Perfume and fragrance chat

[StarkRavingMad]

I am such a perfume whore. I have, unfortunately, expensive tastes and can only afford re-bottles of most of it. Tom Ford, Hermes, Guerlaine you name it. I have an entire hanging mirror thing just packed full of perfume. Sometimes samples, mega samples and rebottles along with regular perfumes.

I signed up on something and every 2 or so months I get a bunch of samples from Macy's.

Tom Ford Rose Prick and Lost Cherry and Bitter Peach are so amazing.

Rose Prick and Lost Cherry are amaaaaaazing. Bath & Body Works recently released a fragrance mist that smells just like Lost Cherry, FYI. Like I said in another post here: B&BW are doing admirable dupes of designer perfumes as of late, and they've caught me by surprise by how spot-on so many of them smell.

I also LOVE Tobacco Vanille-- one of my absolute favorite fragrances to wear during the Holidays (it legit smells like eggnog to me, and eggnog is my favorite Christmas treat, so the perfume makes me happy).

It's hard for me to justify spending that much for perfume though, especially since I own such a variety of fragrances already lol. I admittedly have just a perfume oil dupe of Tobacco Vanille that smells exactly like the real thing and it lasts forever on me.

 

[shinto minto]

If anyone knows a male fragrance that is genuinely pleasant and less of a smack in the face - something more John Curry than Jason Momoa - I'd love to hear it as well.

My girlfriend and her coworkers really like the smell of MFK's Baccarat Rouge 540 (not the extrait) on my skin. I think that might technically be a unisex scent though.

Question for the thread:
What should I try to buy if I had $500 to spend on various scents and wanted to wow the people (read: women) in my life?
My foray into fragrances so far has been trying 10+ of the Francis Kurkdjian scents as samplers. The lighter Baccarat Rouge was my favorite. The extrait was a little stronger than my GF would like, and l'homme a la rose and 724 were also okay. Grand Doir was toxic, like the inside of a smoker's car. I also didn't really care for their "Oud" scents (the three I tried anyway).

For reference my favorite scents are the smell of a bonfire and herbal-y smells. I haven't tried any citrus-y scents either so those could be cool to try out.

Edit: Probably also worth saying I'm a guy in my mid 20s. I know that age can play a factor in this stuff (even if it shouldn't).

Whispers in the Library

I like the idea of suggestion, as well as the recommendation for Hermes' rhubarbe ecarlate

 

[mold]

Nigga run us through the process

my girlnword

perfumed oils are super easy, you just add drops or essential oils to a neutral carrier oil like jojoba. you can also steep botanicals in oils but it's less predictable.

for solid perfume, I melt cocoa butter, add essential oils and/or botanicals, steep and strain if I've used botanicals, and then allow it to harden. Note that even refined cocoa butter has a smell however. I want the cocoa butter for skincare so I just work with that note, but you could probably do this with beeswax if you wanted something more neutral.

if you want something softer you can also melt shea butter with the cocoa butter, and you can also add oils. I have very dry curly hair so I like to use a cocoa butter-shea butter mix on hair, and I add oils that are good for your hair like rosemary.

I've had really excellent results steeping rose petal powder in melted cocoa butter, rose petal powder is WAY cheaper than rose essential oil.

I'm making a comfrey salve with this method right now for a medicinal use.

You don't get anywhere near as much throw with these methods unfortunately.

 

[isalaide]

Ahhh Lost Cherry is a banger. Some of the Fords don't do it for me, but I do like Tobacco Vanille a lot.

The Ford Neroli Portofino is definitely one of my all-time favourites. It's so gooooooood. I love citruses

 

[std::string]

Question for the thread:
What should I try to buy if I had $500 to spend on various scents and wanted to wow the people (read: women) in my life?
My foray into fragrances so far has been trying 10+ of the Francis Kurkdjian scents as samplers. The lighter Baccarat Rouge was my favorite. The extrait was a little stronger than my GF would like, and l'homme a la rose and 724 were also okay. Grand Doir was toxic, like the inside of a smoker's car. I also didn't really care for their "Oud" scents (the three I tried anyway).

Ideally find a store that has decants so you can wear something all day to get more of an idea about it.

For men I like Yves Saint Laurent pour Homme, Monsieur de Givenchy and Bulgari pour Homme. All are in the earthy citrus spice category. Bulgari is the lightest of these. Kenzo pour Homme is also very good, but it has a very breezy marine smell. Perfect in Florida during the day, not so much if you're like in a bar in Minnesota at midnight.

