Synchronized Fridays 2023

[strangelight]

I'm working from home today so tried my luck with pick a random and got Papillon Anubis, a fragrance I enjoy greatly but wouldn't wear often enough to justify a full bottle. I'm really hoping one of the UK decant sites will pick it up. There's something about this one I find incredibly nostalgic taking me back to memories of time spent in South Asia as a child - maybe the specific incense note used.

@Toxicon - I was thinking of picking up a bottle of 2019 Cabochard - if you've tried both the EDP and EDT, is one notably more sweet?

 

[MistaPanda]

Definitely the same kind of requirements I've seen from Alice or Sakecat when it comes to picking a "no brainer" :

- Must smell good for people around me (Usually something that got me compliments or that's totally inoffensive)
- I have to be comfortable wearing it (a mass pleaser that smells overly synthetic to me won't do the trick... I'm looking at you Light Blue Eau Intense !)
- Not polarizing (unless it works with my skin chemistry... which seems to be the case with Aqva Amara or Molecule 01 for example)
- Daytime ( I also have "night time easy reaches" so to speak... but if I have to pick something for the whole day, it has to be versatile )
- Not too weird, sweet, strong, boozy, leathery, funky etc...

So, basically... lots of freshies, citruses, greens, aquatics, light woods, powdery ! More than enough options to choose from... depending on the season, the weather, the occasion etc... here are some of those I took into consideration :

- Musk Malaki (Chopard)
- Oud Wood (Tom Ford)
- L'Homme l'eau (Prada)
- Cedrat boisé (Mancera)
- Molecule 01 (Escentric Molecules)
- Aqva & Aqva Amara (Bvlgari)
- Vetiver Geranium (Creed)
- Royal Oud (Creed)

And the winner eventually is : Grey Vetiver EDT (Tom Ford) - Very enjoyable, clean, performs pretty well, got me compliments in the past... the sun was shining in the morning and that DNA simply makes me feel good every time I smell it ! 😁

 

[tdem1961]

My easy reach is Shalimar - anytime, anywhere, it never lets me down. ❤️

 

[JoM68]

My dumb reach is very easy - Jo Malone's Mimosa & Cardamom. It's the first scent that, at the start of my fragrance journey, really caught my attention and I still like it.

Out of curiosity I clicked the random button and it came up with Obsession, which would have been good too.

 

[sagebrush]

Easy to wear would be Bottega Veneta pH EdT or CdG Black.
The random picker chose..... Dior Fahrenheit, which would be a double dip for Fahrenheit Friday.
It will be CdG Black, which I find comforting.
Don't have the attitude to wear Fahrenheit today, as I apparently have flu (and have had for at least a couple of weeks).

 

[strangelight]

- Must smell good for people around me (Usually something that got me compliments or that's totally inoffensive)

How do you decide what smells good to a group of people? The people in my life seem to have a diverse range of tastes.
I mean, I get something like Zoologist TRex may be out of the question, but I'm not sure I can thing of a completely unifying scent unless it's just one that's not that noticeable. Many hate current fragrance trends (extremely sweet, woody amber bombs) even though they're widely worn, but many seem put off by anything remotedly "dated". That's part of why I like intimate sillage - I want to smell it myself, but I don't want to potentially irritate someone on the other side of the room.
My spring go-tos are Penhaligon's Ostara and Papillon Angelique which I think are both largely inoffensive, but idk, there's probably a note there that strikes some people as bad.

 

[Diddy]

How do you decide what smells good to a group of people? The people in my life seem to have a diverse range of tastes.
I mean, I get something like Zoologist TRex may be out of the question, but I'm not sure I can thing of a completely unifying scent unless it's just one that's not that noticeable. Many hate current fragrance trends (extremely sweet, woody amber bombs) even though they're widely worn, but many seem put off by anything remotedly "dated". That's part of why I like intimate sillage - I want to smell it myself, but I don't want to potentially irritate someone on the other side of the room.
My spring go-tos are Penhaligon's Ostara and Papillon Angelique which I think are both largely inoffensive, but idk, there's probably a note there that strikes some people as bad.

