offer easy sampling, sell travel-sized 10ml bottles, and make effort to maintain a physical store presence. The fewer influencers a brand flies out to film on luxury yachts in Dubai, the better. Dupe and "inspired-by" brands are here to stay, clearly, but the entire industry has become overly adept at manipulating social media.

Rant over. @IDontHateRainbows has the right idea when it comes to travel sizes!

Going through some samples this week as I am holidaying in Germany. Today Silky Woods by Goldfield and Banks. I like it but it doesnt really last that long on me. Usually gone within 3 hours.

So today I have Hera Reigns by Liberty - an oldie but a goodie - from the scent profile i shouldn't like it, heavy on oud and leather - but it doesn't feel overpowering it feels just right. One I fell out of love with and haven't worn in a while but tried it today and yes it's a good un and well overdue a revisit.

SHINY NEW THREAD

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5592766-scent-of-the-day-part-11-spritz-with-us-to-perfume-heaven

After the matcha wore off, I’ve gone for Bibbi vanilla factory. I really like this. Very weird but somehow addictive. I only wear this here if it’s a bit stormy or for night time only so it doesn’t get out much as I will usually opt for by the fireplace for those occasions.

MP Vanilla powder today, love that i can smell it on me as I'm walking around and going about my day.

@MiaNthat’s interesting to read. I don’t personally follow any fragrance influencers (or any others) as like you said, fragrance is so subjective. And the insincerity of it troubles me when it’s so heavily incentivised. But I can see how worrying it would be to so easily have your platform taken away though, when it’s a source of income for so many.

Havana Gold is a rum brand so does the scent have rum as well as the tobacco? It sounds intriguing.

Yes I think there are rum notes in there - whatever it is, lovely and would recommend. Selfridges are selling the 10ml on its own.

Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir for me today, one of the Cult Beauty 5 for £5 samples. I liked it at first but it's turned... fishy? Kind of like smoked mackerel or kippers. Some sort of smoked fish. Ugh! Think I'm going to have to scrub it off.

Anyone else experienced this? I don't know if it's the sample, my skin or what.

Oh no! I think maybe you got a bad sample as I've not found that with it at all, lovely scent.