Favourite Perfumes #4

[Codiaeum]

Tonka bean is vanilla like, patchouli is a very pungent smell, worn a lot by alternative, hippy types in the 60s-90s, it can be almost sweet but it is predominantly woody, occasionally with a high almost medicinal note. Very polarising. Obsession has a strong amber note so you could figure it out from that. Cedar smells like pencils. Ambroxan I hate, it’s got a very fuzzy nose invading feel, it’s an aromachemical and really overused imo (because I hate it ). The base note of those Arabian shopping mall scents fairly often, and the other lingering note in those is oud. Jasmine in its strongest forms can have a fecal scent, it’s literally the same compound, so it needs a light touch and then it’s a beautiful white floral. Magnolia to me has a sweetish soapy floral scent. M&S had magnolia soap and talc etc for years. Frangipane is also a tropical white flower, it can be overpowering.
Hope this helps a little. Fragrantica has a facility to look at notes and which perfumes have them so you can train your nose a little using that and seeking out the scents for reference.

You cleared up a year-old mystery for me about jasmine! I really like jasmine tea and years ago I was excited that Bulgari came out with Jasmine Noir, expecting to like it.
Got a sample, but every time I tried it, it’s way too strong and downright unpleasant and somehow stinky and „rotting“. Never knew that jasmine, which in my mind is a delicate scent could be so smelly.

 

[dee_mc]

You cleared up a year-old mystery for me about jasmine! I really like jasmine tea and years ago I was excited that Bulgari came out with Jasmine Noir, expecting to like it.
Got a sample, but every time I tried it, it’s way too strong and downright unpleasant and somehow stinky and „rotting“. Never knew that jasmine, which in my mind is a delicate scent could be so smelly.

Jasmine smells pissy to me. It's such a lovely scent but right at the end there's that little note that make my nose wrinkle up in distaste so no jasmine scents for me!

 

[griftalo]

Jasmine smells pissy to me. It's such a lovely scent but right at the end there's that little note that make my nose wrinkle up in distaste so no jasmine scents for me!

Fake sandalwood is the one that smells urinous to me!

You cleared up a year-old mystery for me about jasmine! I really like jasmine tea and years ago I was excited that Bulgari came out with Jasmine Noir, expecting to like it.
Got a sample, but every time I tried it, it’s way too strong and downright unpleasant and somehow stinky and „rotting“. Never knew that jasmine, which in my mind is a delicate scent could be so smelly.

I’m glad! Try spraying the sample onto some unscented body lotion and spreading it on your body. It might be more pleasant .

also you may love a jasmine tea perfume I have but I need to remember what it’s called!

This:

https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Ineke/Poet-s-Jasmine-13050.html

 

[Notorious PIG]

Tonka bean is vanilla like, patchouli is a very pungent smell, worn a lot by alternative, hippy types in the 60s-90s, it can be almost sweet but it is predominantly woody, occasionally with a high almost medicinal note. Very polarising. Obsession has a strong amber note so you could figure it out from that. Cedar smells like pencils. Ambroxan I hate, it’s got a very fuzzy nose invading feel, it’s an aromachemical and really overused imo (because I hate it ). The base note of those Arabian shopping mall scents fairly often, and the other lingering note in those is oud. Jasmine in its strongest forms can have a fecal scent, it’s literally the same compound, so it needs a light touch and then it’s a beautiful white floral. Magnolia to me has a sweetish soapy floral scent. M&S had magnolia soap and talc etc for years. Frangipane is also a tropical white flower, it can be overpowering.
Hope this helps a little. Fragrantica has a facility to look at notes and which perfumes have them so you can train your nose a little using that and seeking out the scents for reference.

very helpful, thank you!

I’ve made a Fragratica acc and put everything l own and owned on the ‘shelf’ thingy, then I’ve read up on loads and put them on the ‘to test’ shelf, and I read all the reviews and I love how they list all the notes in picture format, I often screenshot them and compare ones with similar notes. Such a great resource!

