What did you try today? (2023)

[hednic]

Cataliya by Maissa Parfums which was yet another winner from this house.

 

[Schubertian]

YSL Libre edp. Honestly, I don't know what it is about this but Libre turned my stomach and I had to go wash it off. It's not the lavender-vanilla-jasmine combination, because I really like Chanel Jersey. Perhaps it's the orange blossom or the black currant? Anyway this was a scrubber.

 

[DeathArrow]

Ahmed Al Maghribi Nawatique. It's a wonderful citrus & incense fresh perfume. EDP concentration.

 

[hednic]

Sand & Skin by Floriaku which I thought was nice.

 

[JakeStiebs]

Booze & Baccy Captain Fawcett

My first impressions give me bay rum, tobacco, spice and incense, and a little vanilla. A beast of a fragrance, but I like it

 

[nosey74]

Givenchy Vetyver. A blind buy thanks to inspiration from @Andy the frenchy - notes to follow later this evening

An agreeable vetiver fragrance for people who are averse to it. First impression, going off of scent memory, is that this sort of reminds me of Creed's Original Vetiver and Mugler Cologne. To me, Givenchy's Vetyver is a well-mannered, charming, light, clean, classy, elegant, easy to wear, smooth, gentlemanly, herby, woody, rooty vetiver with a delicate but alluring sillage. Maybe my nose is playing tricks on me but every now and then I'm reminded of Givenchy Gentleman even though there isn't any patchouli in this. Just when I think the fragrance has faded I'll smell it in the air around me. I don't get the nutty / brown reference so I can't speak to that. As far as I'm concerned Givenchy does not disappoint with its classic men's fragrances - Givenchy Gentleman, Monsieur de Givenchy, Xeryus, Insense, and Vetyver are all winners in my book!

 

[PStoller]

Soivohle - Ankhara (2007)

Warm and sensual, like a fine brushed suede. Notes of coffee, frangipani, pomegranate, sweet fig, amber, and musk.

Ankhara isn’t what I expected from the notes I pieced together from internet sources, apart from the coffee. Even that’s more impressionistic than, “I just opened a can of coffee beans.” Zorn has said one of her favorite notes is orange, and darn if what I suppose is pomegranate tartness mixed with the sweetness and/or creaminess of frangipani, fig, and amber approximates mandarin-like citrus, at least in the opening. There’s no gourmand-level sweetness or weight here, though: more like the smell of a mild espresso with a curl of orange rind instead of lemon.

I found Ankhara quite pleasant, but a bit wanting in sillage and longevity. And since it’s been out of production for ages, I’m not going to sweat the FB question. I certainly wouldn’t turn a bottle away, but it’s not a unicorn I’d hunt.

 

[d r e]

Paco Fame:
Airy sweetness.. pretty simplistic, some mango or peach with a floral backbone. Smells unisex to me.

The SA's at Ulta all really like this one and I agree, smells very nice

 

[Ifti]

Truefitt Hill Grafton.
First impressions:
Woah it's green green green!

 

[hednic]

Menerva by Vesuna which I didn't care for.

 

[Knimstep]

Last night I tested a sample of Givenchy Irresistible Rose Velvet. Didn't wow me - quite similar to everything else in the line. Maybe it had a little extra zing due to the black currant. A bit of a different base compared regular Irresistible, which bordered on a modern chypre to me.

 

[PStoller]

Soivohle - Underworld (2007)

A dark, earthy pairing of vetiver and balsams, with a touch of jasmine and rose in the heart, set against a smoky leathery base.

Underworld opens all cinnamon and clove, but a nice, fat vetiver comes to the fore soon enough, supplanting the cinnamon and supplemented by the persistent clove note. The florals add necessary dimension to keep this from being rote, but, as promised, there's just a touch of them. This is still a butch spicy vetiver, which is just my cup of tea. And wouldn't you know, it's still available—albeit at the hefty price of of $210 for 50 ml. Even at Soivohle's current 15% off sale price of $178.50, it's kinda steep. (I can hear @Andy the frenchy laughing now!) But I have to at least consider it, because the odds of finding it for significantly less seem pretty slim. And, you know, FOMO.

