What did you try today? (2023)

[Pippin06]

Tried and now happily have in my wardrobe--Chanel Platinum Egoiste and Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche.

LOVE them both, though several years ago I tried Platinum Egoiste in a store and didn't care for it. I sure do now! First time ever smelling Allure Edition Blanche.

 

[LizzyBC]

My SO got back from Florence today and brought me a few surprises. Today I tried:

Caprifoglio by Santa Maria Novella
-I expected something lighter and fresher based on the description but what I got what almost a sunscreen scent. Not bad by any means just a surprise.

Also...
Vaniglia by Santa Maria Novella
-Very much what I expected. Not a fluffy/cakey vanilla, but a thick/oily vanilla (think vanilla bean paste). There are hints of cocoa and smoke, plus something almost animalic as it opens but it disappears quickly. I like it but it's definitely a winter scent. It'll have to stay in the back of the cabinet until least October.

 

[cheapimitation]

This evening it's Affinessence Cuir Curcuma

Following my experience with the others, it's a base I've smelled before in modern high end niche or designer exclusives. It is a kind of sweet smooth new car interior leather that I think often reads as "expensive" in modern perfumes. I've smelled something similar in the Givenchy oud range and in Falcon Leather from Matiere Premiere.

The use of turmeric is a nice change from the usual saffron but achieves a similar effect with maybe a bit less bitterness. It never feels very spicy but overall just very smooth and warm, I'm getting a good dose of sweetness and vanilla peeking through. Everything is balanced nicely and pitched just right so it is present and long lasting without being overly loud and cloying the way some fragrances in this genre can be.

Not my favorite smell nor anything I haven't smelled before, but nicely done for what it is. If you like the smooth suave modern leather smell definitely worth checking out. The longer I wear it I think they really nailed the smell of an expensive new leather jacket.

Edit: aha it hit me where I really smelled something like this before was Givenchy La Garconne Manque which I have a deluxe sample thanks to a friend who works for the brand

 

[d r e]

Stronger with You Intensely:
Smells like the Original Stronger with You with added Cinnamon. If you haven't tried SwY, I'd say Kilian Angels Share without as much booziness is a good description.

Givenchy Pi:
First time wearing on skin. This is like the Male version of Dior Hypnotic Poison or something. Similar almond vanilla combo, but this seems more Cream Soda rather than Hypnotic Poisons Root Beer. I think it smells pretty good

 

[ChypreInBloom]

I tried Abime by Maison Violet which loved.

Abime is a great woody incense, great frag.

 

[ChypreInBloom]

View attachment 336872

Christèle Jacquemin - Underworld

…inspired by photographs I took during frequent trips between Barcelona where I resided and Paris where I studied perfumery. I left seventeen years of my life behind me. The Murcia chapter, a city in Southern Spain, was coming to an end. A new chapter was in the making, between shadows and lights.

After these few months, I worked to translate this feeling of intertwined fears and hopes into a scent.

The fragrance invites to let go, get out of one's cave and enter light.

I’m not sure why this is called Underworld, other than that tuberose is my own personal Hell. Alas, despite a small spice cabinet of auxiliary notes, this is really all about tuberose, abetted by mimosa and patchouli. So, not for me, but if you’re in the market for a spicy tuberose, Jacquemin’s penchant for quality naturals and tasteful blending should at least pique your interest in Underworld.

Out of six Christèle Jacquemin samples, I’ve got three potential full bottles, and the passes are due to primary notes I don’t love rather than any fault in the perfumery. The only Jacquemin I have yet to try is Impermanence, which looks to be my sort of thing, so if I order a bottle of anything else from her, I’ll be sure to score a sample of that one as well. I look forward to more issues from this house!

Tuberose is precisely one of my favourite flowers and I particularly enjoyed Underworld for that reason. 😄
It's a fine fine blend. Anyway, I see the discovery of that house has been an interesting experience for you too!

 

[Schubertian]

Continuing the Affinessence discovery set with Santal Basmati. My wallet is relieved I found another one I don't like!

I used to wonder with Santal 33 "where's the sandalwood?" but as I've smelled more and more fragrances with sandalwood in their name I keep coming across this similar accord. This doesn't smell like Santal 33 but this feels like it's in the same family of sandalwood accords.

I'm also starting to feel like I have no idea what sandalwood is really supposed to smell like and whether or not I even like it. There's Chanel Bois des Isles which goes into spiced gingerbread territory, Villoresi Sandalo which smells like old libraries and old books, the Le Labo santal always reminds me of wax or varnish on old wood with a rubbery texture (rubbery woods??), then there's the green milky sandalwood of Hermes Santal Massaoi which is really a fig fragrance in woody drag. I'm also realizing this smell is the culprit in the base of a whole load of indie/artisanal perfumes I've smelled that dry down to a weak dank dusty woody smell. Ham-fisted sandalwood base, the mark of amateur perfumery (cue Hans Hendley weeping softly into a vat of mysore).