I’m fortunate to have several people in my life that give me feedback on fragrances frequently, and unsolicited, at home and work. So that experience gives me an idea. However, if all else fails, I can always go with uncomplicated and clean smelling. When a fragrance is uncomplicated (even boring at times), not a screamer, and smells clean, it’s generally about as safe as you can get.



I was going to go with one of my easiest dumb teaches ever… Banana Republic’s 78 Vintage Green, and then tried the random picker for fun and it selected Bond 9 WallStreet. Both fragrances I enjoy to wear for work or events where I want a dumb reach but still smell good. Hmmm. Maybe I’ll have some coffee first and then decide.

 

[strangelight]

I’m fortunate to have several people in my life that give me feedback on fragrances frequently, and unsolicited, at home and work. So that experience gives me an idea. However, if all else fails, I can always go with uncomplicated and clean smelling. When a fragrance is uncomplicated (even boring at times), not a screamer, and smells clean, it’s generally about as safe as you can get.



I was going to go with one of my easiest dumb teaches ever… Banana Republic’s 78 Vintage Green, and then tried the random picker for fun and it selected Bond 9 WallStreet. Both fragrances I enjoy to wear for work or events where I want a dumb reach but still smell good. Hmmm. Maybe I’ll have some coffee first and then decide.

Having people not afraid to tell you if something bothers them does help a lot!
I suppose I'm a little wary of the logic that "clean" means safe - just personally speaking, some of the fragrances that have bothered me most have been described as "clean" or "boring" - Byredo Mojave Ghost I find sickly smelling for example. And for some reason, clean synthetic tuberose (Diptyque Do Son, Hermes Twily) often turns my stomach, where I enjoy more indolic tuberose (HG Moon Bloom, Dusita Melodie L'Amour) that feel natural to me.
I suppose very plain woody scents like Tam Dao are probably "safe", but then some people seem very sensitive to synthetic sandalwoods and I even remember someone saying they found Tam Dao too spicy (which baffled me, as it never even occurred to me that TD was spicy).
I'm sure some scents are much less contentious than others, but I'm very much of the opinion that you can't please everyone, so if you're going to be around groups of people whose personal tastes you don't know, it's good to keep in mind that they could hate it, so keeping the fragrance "volume" low is the most important thing to me.

 

[Diddy]

I’m fortunate to have several people in my life that give me feedback on fragrances frequently, and unsolicited, at home and work. So that experience gives me an idea. However, if all else fails, I can always go with uncomplicated and clean smelling. When a fragrance is uncomplicated (even boring at times), not a screamer, and smells clean, it’s generally about as safe as you can get.



I was going to go with one of my easiest dumb teaches ever… Banana Republic’s 78 Vintage Green, and then tried the random picker for fun and it selected Bond 9 WallStreet. Both fragrances I enjoy to wear for work or events where I want a dumb reach but still smell good. Hmmm. Maybe I’ll have some coffee first and then decide.

Had my coffee and decided to let my 14 year old go pick me a fragrance from the wardrobe. Brave, huh? I didn’t even give him any instructions. I figured - how much more of a dumb reach could it be since I’m not even reaching???

He came back with my SOTD… Mugler Cologne. Good random job, kiddo! So I thanked him and grilled him about his school work to make sure he stays on top of things. I feel good about how my day started.

 

[IsoESuperman]

After moving house three times in the past five years, I've realized my easy reaches have far less to do with the scent itself than they do with how easy they are to reach. If I place something on a shelf at chest level near where I enter the room, I'm far more likely to wear it. Pre-move and post-move, the go-to scents change based on proximity. What I consider easy reaches remained static.