 

[Ninon42]

What should I try to buy if I had $500 to spend on various scents and wanted to wow the people (read: women) in my life?
My foray into fragrances so far has been trying 10+ of the Francis Kurkdjian scents as samplers. The lighter Baccarat Rouge was my favorite. The extrait was a little stronger than my GF would like, and l'homme a la rose and 724 were also okay. Grand Doir was toxic, like the inside of a smoker's car. I also didn't really care for their "Oud" scents (the three I tried anyway).

With the caveat that I am an absolute fragrance snob, I find Kurkdjian (except Tihota), Roja Dove and Tom Ford to be wildly overrated. I would start with a Creed sampler ex. Erolfa, Spice & Wood, Royal Oud, Silver Mountain Water, Aventus, Millésime Impérial. As a younger guy, their classics like Green Irish Tweed or Bois du Portugal may pull a little dated for you. DS & Durga is a great mid-priced line with very solid men's scents like Free Trapper, Bowmakers and Debaser. Nishane is another house with interesting frags including Hacivat, which is like Aventus but better IMO. Bleeker Street's Bond No. 9 is classic, Xerjoff Naxos and 40 Knots are both good for summer, Bleu de Chanel is old reliable. You can get sample sets with a particular note (ex. juniper or lavender) from The Perfumed Court and they are a great way to try a variety of quality scents for cheap.

Tauer frags are REALLY strong, like Middle Eastern guys bathing in fragrance strong. They aren't bad but half a spray at most.

 

[Bloitzhole]

For reference my favorite scents are the smell of a bonfire

Might as well give the incredibly cheap, but very much its thing "Encre Noir" a try then - that's what it always smelled like to me, a bonfire or a rainy day after a forest fire.

 

[lightswitchdoll]

It's hard for me to justify spending that much for perfume though, especially since I own such a variety of fragrances already lol. I admittedly have just a perfume oil dupe of Tobacco Vanille that smells exactly like the real thing and it lasts forever on me.

I own quite a few dupes now. At one point I wouldn't touch them because I figured there was no way that they'd smell close enough (and I've tried some that are absolutely disgusting tbf) but one of my favourite perfumes was discontinued years ago so it's the only way I can get that scent back. I'm not buying a 15yo bottle for a ridiculous price on eBay or Vinted or whatever only to find out it smells like celery.

(I am always on the hunt for a good violet, recs if anyone has any please)

Sort of related, my favourite violet was the original Lolita Lempicka. But now they've reformulated it and apparently taken out the violet note? So I'm on the hunt for a good dupe of that one.

My favourite perfumes/aftershaves tend to be citrus/fresh/florals. Also I like layering them. I love Acqua di Parma Colonia and I layer that with Jo Malone's Lime, Basil and Mandarin.

The one I get the most compliments on (from other women) is Diptyque's Philosykos.

 

[isalaide]

Sort of related, my favourite violet was the original Lolita Lempicka.

MINE TOO

I don't think the reformulation is bad or anything, but it definitely lacks power and it's not *as* violety.

 

[lightswitchdoll]

MINE TOO

I don't think the reformulation is bad or anything, but it definitely lacks power and it's not *as* violety.

Right?! It used to smell more like Parma Violets. I bought a little handbag bottle a while ago without realising it had changed and it's still nice but it's not really something I reach for.

I'd love a good violet. I tried the Yardley April Violets but that was ick. Apparently Lush's Kerbside Violet is nice but Lush perfumes are so hit and miss with me that I can't risk a blind buy.

 

[isalaide]

Right?! It used to smell more like Parma Violets. I bought a little handbag bottle a while ago without realising it had changed and it's still nice but it's not really something I reach for.

I'd love a good violet. I tried the Yardley April Violets but that was ick. Apparently Lush's Kerbside Violet is nice but Lush perfumes are so hit and miss with me that I can't risk a blind buy.

I don't love Kerbside Violet. I was expecting something to hit with the same fragrance as the much-missed Bathos, but Kerbside Violet is a lot greener and less sweet. Which suits some people, but I wanted sweet. Tuca Tuca is sweeter, but there's something in it that I pick up as cigarette smoke and I hate the smell of old fag smoke, so I can't do that.

I think there is still a bunch around of the Lempicka flanker Fleur Defendue/Forbidden Flower. I have that and it does pull more violety, but a little less sweet than the OG Lempicka. Might be worth a shot if you can pick some up cheaply.

 

[Ken Barlow]

For me: Body Shop Black Musk/Avon Musk.

For my partner: Dior Eau Sauvage.