 

[Tea_Lilly]

Today I tried:

La Fille de Berlin by Lutens. Thanks, @Toxicon! I love this - it is a jammy rose with supporting players that make it a bit darker and interesting. I will definitely try layering this with some other things as well, because I think it will be fun. Glad I got this. Deals can be had on this if you check out some of the online retailers (U.S.).

Eau de Citron Noir by Hermes. A beautiful bitter citrus opening followed by .... so.... much... choking... wood. It kinda reminded me of Bleu de Chanel. This is a masculine market but more than that, it is against my taste. I will probably have to scrub.

 

[Toxicon]

Today I tried:

La Fille de Berlin by Lutens. Thanks, @Toxicon! I love this - it is a jammy rose with supporting players that make it a bit darker and interesting. I will definitely try layering this with some other things as well, because I think it will be fun. Glad I got this. Deals can be had on this if you check out some of the online retailers (U.S.).

So glad you love La Fille de Berlin! I still have a hard time describing rose notes, but I really love this one too.

How does it perform on you? I've seen people complain that it's short-lived, but I wonder if they're going nose blind. I've had two bottles now - one in the current black label with art deco type and another in the limited edition Zellige bottle - and both are room-fillers that last all day on my skin.

 

[hollywoodforever]

Got my 7.5ml travel spray of the discontinued Lumiere Noire Pour Femme by Maison Francis Kurkdjian. Notes are:
Rose, Narcissus, Patchouli, Caraway, Red Chilli Pepper

I'm pretty tired today, and feeling like my sniffer is not up to snuff, so my impression is kind of vague. Lumiere Noire Pour Femme is a dirty rose. There is that general static-electricity gauziness about it, which I think of as being Kurkdjian's signature. It's interesting to smell a fragrance so unmistakably dirty (like vegetables and dirt) from a house that does so many hyper-clean-laundry-hygiene perfumes now (the Aqua series, Gentle Fluidity series, 724, etc.)

Not the blast of heady daffodil/jonquil I was hoping for. Not very heavy on patchouli, either. Performance/intensity is subtle (think Hermessence.)

Curry rose. Maybe I will grow to like it? 3/5

 

[PStoller]

Eau de Citron Noir by Hermes. A beautiful bitter citrus opening followed by .... so.... much... choking... wood. It kinda reminded me of Bleu de Chanel. This is a masculine market but more than that, it is against my taste. I will probably have to scrub.

I have the liquid hand soap, and it's rather overpowering. For someone who's already wearing a fragrance, that's problematic—which is why it was banished from the powder room and now lives in my office bathroom, where I just pass over it to use something less assertive.

 

[Tea_Lilly]

So glad you love La Fille de Berlin! I still have a hard time describing rose notes, but I really love this one too.

How does it perform on you? I've seen people complain that it's short-lived, but I wonder if they're going nose blind. I've had two bottles now - one in the current black label with art deco type and another in the limited edition Zellige bottle - and both are room-fillers that last all day on my skin.

It seemed good - I had to take a shower before I could see how truly long it lasted- I got an accidental spade of mud to the mouth playing with my kiddo so I probably only got in 6 hours and it didn't seem to fade.

 

[Tea_Lilly]

I have the liquid hand soap, and it's rather overpowering. For someone who's already wearing a fragrance, that's problematic—which is why it was banished from the powder room and now lives in my office bathroom, where I just pass over it to use something less assertive.

I can totally see this - maybe even cut it with unscented stuff. I love several Hermes (Jardin sur le Nil, sur le Toit, I have the Mousson lotion, and Rhubarbe Ecalarte.... I guess the Hermes I normally wear are easy going. But this so stout. I don't even say this about Habanita.

 

[hednic]

Agua Fresca by Natura which was just OK.

 

[hollywoodforever]

Fougere Emeraude by Les Indemodables
Tuberose, Lavender, Tonka Beans, Clary Sage, Mimosa

Another pleasant and creative fragrance by Les Indemodables, though not one I feel any urge to rush out and buy. Opens with a gorgeous, sunny tuberose that hangs around for a few hours. In the dry down, the metallic lavender and very tasteful dose of tonka/coumarin makes for a familiar, cool fougere. Very dry, not sweet. Along with the listed notes, I get vetiver and mandarin orange.