Two equally easy wears scent-wise that I mentally file in similar categories (Granville and Palais Jamais, to use a real world example), Granville is on the shelf, Palais Jamais is in a cardboard box on the floor directly under the shelf. If you asked me which one I prefer or find more interesting, it's Palais Jamais all day. But if I walk downstairs with the intent to put one or the other on, it's Granville 9 of 10 times.

Maybe the proximity phenomenon for me is being lazy, maybe it's a sign of having a wardrobe large enough to induce decision paralysis, who knows. I think of it like a less visually elegant and curated version of the monthly rotation tray (which is a great thread, if it's still around). Maybe I'll get on board with tray idea to help get more scents into the rotation, and to better identify which ones need to be gone.

At any rate, today I've started with Hendley Bourbon EdC. It, Clandestine Assam, Guerlain Vetiver, and Or Black are currently living on a shelf in the basement next to the toilet paper and paper towels. We needed toilet paper upstairs so the reach couldn't have been easier.

 

[Diddy]

Having people not afraid to tell you if something bothers them does help a lot!
I suppose I'm a little wary of the logic that "clean" means safe - just personally speaking, some of the fragrances that have bothered me most have been described as "clean" or "boring" - Byredo Mojave Ghost I find sickly smelling for example. And for some reason, clean synthetic tuberose (Diptyque Do Son, Hermes Twily) often turns my stomach, where I enjoy more indolic tuberose (HG Moon Bloom, Dusita Melodie L'Amour) that feel natural to me.
I suppose very plain woody scents like Tam Dao are probably "safe", but then some people seem very sensitive to synthetic sandalwoods and I even remember someone saying they found Tam Dao too spicy (which baffled me, as it never even occurred to me that TD was spicy).
I'm sure some scents are much less contentious than others, but I'm very much of the opinion that you can't please everyone, so if you're going to be around groups of people whose personal tastes you don't know, it's good to keep in mind that they could hate it, so keeping the fragrance "volume" low is the most important thing to me.

Your thinking is correct. Clean isn’t always the correct answer to keeping it safe. It’s just never the wrong answer. I totally agree with the “volume” aspect being the most critical. If a clean smell is loud then it could be obnoxious and therefore not safe. I should’ve provided a bit of context to my clean statement as it could mean different things to different folks. For me, Clean is like when fresh out of the shower and from the perspective of living in a hot and humid climate. Down South, clean means light and fresh and usually with a citrus or white floral or light white musk or even a light vetiver. Things that are fresh and appealing in contrast to being sweaty and funky. Where I live, magnolias annd gardenias and osmanthus abound. My gardenias are popping and smelling amazing right now! Now I’m getting sidetracked. 😂🤣 Anyways, I hope that gives better context to my perspective.

I took the below photo of a bee heading for one of my gardenias yesterday morning with my phone.

 

[Toxicon]

I'm working from home today so tried my luck with pick a random and got Papillon Anubis, a fragrance I enjoy greatly but wouldn't wear often enough to justify a full bottle. I'm really hoping one of the UK decant sites will pick it up. There's something about this one I find incredibly nostalgic taking me back to memories of time spent in South Asia as a child - maybe the specific incense note used.

@Toxicon - I was thinking of picking up a bottle of 2019 Cabochard - if you've tried both the EDP and EDT, is one notably more sweet?

I don’t think of either as especially sweet, but between them the EDP feels a bit rounder and a touch more ambery in the base. The EDT feels less overtly floral, more focused on the smoky green galbanum opening and gets to the leather chypre base faster; it’s spikier, slightly louder initially, and a bit shorter lived. The EDP amps up the jasmine and ylang ylang in the opening (and I suppose feels sweeter as a result), eventually gets to a very similar dry down, just with a slightly heavier base, closer scent bubble projection, and longer wear time overall. I slightly prefer the EDT myself as I don’t need the bigger floral opening, but the EDP is still great (and the one I wound up with, after gifting someone the EDT).

 

[ClockworkAlice]

Love your gardenia & the bee photo, @Diddy!