Anyway, I don't like this. The more I smell it the more I think it is like Santal 33 with much fewer notes, maybe Santal 11.

Aha but there is one more in my fragrance memory this triggers: Providence Perfume Company Vientiane. It even has the same concept of connecting a rice note to sandalwood, except Vientiane is gorgeous and everything Santal Basmati wishes it could be (complex, layered, full of contrast, natural smelling).

I don't really understand why this has been the breakout hit of the line. But if you like Santal Basmati, I urge you to go try Vientiane and support a small perfume company!

I've never smelled Vientiane, but I did try Santal-Basmati a couple of years ago, and decided I don't want to smell like food. I cook a lot with basmati rice and that note was very strong. Otherwise, just wood. Pass...

Have you smelled vintage Samsara? It has a gorgeous, deep sandalwood. I believe in the first edition Mysore was still used along with synthetic. The current version is less sandalwoody. Bois des Iles is more similar to the vintage, as I recall.

Other perfumes I like with lovely sandalwood are Ashoka by Neela Vermeire, Amouage Lyric woman, and La Douceur de Siam. Piano Santal from L'Orchestre Parfum is a creamy sandalwood, though too one-note to hold my interest. Loewe 001 woman has, on me, quite a lot of sandalwood (I'm talking about scent, not necessary the genuine ingredient here.) Diptyque Tam Dao was more cedar on me, and a little scratchy. These are just my impressions.

 

[Toxicon]

Felt like something different today and reached into my grab bag of random samples. One perk of ordering full bottles from ZGO is that they always throw in a few random niche samples - and pretty much always things I'd never think to try for myself. Today I'm sampling Vilhelm - Dear Polly. It's a lightly smoky, sheer black tea scent, with a touch of bergamot and apple up top and a musky but restrained ambergris note in the base. Reminds me of something I can't put my finger on. Subtle, unisex, extremely wearable; light projection, good longevity. I can't imagine paying asking prices for something like this, but I'd happily wear it.

 

[hednic]

I tried Epine Mortelle by LM Parfums which I very much loved.

 

[cheapimitation]

I've never smelled Vientiane, but I did try Santal-Basmati a couple of years ago, and decided I don't want to smell like food. I cook a lot with basmati rice and that note was very strong. Otherwise, just wood. Pass...

Have you smelled vintage Samsara? It has a gorgeous, deep sandalwood. I believe in the first edition Mysore was still used along with synthetic. The current version is less sandalwoody. Bois des Iles is more similar to the vintage, as I recall.

Other perfumes I like with lovely sandalwood are Ashoka by Neela Vermeire, Amouage Lyric woman, and La Douceur de Siam. Piano Santal from L'Orchestre Parfum is a creamy sandalwood, though too one-note to hold my interest. Loewe 001 woman has, on me, quite a lot of sandalwood (I'm talking about scent, not necessary the genuine ingredient here.) Diptyque Tam Dao was more cedar on me, and a little scratchy. These are just my impressions.

Interesting, I got a creaminess but I didn't get any literal rice accord but the sandalwood accord annoyed me.

I've never tried Samsara! I'm not one to hunt down vintages but I've always been curious about this.

Aha, I recently got a sample of Ashoka from luckyscent, I'll give it a try! I also remember trying that l'Orchestre at Bloomingdales, my memory is vague but I remember finding something off in a lot of their perfumes.

Of the sandalwood I've tried, I do like Bois des Isles, Santal Massaoi and Villoressi Sandalo. I also like Tam Dao but agree it goes more cedar/general woods and I get a bit bored with it.

Probably the best sandalwood I have is Dusita Oudh Infini. It does have a gorgeous creamy wood at the base after you get through all the animalics. Takes 5-6 hours but it's there!

I think a lot of sandalwood bases I just find dusty, flat and it bit boring if there's nothing else going on. I also don't like the overly tenacious modern "sandalwood" found in Santal 33.

There is another type, a kind of soapy nutty sandalwood smell I've found in Iris Poudre, Cartiere L'heure Promise and Amouage Lyric man that I enjoy.

 

[Couronne de Violette]

Un

Interesting, I got a creaminess but I didn't get any literal rice accord but the sandalwood accord annoyed me.

I've never tried Samsara! I'm not one to hunt down vintages but I've always been curious about this.

Samsara is getting a lot more expensive these days. I have a mini that is incredibly beautiful and tenacious, if you can find one of those. Lasts forever.

 

[Couronne de Violette]

At long last after keeping this on a satin pillow in a cave, I tried:



At first, intriguing but a little one note, very dry. As it unwinds, I'm rewarded with the subtle linden blossom/lime leaf aspect, the sweetness of carnation and musk, the vetiver perfectly blended with the leather/tobacco accord. I understand why this is described as angular, standoffish, but it is magical and I keep leaning into it.

 

[Ken_Russell]

Retested Jaguar Era today-while many of its notes might smell enjoyable or at least interesting if taken/analyzed separately, the ultimate result of combining all these barely holds up and stands out among other fresh, inoffensive but otherwise quite generic, average mainstream scent outputs.