A distinctly masculine structure, but I think Fougere Emeraude is totally wearable for a woman. Winter & Spring. 4/5

 

[Diamondflame]

NYC Strangelove Lost in Flowers

My first encounter with this composition was during a 3 hour sniff-athon with a fellow fragrance geek. My nose must’ve been fatigued by then because I couldn’t smell the florals - just a wonderful if vaguely soapy scent that smelled beautiful and out of this world. And I wondered if it was inspired by the old flower district of Manhattan.

Anyway, I’ve since sought out a more substantial quantity to test at leisure and this time the florals stood out more clearly-radiant and as white as freshly fallen snow, the scented air over a flower garden on a cool crisp morning. But there’s something unnatural about it - it smells far too clean as though the indoles that typically accompany white flowers have been scrubbed off. I’m not sure if it can be attributed to the Laudamiel’s use of the aromachemical Paradisone - described in Cafleurebon as ‘hedione on steroids’. Whatever it was it amplified the floral notes and lifted them a couple of octaves higher.

The effect was stunning. But my jaw only hit the floor when I chanced upon the price tag. Do I love it? I don’t know…yet. I sure hope NOT for love has a strange way of loosening one’s purse strings…

 

[PStoller]

Soivohle - Love Speaks Primeval

This was a wash, as it smelled more of sweaty animalics than the purported florals, and my wife caught a whiff of vinegar off the top, suggesting my sample had turned. I can't review that fairly, although the late drydown suggests that I’d have loved this were it intact. Ah, well. Tomorrow is another day.

 

[Knimstep]

Today I had a field day in Saks. First impressions:

MFK Grand Soir - All the spice I expected, very little of the sweetness. Still quite nice.

Killian Sacred Wood - I enjoyed how bracing it was, but it dried down to pure pine-sol! I think I'll have to retry this on skin, because I'm a sandalwood fiend. This can't be happening.

Frederic Malle L'Eau d'Hiver - Disappointed me. I love a powdery fragrance, but something about this was unsettling. Another one to test on skin to sort out my thoughts.

Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche - I've never to been able to get Chanels to agree with me. This is pleasant enough, but the drydown is making my eyes burn every time I sniff. Hm.

Hermès Eau des Merveilles Bleue - Maybe a bit too ozonic for me.

Jo Malone Mimosa and Cardamom - Sunny and dusty, but ultimately the cardamom fades too quickly for my liking.

Tom Ford Ébène Fumé - When I glanced in Dillard's earlier in the day, the Ébène Fumé tester was empty. Same situation in Saks, but the sales associate was happy to start up a new one. Deep and dry, woods and pepper and incense. In my wheelhouse, but I think I'll pass for now.

Then she asked if I wanted any samples made. I'm not interested in the new cherries. Or the gaggle of soleils on the counter. I gingerly express my interest in what is seemingly the fragrance of my dreams, the discontinued,

Tom Ford Plum Japonais - She pulled a decanter from the back of a cupboard and makes me five samples. Some sort of high pitched squeal came out of me. Instant love. A sun-baked prune rolled in spice. Never too sweet. A haunting oud base that sneaks into my nose with every movement.


My day was made, but I still stopped into a different Sephora than usual and found a few scents that piqued my interest:

Dedcool Milk - A strange Elmer's glue opening.

Phlur Somebody Wood - A bright and cheerful wood compared to the deep woods of Saks. Between this and Missing Person, I have a very good sense of the musk Phlur uses. It's pungent and oh so synthetic, but quite comforting to me.


Time to give my nose a good rest!

 

[hednic]

Some forgettable local stuff I stumbled upon.

 

[Ifti]

Lacost Elegance I think it was, really rather nice! Seem to have misplaced the blotter though nice smooth, soft, a little powdery, maybe incense too. First thought my mind went to was Gucci Rush.

R L Romance Silver - nice n easy going. Seemed to have more about it than original.