You know what…just from the way you’ve described jasmine, I think I have an idea of how that smells. I’m sure I’ve sprayed on a jasmine-heavy perfume and thought it was nice or ok at first…before it turning slightly poo-like! Is it the sort of weed-like poo odor?

I always thought I might have liked frangipane but on recently reading that it has a slight banana-like hint, I’m not sure.

 

[Notorious PIG]

i have done this as well (although i went in full throttle).
I gave Chatgpt a list of all the perfumes i own and then a list of perfumes that I have sampled and didn't get on with ( or was a bit meh about) - when i am interested in sampling new perfumes from a brand i post screenshots to Chatgpt and ask it what it thinks . It pumps out an opinion on hard yes, hard no and worth a try .

That’s a great idea. This is another reason to invest in the twenty quid per moment for chat gtp! My husband uses it to choose wines at the airport. While he’s looking at the wines, I am of course at the perfume counters, spraying swatch sticks, taking pics, and writing on my spreadsheet on my phone. Chat gtp would help a lot.

 

[Notorious PIG]

I went back to Kayali vanilla 28 sample today after months taking a break from perfume research.

I hate it. It’s repulsive. It reminds me of my bottle of Lattafa Sharaf Blend I brought earlier this year, which I loved in the beginning but now it makes me feel sick. Yucky, too rich. It’s not the perfume that’s changed, it’s my dumb olfactory!

i wonder if it’s a hormonal (pre menapausal) thing. But that’s another thread.

I ordered Lattafa Maison Alhambra Delilah this week. It’s apparently a dupe for PDM Delina (which I never sniffed cos it is never at any airport terminal I got to, and I’ve been to probably 15 this year already).

It is very rose-forward. I dunno yet if I like it. I dont hate it. I’m leaving it to maturate for a few weeks.

 

[Crumpet41]

I went back to Kayali vanilla 28 sample today after months taking a break from perfume research.

I hate it. It’s repulsive. It reminds me of my bottle of Lattafa Sharaf Blend I brought earlier this year, which I loved in the beginning but now it makes me feel sick. Yucky, too rich. It’s not the perfume that’s changed, it’s my dumb olfactory!

i wonder if it’s a hormonal (pre menapausal) thing. But that’s another thread.

I ordered Lattafa Maison Alhambra Delilah this week. It’s apparently a dupe for PDM Delina (which I never sniffed cos it is never at any airport terminal I got to, and I’ve been to probably 15 this year already).

It is very rose-forward. I dunno yet if I like it. I dont hate it. I’m leaving it to maturate for a few weeks.

Delina have a flanker called Delina La Rosee - which is the same as delina but it’s a bit more wearable .
You could get a sample from small aromas or sample scents? Then you could give it a try.

https://www.scentsamples.com/produc...-eau-de-parfum-1?_pos=3&_psq=Del&_ss=e&_v=1.0

It’s currently £2 a ml ( ffs I wish I hadn’t gone on now as I am going to be spending again)

used this company multiple times and never had any issue with them .

 

[Notorious PIG]

Delina have a flanker called Delina La Rosee - which is the same as delina but it’s a bit more wearable .
You could get a sample from small aromas or sample scents? Then you could give it a try.

https://www.scentsamples.com/produc...-eau-de-parfum-1?_pos=3&_psq=Del&_ss=e&_v=1.0

It’s currently £2 a ml ( ffs I wish I hadn’t gone on now as I am going to be spending again)

used this company multiple times and never had any issue with them .

That sounds really nice, I just read info and reviews on Fragrantica, it sounds promising. I'm definitely keen to try. I just looked up samples from local to me (EU) companies and the cheapest is €8 for 1ml, so £2 is one hell of a deal!

 

[griftalo]

very helpful, thank you!

I’ve made a Fragratica acc and put everything l own and owned on the ‘shelf’ thingy, then I’ve read up on loads and put them on the ‘to test’ shelf, and I read all the reviews and I love how they list all the notes in picture format, I often screenshot them and compare ones with similar notes. Such a great resource!