 

[Puma]

My "easy reach" for the current season would have been Cabochard eau de parfum, vintage. Alas, this day is so inhospitable with rain, wind, and temperatures dropping again towards a wintry level. So I tried the random fragrance selection a few times admittedly, until it selected L'Interdit (2018) by Givenchy, eau de parfum, from a sample.

When I tried this perfume earlier, I did not like it at all, too sweet, too bombastic. But today it seems to be a perfect wear. It even boosts my mood.

 

[MistaPanda]

How do you decide what smells good to a group of people? The people in my life seem to have a diverse range of tastes.
I mean, I get something like Zoologist TRex may be out of the question, but I'm not sure I can thing of a completely unifying scent unless it's just one that's not that noticeable. Many hate current fragrance trends (extremely sweet, woody amber bombs) even though they're widely worn, but many seem put off by anything remotedly "dated". That's part of why I like intimate sillage - I want to smell it myself, but I don't want to potentially irritate someone on the other side of the room.
My spring go-tos are Penhaligon's Ostara and Papillon Angelique which I think are both largely inoffensive, but idk, there's probably a note there that strikes some people as bad.

Diddy's answers were perfect

If need be, I'd probably feel "safe" picking fragrances that got me several unsolicited compliments... because they seem to work with most people and in different environments.

Family & friends also know I'm interested in fragrances and some of them won't hesitate to share an opinion about what I wear... even if it's negative. My mother - for example - absolutely destroyed some fragrances that are often considered "mass pleasing". 😄

Sometimes, it might be a comment (more than a critic or a compliment) that would lead me to learn more about a fragrance : its strength, the amount of sprays, the opening...

In the end, I guess I try to remember some interactions, to read between the lines and to define a fragrance's "likeability rate"... then I decide if I want to pick my SOTD accordingly. ^^

Having people not afraid to tell you if something bothers them does help a lot!
I suppose I'm a little wary of the logic that "clean" means safe - just personally speaking, some of the fragrances that have bothered me most have been described as "clean" or "boring" - Byredo Mojave Ghost I find sickly smelling for example. And for some reason, clean synthetic tuberose (Diptyque Do Son, Hermes Twily) often turns my stomach, where I enjoy more indolic tuberose (HG Moon Bloom, Dusita Melodie L'Amour) that feel natural to me.
I suppose very plain woody scents like Tam Dao are probably "safe", but then some people seem very sensitive to synthetic sandalwoods and I even remember someone saying they found Tam Dao too spicy (which baffled me, as it never even occurred to me that TD was spicy).
I'm sure some scents are much less contentious than others, but I'm very much of the opinion that you can't please everyone, so if you're going to be around groups of people whose personal tastes you don't know, it's good to keep in mind that they could hate it, so keeping the fragrance "volume" low is the most important thing to me.

We definitely can't please everyone.

As you said, people have a diverse range of taste... there are fragrances that got me completely different feedbacks from various people. Tastes also seem to vary overtime... someone might like a fragrance at some point (season, weather, stage in the dry down), and find it less appealing a few months later. Pour un Homme (Caron) has been a victim of both ! 😁

I try to take some people's preferences into account when I meet them, but I usually wear what I want... especially when I don't know what strangers think about a specific fragrance (or about fragrances in general) .

 

[chypre]

My easy reach fragrances tend to be what I consider "neutral": nothing too rich, sweet, or complex; or on the other side, too weird or synthetic. It's usually somewhat clean; slightly natural or skin-like, so it's comfortable to wear; and grounded enough to be somewhat satisfying.

Ones that come to mind: Caleche parfum, Infusion d'Iris, Kiehl's Musk, or even Sycomore EDT - if it wasn't so precious. In fact, most vetivers are an easy reach for me. So my choice for the sync is Vetiver Insolent.

After moving house three times in the past five years, I've realized my easy reaches have far less to do with the scent itself than they do with how easy they are to reach. If I place something on a shelf at chest level near where I enter the room, I'm far more likely to wear it. Pre-move and post-move, the go-to scents change based on proximity. What I consider easy reaches remained static.