 

[Itspinklava]

Is there any love for Guerlain here? I sperged on perfume during the pandemic and feel like I’ve tried it all. The enduring favorites are still all my precious Guerlains. They do the most fantastic vanillas. I’m wearing Angelique Noire at the moment! It’s one of the most addictive fragrances I’ve ever smelled. Addictive is a word that gets thrown around a lot in perfumery, but I can’t stop smelling myself while I wear it. I also can’t believe they are discontinuing Tonka Imperiale!

There's actually a lot of Shalimar flankers that have been released over the years that appeal more to today's younger demographics without smelling juvenile. I own an eau de toilette flanker that smells like OG Shalimar ... But it's the lemon pound cake version of it (if that makes sense), and it's great.

Shalimar Vanilla Planifolia is my Shalimar. Is the lemon pound cake version Souffle?

 

[one_time_user]

@Itspinklava guerlaine is one of my favorite houses. I used to wear shalimar almost exclusively (when I was a super poor and could only get one fragrance) and I have almost all of the aqua allegorias- which are wonderful across the board.

 

[EllenDrawsRapeOfHerHaters]

I find Skylar very basic. Supposedly they're just on the shelves because of influencers. They're very simple and aren't layered. No hate if you love them, they're just overpriced and more on par with Bath and Body Works.

I don't use perfume very often so my go-to brand has been Skylar. Most of their scents are rollers so they don't last too long, but they've been experimenting a lot. The monthly scents are more complex than they used to be. That said, I have a few others. Tom Ford for example is really good for the winter, especially Oud Wood and Ombre Leather.


There are a couple Skylar scents with vanilla, though very few with it as the main focus. There is Vanilla Sky, which you can get bottled, but it has cappuccino and caramel notes. Others have variants of vanilla as notes, and they range from fruity to floral to gourmand. None of them are particularly alcohol-y so you might be in luck. They're rather selective about the ingredients so their products can be safe for those with allergies or sensitive skin, which should reduce the chances.

 

[Ninon42]

Is there any love for Guerlain here?

I adore Après l'Ondée and Mon Precieux Nectar. Carnation and heliotrope, so pretty.

 

[progeriaaa]

Is there any love for Guerlain here? I sperged on perfume during the pandemic and feel like I’ve tried it all. The enduring favorites are still all my precious Guerlains. They do the most fantastic vanillas. I’m wearing Angelique Noire at the moment! It’s one of the most addictive fragrances I’ve ever smelled. Addictive is a word that gets thrown around a lot in perfumery, but I can’t stop smelling myself while I wear it. I also can’t believe they are discontinuing Tonka Imperiale!

Shalimar Vanilla Planifolia is my Shalimar. Is the lemon pound cake version Souffle?

Hands down the best classic perfume house. Jicky is incredible.

 

[eDove]

I like TokyoMilk. Granted, these are the only two scents I've tried, but I've only recently dipped my toes into self-pampering with scents.



I'm a sucker for the presentation and the luxe-sounding combinations. I'd like to try higher end perfumes someday just to smell what the fuss is about. So far, TokyoMilk's the most expensive perfume I've tried, the Bulletproof scent in particular being $50+



I don't normally go for scents that are sweet or fruity, but I was just at a Bath & Body Works with a friend and this perfume was surprisingly pleasant, so I picked up a small bottle. It's smooth and warm, and the strawberry isn't overpowering.

 

[StarkRavingMad]

Is there any love for Guerlain here? I sperged on perfume during the pandemic and feel like I’ve tried it all. The enduring favorites are still all my precious Guerlains. They do the most fantastic vanillas. I’m wearing Angelique Noire at the moment! It’s one of the most addictive fragrances I’ve ever smelled. Addictive is a word that gets thrown around a lot in perfumery, but I can’t stop smelling myself while I wear it. I also can’t believe they are discontinuing Tonka Imperiale!

Shalimar Vanilla Planifolia is my Shalimar. Is the lemon pound cake version Souffle?

The "lemon pound cake" Shalimar I have is called "Eau de Shalimar." It came out in the late 2000's-early 2010's and I believe it's been discontinued. However the Souffle one is pretty similar (and I'd say it definitely more of a crowd pleaser for modern perfume tastes compared to the OG Shalimar).

As for other Guerlain fragrances, I do like the Aqua Allegoria line ... Pretty basic stuff, but I like smelling clean.

I admittedly haven't tried a lot of Guerlain mostly because their fragrance collection is SO vast and it's a little daunting to know what to start with. Haha.

 

[Aiōn]

I love gourmand scents, especially vanilla.
Hypnotic Poison by Dior is my favorite fragrance of all time.

I also like Viktor & Rolf Bonbon, I don’t usually gravitate towards floral scents but Flowerbomb smells nice too.