You know what…just from the way you’ve described jasmine, I think I have an idea of how that smells. I’m sure I’ve sprayed on a jasmine-heavy perfume and thought it was nice or ok at first…before it turning slightly poo-like! Is it the sort of weed-like poo odor?

I always thought I might have liked frangipane but on recently reading that it has a slight banana-like hint, I’m not sure.

I absolutely love dramatics*. Finding it years ago revolutionised my fragrance buying. Plus I love when people really put their heart into the reviews, or they’re really funny.
re frangipane and banana could it possibly be tuberose instead? Michael by Michael Kors has a very banana forward tuberose.
* that would fragrantica this phone is determined to make what I write into nonsense

 

[petalpetal5381]

I absolutely love dramatics*. Finding it years ago revolutionised my fragrance buying. Plus I love when people really put their heart into the reviews, or they’re really funny.
re frangipane and banana could it possibly be tuberose instead? Michael by Michael Kors has a very banana forward tuberose.
* that would fragrantica this phone is determined to make what I write into nonsense

You must’ve read my mind. As I was doing my evening skincare I was thinking I must ask on this thread if anyone knows any dupes of Michael by Michael Kors! I loved it so much, and wish it hadn’t been discontinued!

 

[it’s not been changed?!]

I read last night that Byredo are discontinuing a lot of their fragrances. I only looked as yesterday I wore a dupe of tobacco mandarin. To me, it smells strongly of cumin, so don’t wear it often. The reviews on fragrantica say it smells of sweat

 

[griftalo]

You must’ve read my mind. As I was doing my evening skincare I was thinking I must ask on this thread if anyone knows any dupes of Michael by Michael Kors! I loved it so much, and wish it hadn’t been discontinued!

I have a sprayed about ten times bottle somewhere in my house. It may find it way onto a secondhand selling site at some point as I clearly haven’t loved it enough to really use it. There are all kinds of gems in my house.. somewhere there’s an 80ml champagne spray and a L’interdit absolu 5ml from the original release. I’ve got original new west and Colors as well. Loads of nostalgia!

 

[griftalo]

I read last night that Byredo are discontinuing a lot of their fragrances. I only looked as yesterday I wore a dupe of tobacco mandarin. To me, it smells strongly of cumin, so don’t wear it often. The reviews on fragrantica say it smells of sweat

I always feel cumin makes me smell bad like BO so I’ve had to abandon a lot of fragrances with it in. I have a perfume oil that smells a bit like korma but that’s fine!! It’s just the cumin. If anyone cooks with it at home I have to have the windows open. I just don’t enjoy it at all.

 

[it’s not been changed?!]

I’ve opened this today. I never really had an opinion about their perfume. I’d occasionally go into the store in a local designer outlet. The moment Lorna luxe started blabbing about it, it put me off. Anyway, this was a gift, so here goes

 

[it’s not been changed?!]

This is the one I’ve opened

 

[JE172]

This is the one I’ve opened
View attachment 3810885

My husband wears either that or Halfeti, they are both gorgeous and I love Cairo too.

 

[it’s not been changed?!]

My husband wears either that or Halfeti, they are both gorgeous and I love Cairo too.

I love Cairo! It’s not in this set, though I feel like it got wasted on me today as I’ve not seen anyone

 

[Girty Drifter]

My favourite Penhaligon’s are Changing Constance (but the longevity isn’t great) and Artemisia (but it’s *very* close). Try as I might, I can’t find any smell as lovely as either of these but with better longevity/less close. Any suggestions would be lovely.

 

[Crumpet41]

my fave penhaligons :-

Solaris
Orange Blossom

special shout to Halfeti. I love this - it’s gorgeous but I don’t ever wear it so ended up giving to a mate as a I knew he would wear it.

 

[emanwhe]

Trying to replace Flower Market by Maison Margiela (which is discontinued ) any ideas? White florals I love, with a bit of green/crispness…tried Creed’s Spring Flower, Love in White, and Eladaria, and they’re ok (final two are a bit powdery), any ideas?