Yes! I've been wearing Chanel No. 19 a lot because it's literally an easy reach, in front of all my other perfumes, on a tray, whilst most of my collection are still in boxes. But I also find the current version very easy to wear.

 

[Toxicon]

None of the random-button selections felt right today (Florida Water, Antaeus, Jardin sur le Nil) so I let my sluggish morning brain grab the first thing that seemed appropriate. Perhaps not my dumbest reach, but an easy one to grab in warmer weather: Atelier Cologne Cedrat Enivrant. Effervescent citrus cut with mint, basil, and cypress, gradually drying down to vetiver and elemi. Summer mojito vibes all the way, but the base has a cooling, melancholy air that can work on a rainy day as well as a sunny one. Reminds me of a dressed up take on Eau de Rochas Homme.

 

[CookBot]

a few dabs of 4711 Echt Kolnisch Wasser

This strikes me as the most perfect all-rounder easy-reach imaginable, for anyone of any age or any gender at any season of the year.

My spring go-tos are Penhaligon's Ostara and Papillon Angelique which I think are both largely inoffensive,

Think again. Ostara makes me physically ill, but at the same time I find it a superb achievement in perfumery. It's just that I can't bear the smell of narcissus, either in nature or in perfume. I can't be in the same room with a bouquet of cut daffodils without becoming nauseated -- which is a shame because I think they're one of the most beautiful flowers. But I did buy a bottle of Ostara as a gift for my boss, who adores narcissus and promised never to wear it around me. It was downright criminal that they discontinued it.

Clandestine Assam, Guerlain Vetiver, and Or Black are currently living on a shelf in the basement next to the toilet paper and paper towels.

I can't believe you wouldn't have your Or Black standing at the ready, nearby you! It was your eloquent love of it that got me to buy a bottle blind (and to be grateful that I had).

 

[grayspoole]

My dumb reaches are, typically, vintage Miss Dior EDT or vintage No. 19 EDT. I’ve never used the random “Pick my Perfume” tool before, so I thought I’d give it a spin…and the results were good…Scherrer by Scherrer (1979), sometimes known as Scherrer 1.

I became mildly obsessed with Scherrer 1 a few years ago, but I haven’t worn it for a while. It bears some similarities to other great 1970’s greenish chypres, but it has some unique qualities and feels exceptionally balanced. I have bottles of Scherrer 1 in the vintage parfum, vintage EDT, and contemporary EDP formulations. The vintage forms are much better, of course: the rose note is noticeably richer, and the base notes are smoother and velvety, rather than sharp. That said, the contemporary versions are worth trying and very affordable.

Scherrer 1 is deeply earthy and mossy, but clean-smelling. This perhaps the only witchy vintage chypre that uses cassia (black currant leaf) in way that doesn’t get on my nerves (looking at you, vintage Magie Noire). (The note list here has “cassie” from acacia farnesiana, and I don’t think that is right.) Scherrer 1 remains crystalline and vegetal throughout its all-day presence on the skin.

Who was the unsung perfumer who created this beautiful perfume? According to Victoria Frolova, author of the Bois de Jasmin blog, Scherrer 1 was composed by Josette Ramisse, an IFF perfumer. Unfortunately, I could not find additional information about Ramisse, but her formidable skills and taste are fully displayed in the composition.

 

[Puma]

This strikes me as the most perfect all-rounder easy-reach imaginable, for anyone of any age or any gender at any season of the year.

Not for me!

 

[CookBot]

It didn't take me two seconds to decide what the easy reach is in my collection: the original Bottega Veneta EDP.



Almost every perfume I own would be considered offbeat in some way by somebody, or is wearable only in certain seasons of the year, or just plain too weird for many people. But the original BV is what I always describe as a perfume even a hardcore perfumista could wear to meet her boyfriend's parents for the first time: fruity enough (plumskin) to make it wholesome, floral enough (violets) to keep it feminine, but with a foundation of suede leather to add a bit of rebelliousness and distinction.