 

[PStoller]

Tuberose is precisely one of my favourite flowers and I particularly enjoyed Underworld for that reason. 😄
It's a fine fine blend. Anyway, I see the discovery of that house has been an interesting experience for you too!

Indeed, I think Jacquemin is a talented perfumer with a distinct character to her work. Hopefully, she’s just getting started in a long career.

I recognize that my disenchantment with tuberose, jasmine, and vanilla almost makes me a perfumisto who doesn’t like perfume. In fact, there are fragrances I like with all those notes. They’re just not notes I like as central. In any case, I account for that in reviews. I think I can recognize something well made that doesn’t fit me vs. something of poor construction or materials.

 

[PStoller]

Zoologist - Dodo

Notes forthcoming, after I figure out if this is 2019 or 2020.

*

So much for that—I still can't be sure. I think it was part of a sample lot I acquired in early 2021, but that wouldn't rule out Dodo 2019. My gut tells me it's the first version, especially after reading the reviews in the directory, as there's nothing of the sweaty, herbal "masculine savory" nature that bothered some people about the new one, but rather an unusual fruity opening, somewhat tropical and sweet, that I would take to be the lime-lychee combo, and that dries down to what reads to my nose as a bit of ambergris on top of sandalwood (and Iso E Super). I wouldn't know feathery musk if it sued me for paternity, so I can't say if that 2019 note is here or not. But I'm not getting any os the 2020's tonka, which is fine by me.

Anyway, interesting, and I rather liked it; but the sweetness makes it not something I'd reach for often even if I didn't have going on 1,000 bottles, so my heart isn't broken that (assuming the original) it's out of production and probably fetching unicorn prices when it surfaces at all.

 

[ChypreInBloom]

Indeed, I think Jacquemin is a talented perfumer with a distinct character to her work. Hopefully, she’s just getting started in a long career.

I recognize that my disenchantment with tuberose, jasmine, and vanilla almost makes me a perfumisto who doesn’t like perfume. In fact, there are fragrances I like with all those notes. They’re just not notes I like as central. In any case, I account for that in reviews. I think I can recognize something well made that doesn’t fit me vs. something of poor construction or materials.

I'm totally with you on jasmine. I find it extremely hard to take when it's central to a fragrance, although I do love Fils de Joie by Serge Lutens for example--strangely enough.
I've been into fragrance for less than two years and I can see already how much my perceptions have changed, how they have... refined in a way. I do admire people like you and many others here in this forum, who can smell so perceptively. It's inspiring!

 

[PStoller]

I've been into fragrance for less than two years and I can see already how much my perceptions have changed, how they have... refined in a way. I do admire people like you and many others here in this forum, who can smell so perceptively. It's inspiring!

I haven’t been into it much longer than you, and there’s so much more I don’t know than that I do. My “one new fragrance a day” journey is, in part, a game of catch-up with where I could’ve been if I’d started sooner—and where some people here, who’ve been very helpful and generous to me, already are.

My perceptions are really just that: my perceptions. I’m under no illusions that they’re “correct.” But I post them to help clarify my own thoughts, and in hopes that someone might find them useful. The other stuff I know about perfumery is because I looked it up. It ain’t rocket surgery.

 

[johnnyutah]

I’ve been going through my samples and entire bottle collection lately, so every day has been a sample day. Today was a battle of the early 00s mainstream (clubby?) musks.

Moshcino Uomo Boy this smells like waiting in line to get into a Rave circa 2000. The cinnamon is very aldehydic and bubbly. I have a vintage bottle, but honestly I’ve never noticed a huge difference compared to a more recent bottling I have stored away. Something in here gives off a bit of hairy chest vibe and I love it. (keep in mind this is a very 90s perspective and has nothing on 70s/80s scents)

Lagerfeld Men I know this was meant to be a starched white shirt scent, but honestly it‘s a “weekend at the lake house” scent. A more sour but less aggressive version of Uomo. Has a rumpled oxford shirt and shorts vibe. Too bad all the plastic covered caps on the bottles are off gassing and sticky. Can still be found cheap even though discontinued.

 

[hednic]

Dioriviera by Dior - loved it.

 

[cheapimitation]

I got a bunch of Lorenzo Villoresi samples!

Starting with Incensi which begins as a fairly straightforward fresh and light incense. I was thinking this would be quite short lived from the intro but it actually got stronger as it warmed up and eventually a spicy warm base came out that lasted a very long time. The later dry down reminded me of the smell of opening a dusty old cupboard of spices, the lightness from the old spices wafting in the air but not giving me any one spice in particular.

A great option for a warmer weather spicy/incense. I was astonished to see the huge list of notes after I looked this up as it feels like a fairly simple and straightforward (albeit well done) fragrance. I feel like it's very much a signature of Italian style to balance all these notes with such lightness so that the perfume never feels muddled or dense.

The perfume is nice but doesn't quite excite me enough to want a bottle.