EAU de Dior... Funky ridged bottle with a surprising shot of pink under the cap. Forgettable or rather not accustomed to ( though trying!) Recognise any nuance in female frags... Powdery, floral, a bit fruity, musk.

 

[PStoller]

Soivohle - Oudh Lacquer absolute

A sensual journey featuring a complex blend of agarwood oils, sink wood tincture, and a stellar cast of supporting players. In cooking we temper the chocolate; with Oudh Lacquer, we are using chocolate to temper the oud. The scent opens with a bright balance of the oud paired with linden blossom absolute, cepes, anise, orange, and combava petigrain, followed by a warm floral heart of absolutes including orange blossom, rose, aglaia, champaca and iris (orris butter) along with spice notes of cinnamon and clove. The scent is grounded in a complex pairing of notes including cocoa absolute, honey, woods, tolu, styrax (ambar), patchouli, benzoin, tonka, vanilla and angelica root oil.

History: This scent has been an experiment in indulgence, beginning to end. From the rare and costly sink woods used to create the carrier tincture (a year in the making) to the choice of materials for the composition. It was the perfumer’s intent to gild the lily, dip it in chocolate, and then dip it again.

Talented perfumers, particularly independent ones, are understandably proud of fragrances into which they’ve poured copious money, effort, and conceptual grist. Even a good fragrance, however—and Oudh Lacquer is quite good—is in danger of being oversold.

What I get from my sample is the promised chocolate-tempered, spice-dusted, high-quality oud blend. Nothing to grouse about there. On the other hand, the laundry list of other rare exotic notes isn’t in significant evidence. Time may have rendered the combava petitgrain surpassingly petit, but that doesn’t explain the apparent absence of orris. And so on.

Having been prepared for something transcendently rich, I was thus somewhat disappointed to get a good oud frag. The gilt is off the lily. Now, if I had a bottle of Oudh Lacquer, I wouldn’t let it go. But neither would I pay the $235 an oz. this goes for today.

Your mileage may vary considerably. And mine might, as well, with a fresher sample.

 

[FSOCI3TY]

Arborist by Jorum Studio.

An oudy or slightly funkier version of 2 Man by CDG. It's an impressive fragrance from a Scottish house. It's a bit divisive as some people get a cumin/sweat like odor but I think it's an interesting take on wood.

 

[hednic]

O Corpo Baixo O Sol by Natura which was pretty dismal.

 

[BiliousBetil]

Got a decant of Blu Atlas, Atlantis. Pretty impressive. I need few more wears, but definitely a full bottle candidate.

Cheers!

 

[PrinceRF]

Diptyque Eau Lente and Diptyque L'Eau Papier - enjoyed them both, with my preference being for the latter.

 

[exquisitecrops]

Hermessence Cèdre Sambac
I like it? I wish it wasn't as expensive!

To me it smells more like grandiflorum - less indolic, sweet with peachy undertones.

It's juxtoposed with a pleasantly synthetic dry cedar (and hints of sandalwood), chewy ionines and white musks.

It smells "clean" to me, but more along the idea of sanitized by smoke/air than scrubbed clean with soap.

 

[cheapimitation]

Smelled D.S. and Durga Pistachio yesterday and tried on skin. Eh, it does smell a nutty and like pistachio ice cream. The dry down got a bit sweet/vanilla for me and I didn't really like it as it went into kinda bland sweet woody territory. Meh.

 

[dealt7faux]

Every Man Jack Crimson Oak. Not half bad, but not 40 bucks good.

 

[PStoller]

Soivohle - Meerschaum

My grandfather had a collection of Meerschaum Pipes, yet he didn’t smoke. One (pipe) in particular was elaborately carved and a fascination for me as a child. Inspired by [these], Meerschaum the parfum is a rich penetrating essence dominated by a bold green tobacco note.

No doubt my love for the smell of tobacco biases me toward tobacco fragrances. But I’m also critical of allegedly tobacco-centric compositions that don’t deliver the goods—which happens more often than not. Soivohle delivers in spades with Meerschaum, a tobacco-lavender blend enlivened with subtle notes of tart apple, green tea, and smoky birch.