It's buoyant enough for daytime wear, elegant enough for nighttime, and its smooth texture and light projection work in hot weather as well as cold. During the five months a year that are hot and humid in my area, I virtually live in eaux de colognes, but I don't consider them evening wear. The original BV could go anywhere, anytime.

I damn near wept when I learned that Bottega Veneta had cancelled their entire line of perfumes -- but not before I stocked up on a lot of backups of their original EDP.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

It’s unanimous (verging on the edge of fate): my easy reach was Allure edt and the random pick was Allure edt! It’s classy without being pretentious, fits in well any time, any place. Delighted to go with the vote!

​

 

[CookBot]

Not for me! {4711}

There's always someone.

Just goes to show -- you might as well please yourself, because you'll never please everyone!

 

[Tea_Lilly]

I don’t think of either as especially sweet, but between them the EDP feels a bit rounder and a touch more ambery in the base. The EDT feels less overtly floral, more focused on the smoky green labdanum opening and gets tk the leather chypre base faster; it’s spikier, slightly louder initially, and a bit shorter lived. The EDP amps up the jasmine and ylang ylang in the opening (and I suppose feels sweeter as a result), eventually gets to a very similar dry down, just with a slightly heavier base, closer scent bubble projection, and longer wear time overall. I slightly prefer the EDT myself as I don’t need the bigger floral opening, but the EDP is still great (and the one I wound up with, after gifting someone the EDT).

@strangelight I agree with Toxicon. I think the EDP as rounder and more suedelike but not sweet. The EDT it is sharper and greener. Both EDT and EDP are great and I have them both.

 

[N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer]

Syncing again, the Basenotes randomizer has selected Creed Bois de Santal or "Sandalwood". I'm not a fan of this one, it skews very animalic particularly early on but it has a very nice sandalwood base.

 

[CookBot]

@strangelight I agree with Toxicon. I think the EDP as rounder and more suedelike but not sweet. The EDT it is sharper and greener. Both EDT and EDP are great and I have them both.

That clinches it. I have the EDT (of the new Cabochard), but I'm going to have to get the EDP as well. I think they're the current biggest bargains in women's perfumery. I wish the perfumer/creator would step forward to be recognized.

 

[CookBot]

I just discovered that @ClaireV sneaked in a review of my easy-reach for today while I wasn't looking, and her typically cheeky take on it bears repeating here:

Like the famous intrecciato handbag upon which it is based, Bottega Veneta weaves together tonally-greige strands of plum, jasmine, and patchouli for a dusky, hoarse-throated take on suede. It has the same milky bitterness you get in other light suede fragrances such as Daim Blond (Serge Lutens), which it resembles slightly. But it is the addition of the gruff, stone-washed patchouli that makes Bottega Veneta the more robust and sexier scent. Sadly, Bottega Veneta has discontinued this perfume, along with all its original ‘department store’ perfumes, choosing instead to throw the brand’s entire marketing budget at its soulless, couldn’t-strike-upon-an-idea-if-it-tried luxury segment (Palladiano). Well, fuck you very much, Bottega Veneta.

 

[IsoESuperman]

Switching to the "pick a random" choice - I got the lovely Penhaligon's Lily & Spice. It's a decent I haven't sprayed on in ages and it also happened to be a physically easy reach. It's in a little box of samples on top of Mrs. Iso's dresser, my lovely lily fiend. This stuff smells fantastic.

I can't believe you wouldn't have your Or Black standing at the ready, nearby you! It was your eloquent love of it that got me to buy a bottle blind (and to be grateful that I had).

One thing that spurred me to think about it was seeing my 2022 year-end totals. Or Black didn't even crack the top 10, whereas in probably the past 8 years running it was usually #1, maybe twice #2. This ended up being driven by a rearranging and restowing of bottles into more concise storage. Or Black wasn't buried but wasn't front & center. When going for something in that category (very general category, according to me), the shiny, handsome bottle of Dior Homme was right up front and I tended to choose that instead.