Like Liz Zorn’s grandfather, I don’t smoke, but I’d sure love to have Meerschaum in my collection.

 

[Maize & Blue]

Louis Vuitton- On the Beach & Imagination.....both solid scents.

Xerjoff- Casamorati 1888 Mefisto

Really liked it! This will be my next Xerjoff fragrance to go with my bottle of Renaissance.

 

[hednic]

Araucaria by L'Occitane Au Bresil which was pleasant.

 

[hollywoodforever]

Oriental Velours by Les Indemodables

• Another one I really like by this house. I didn't give it a full wear, just an evening around the house.
• I think the name is sort of lazy, as OV isn't really an "oriental." Also, the idea of "oriental" as a genre doesn't really hold up in an era of ubiquitous oud, incense, and spicy amber fragrances.
• Oriental Velours open with realistic wood smoke, and journeys through a conifer forest, before arriving at a stable and gorgeous base of myrrh resin. The base smells to me of coca-cola and new car smell.
• 4/5

 

[ChypreInBloom]

I've tried two Anatole Lebreton scents today: Left arm was wearing L'Eau Guillerette, Right arm was trying Perfumista. They are very well made, undoubtedly.

Yet L'Eau Guillerette is too much about bergamot and lemon for me, with too many florals, mimosa, heliotrope and lilac. It is nice and really "guilleret", which means gay, perky, but not down my alley.

Perfumista opened promisingly with a beautiful, creamy Peru balsam and patchouli, but unfortunately, jasmine often takes over on my skin and I can't put up with that note. I hope it changes one day, but right now there's no way.

 

[PStoller]

Soivohle - Tobacco & Tulle

Otherwise known as the Reluctant Existentialist, An Homage to Albert Camus, this scent combines tobacco and tuberose absolutes with natural animalic and botanical musks.

After falling for Meerschaum, I was anxious to try Tobacco & Tulle to see what else Liz Zorn could make of tobacco absolute. It turns out, quite a bit. Tobacco & Tulle is a completely different take from Meerschaum or any other tobacco I’ve tried, thanks largely, though not exclusively, to the tuberose. The tuberose is even more atypical, thanks to an eclectic mix of woods, florals, and animalics that skew it far from the usual sweet white floral.

From the word “tulle,” I expected something gauzy. Instead, this is a dirty-earthy thing, with a tobacco note that’s at once full frontal and nothing you’d expect to smoke. Think fusion cuisine to Meerschaum’s comfort food. While I’m more mac ’n’ cheese than soy milk miso cold noodles, I think I could find room on my shelf for both Meerschaum and Tobacco & Tulle.

The tricky part: finding a bottle of Tobacco & Tulle. Like Purple Love Smoke, it appears to have gone up in…well, you know.

 

[teardrop]

lt's been a long time since l had a bunch of new samples to try (close to a year, l think!), but now l'm all stocked up & ready to go again. l have a few sent to me by a kind basenoter, one or two each from Surrender to Chance & The Perfumed Court, & a big haul from Luckyscent! I wanted to read this whole thread before plunging in myself, & l finally got around to it this morning. As usual it's been so entertaining & informative.

l started with the samples sent by my basenotes buddy. First up was initially a "mystery sample", the name only revealed after l tried it (about three weeks ago):

l got a bright citrus in the opening, followed by some creamy tropical florals, mostly jasmine & perhaps ylang ylang, then sandalwood & a little white musk in the base. Projection was good, fading around six hours in.

l expected this to be a modern feminine, but it turned out to be something called Tabac by Tabac Cosmetics lnc (New York, Paris, London) from the 1970s! To say l was shocked would be an understatement. l'm very familiar with the scent of tobacco, & there is nothing remotely like that here. lt isn't in the Directory, & l'd love to know if anyone else here has experience of it? lt came in a dark brown plastic bottle, bearing no resemblance to the old Tabac Original that many of us will remember, although l don't recall exactly how that smelled. Many reviews describe that one as floral, so perhaps this was intended as a dupe? Enquiring minds need to know!