I still love it, though, and am glad you do too!

Yes! I've been wearing Chanel No. 19 a lot because it's literally an easy reach, in front of all my other perfumes, on a tray, whilst most of my collection are still in boxes. But I also find the current version very easy to wear.

Exactly, it's the literal reach for me.

 

[teardrop]

l've gone for Mona di Orio's Dojima today. l won this travel spray as part of a set in the Les Senteurs Advent Calendar competition a couple of years ago, & it's dwindling fast. lt's quiet enough not to offend (hopefully!), spicy enough for cool weather & light enough for warmer days. l reached for it a lot during & after our house move last year when most of my bottles were packed in their boxes, & it's still an easy reach for me.

l tried the randomiser & it picked Une Rose. Just no. l sold my bottle, keeping just a small decant, because although it's an astonishingly beautiful rose, it's too much of a beast even for me.

 

[Sylviah]

My dumb reaches are Shangri-La by Hiram Green and Chanel Eau Premiere. But after the wonderful experience in L’Heure Bleue edp yesterday, I decided to go for L’Heure Bleue pdt.

 

[strangelight]

I don’t think of either as especially sweet, but between them the EDP feels a bit rounder and a touch more ambery in the base. The EDT feels less overtly floral, more focused on the smoky green labdanum opening and gets tk the leather chypre base faster; it’s spikier, slightly louder initially, and a bit shorter lived. The EDP amps up the jasmine and ylang ylang in the opening (and I suppose feels sweeter as a result), eventually gets to a very similar dry down, just with a slightly heavier base, closer scent bubble projection, and longer wear time overall. I slightly prefer the EDT myself as I don’t need the bigger floral opening, but the EDP is still great (and the one I wound up with, after gifting someone the EDT).

Thank you! The reason I asked is that I picked up a mini of unknown age and formula on ebay and was surprised at sweet it smelled to me compared to say, Aramis or Bandit Suprême. I think it's the florals, ylang ylang especially. I think the less floral EDT sounds like more of what I'm looking for right now. I've been really craving dry scents recently and I don't own much, sample or full size that scratches that itch!

Think again. Ostara makes me physically ill, but at the same time I find it a superb achievement in perfumery. It's just that I can't bear the smell of narcissus, either in nature or in perfume. I can't be in the same room with a bouquet of cut daffodils without becoming nauseated -- which is a shame because I think they're one of the most beautiful flowers. But I did buy a bottle of Ostara as a gift for my boss, who adores narcissus and promised never to wear it around me. It was downright criminal that they discontinued it.

Haha, I knew there would be someone who didn't like it! Your boss is very lucky. I'm still a bit surprised though, I could imagine a more animalic Narcissus like Romanza being an acquired taste, but Ostara smells so harmless to me - I suppose I've never thought of natural smelling fresh flowers as something people could actively hate, though I should know better from some of my own dislikes!

 

[strangelight]

My dumb reaches are Shangri-La by Hiram Green and Chanel Eau Premiere. But after the wonderful experience in L’Heure Bleue edp yesterday, I decided to go for L’Heure Bleue pdt.

Original or 2022 Shangri La? Wish I could have bought a FB before it was discontinued, though I have high hopes for the new one.
It's been way too long since I've worn LHB myself, seems like the perfect time of weather for it here too. Do you have a particular favourite formulation of it?

 

[Trilby Lark]

The 'Pick a Random Fragrance' function chose Jo Malone Mimosa & Cardamom for me to wear today. Twinning with JoM68. ❤️

I've been on a 'Random' spree for about a month because, shockingly, I started losing interest in perfume. I think the ongoing dreary weather and some personal stress has contributed to my malaise. Random selection has made the morning perfume picking process more fun, for now. I'm sure I'll get back to normal eventually - normal being syncing perfumes with my mood.

 

[Schubertian]

I liked reading your criteria for an "easy reach" (nicer than "dumb reach" imo)!

My easy reach fragrances tend to be what I consider "neutral": nothing too rich, sweet, or complex; or on the other side, too weird or synthetic. It's usually somewhat clean; slightly natural or skin-like, so it's comfortable to wear; and grounded enough to be somewhat satisfying.

This is how I see it as well: something that pleases, but does not evoke too deep emotions one way or another, because those perfumes need a more considered application or mood. It should be fairly neutra" in colour (as I 'see' it) so it doesn't "clash" with the colour of my clothes (I'm weird in that way). I find Living Lalique goes with a wide range of colours and it's also a pleasantly neutral scent that I like but am not madly passionate about. I've no idea if people around me like it, but I've not received any complaints thus far.

Shalimar is actually also a fairly easy reach for me, though only in winter time.... I'm actually planning to wear it more around now until the weather gets too warm for me to feel comfortable with it. A surprising easy reach for me that really works in warm, even hot weather is Opium (2009 edt, not the vintage).

Unfortunately most of my loves are not easy reaches. C'est la vie (parfumée)...

 

[CeeTee]

My dumb reach scent is quite dumb, given that it’s my most costly perfum: Neroli Outrenoir. But I love it. 💚

 

[Ken_Russell]

Settled on Individual Blue by Avon as dumb reach/grab choice-as one of the fragrances in the current lineup owned successfully ticking more boxes at once: fresh, in fact on the nearly icy/cooling side, soapy up to the point of nearly smelling like a marine and/or airy scented shower gel, fairly daytime appropriate and with moderate projection, thus likely very inoffensive, in fact as little polarizing/controversial as it gets.

 

[Toxicon]

Thank you! The reason I asked is that I picked up a mini of unknown age and formula on ebay and was surprised at sweet it smelled to me compared to say, Aramis or Bandit Suprême. I think it's the florals, ylang ylang especially. I think the less floral EDT sounds like more of what I'm looking for right now. I've been really craving dry scents recently and I don't own much, sample or full size that scratches that itch!

Haha, I knew there would be someone who didn't like it! Your boss is very lucky. I'm still a bit surprised though, I could imagine a more animalic Narcissus like Romanza being an acquired taste, but Ostara smells so harmless to me - I suppose I've never thought of natural smelling fresh flowers as something people could actively hate, though I should know better from some of my own dislikes!

I realize I wrote labdanum when I meant galbanum, Confusing my -anums. (Sigh. )

 

[Blue_Eyez]

Friday in Jour d’Hermes by Hermes. This is often a first thing I reach for on “nothing to wear” days

 

[CeeTee]

How do you decide what smells good to a group of people? The people in my life seem to have a diverse range of tastes.
I mean, I get something like Zoologist TRex may be out of the question, but I'm not sure I can thing of a completely unifying scent unless it's just one that's not that noticeable. Many hate current fragrance trends (extremely sweet, woody amber bombs) even though they're widely worn, but many seem put off by anything remotedly "dated". That's part of why I like intimate sillage - I want to smell it myself, but I don't want to potentially irritate someone on the other side of the room.
My spring go-tos are Penhaligon's Ostara and Papillon Angelique which I think are both largely inoffensive, but idk, there's probably a note there that strikes some people as bad.

The way I have managed to negotiate this challenge is to avoid being around people at all cost.
If it’s unavoidable, like when visiting family, they will kindly ask me not to wear something again. For example, when my sister once told me I smelled like, “Egyptian butthole,” I told her I would take it under advisement.

 

[CeeTee]

Friday in Jour d’Hermes by Hermes. This is often a first thing I reach for on “nothing to wear” days

Nothing to wear cracked me up! The thought of a “normal” person (non-fraghead) looking at our wardrobes imagining that we could have such a day. 🤣🤣🤣 Even funnier, the fact that we do Have them!