Based on my rankings, are there any scents that might be potential S-tier that I'm missing? I'm planning on ordering Summer of 84 by Kerosene, a few others by Kerosene, Sundazed by Byredo, a few more from Zoologist like Night Flyer, Woodcut by OO, maybe Dev Two. Please let me know if there's anything that needs to be on my list.
As a side note: I'm excited to try some of these on my GF. She's gotten really into reviewing them on my skin and I think she'll have a lot of fun trying them on herself. Please let me know if you have any recommendations for stuff I should get her. I plan on ordering her Tommy Girl and Miss Cherie by My Dua Fragrance (do you guys know if anyone sells a sampler?) but there's an entire world of womens fragrences that I'm blind to. She definitely prefers citrusy, soapy scents.
S-tier is in the nose of the wearer. As you try more scents, you learn what you do and don't like, and that may change by mood, season or weather. For example, I usually only break out Winter of 99 by Kerosene when it's proper cold, negative temperatures, because the smoky vanilla, molasses and cloves suit it perfectly. City of Stars by Louis Vuitton? Smells like coconuts and sultry summer nights.
Love how organized your testing is though. No joke, I keep a spreadsheet and track every single frag that I test, with notes on my interpretation and division into love, like and no. After trying literally hundreds during covid lockdown, I found that even with my relatively curated selections, I only loved 5% or 1 in 20 frags I tested. I tried every single scent (about 80) from my favorite frag house and that went up to 11%. I also learned I hate saffron (so no to most Xerjoff for me), freesia and powdery iris but adore the colder, darker irises.
Olympic Orchids sells choose your own sample sets that are quite reasonably priced and a great way to try a variety. If you're willing to venture on Reddit, r/fragranceswap is a good place to buy and sell samples for cheap. I used to resell all the samples I didn't care for to make back half or more of my money because even the cost of samples can add up quick. r/fragdecants is also surprisingly legit, especially Zee Frags.
For your GF, I'd suggest starting with the Hermes Un Jardin line (ex. Le Jardin de Monsieur Li), which can be found at most Sephora and better department stores, the previously mentioned Elixer des Merveilles or Equipage. Very wearable. Byredo Bal d'Afrique, Ella K Pluie Sur Ha Long, The Soft Lawn by Imaginary Authors are all good, while Chanel Chance Eau Tendre is a solid citrusy designer. For yourself, Serge Noire by Serge Lutens and Frederic Malle's Bigarade Concentree and Bois d'Orage.
I ordered some new samples so look forward to those unsolicited opinions soon.
If you don't mind the addition of orange blossom to your strong jasmine scent, may I recommend Do Son by Diptyque? I wore it all the time when I was younger, and still have half a bottle for when I'm feeling nostalgic.
Papier by Diptyque smells EXACTLY like old paper, like a good library. Not sure if that will satisfy your parchment scent need, but highly recommended. I used to wear this as well.
My current daily scent is L'Eau by Diptyque. The two Diptyque stores in my area are forever running out of this very fresh scent of geranium, clove, cinnamon, and ginger. The cinnamon scent lingers the longest.
My housebound friend sent me a care package of stuff she won't use. 2 perfumes. One is Bibbi Ghost of Tom, I can see why she passed on it. It's simultaneously extremely basic and not very pleasant. It smells cheap and a little chemical-ly.
The other one, Poets of Berlin is not anything I would have purchased normally but it's actually really nice and different. It's fairly sweet but not cloyingly so. Kind of like I rolled around in lemon pound cake (irony, iykyk) topped with fresh blueberries and homemade clotted cream.
I am not sophisticated when it comes to scent. I really like Happy by Clinique. It was my first scent, and its mandarin tones still uplift me, to this day.
In my opinion, zesty and clean fragrances will never go out of style. Who doesn't like smelling clean?
I also think that clean fragrances have a sophistication of their own, too. It's one of those, "I'm trying, but I'm confident enough to not be trying too hard" kind of things. I've also found that guys like clean fragrances, too.
Speaking of clean and fresh fragrances, I discovered a new perfume love ... And oddly enough, it's a cheapie and a celebrity fragrance. It's JLo's "Still." I can't stand JLo (which is why I never knew about it for the 20 year it's been out), but this perfume went on my radar when I smelled it on somebody else and I had to ask her what she was wearing.
I'm an Earl Grey Tea drinker ... And "Still" smells like Earl Grey to me. It's so good.
Maybe it's autism but I have been in love with Bleu de Chanel for years at this point
(Parfum and EDP are just unbeatable, EDT is kind of weak but still has a nice scent)
You're welcome! I have a mini bottle of Miss Dior Cherie that's pretty much empty (but I've kept it because the bottle is cute and because I can still smell the perfume from it).
Comparing the two, they smell identical to my nose.
I got my bottle and gave a whiff. I’m in the middle of a migraine episode so had to be careful; a small spritz was too strong for me at that time.
Even as a dupe, I could smell the Miss Dior base. I didn’t get fizz or popcorn but strawberries for sure. I think I’m out of my headache episode so will give it a real go, but I just got all the Le Labo City samples and want to try them before they can’t be purchased.
The only one I tried was the New York, Tubereuse 40. It smelled nothing like tuberose to my nose-not really floral at all. The top was a bit like Santal 33 but not pickle, maybe a watery cucumber with some citrus. It disappeared quick and became a very clove sandlewood scent with ceder. I love white florals and was excited for a modern take but I couldn’t smell flowers. I liked it but it wasn’t special and I’m not inclined to buy a larger one. But things haven’t been right with the way I have been able to smell, so I’ll start fresh tomorrow. I think Poive is next.
If anybody is interested in hearing about these, let me know. I’m sure that there are reviews online more professional than I would write but I’m happy to do it.
I'm not sophisticated and have always liked White Shoulders. I found a vintage bottle of Arpege extrait by Lavin parfume in a local thrift, still sealed for $1.98. This was a few years ago and I wear it sparingly to this day. It's one of the true fancy perfumes I've tried that actually lasts and the fragrance seems very stable. I also bought a bottle of Oud and Rose by Lavin at the same thrift for $5. It smelled great in the bottle, but not on my skin. I gave it away. I had no clue when I bought them they were some expensive French stuff. Or were they, IDK.
Oils are big in the area I live in currently. My favorites are Night Queen (Queen of Tulips) for summer and Somali Rose for winter. I like that the oils seem to last longer than most colognes and hold true to their fragrances.
Did a MicroPerfumes order to try some stuff out, and I got a really good deal on a vial of BR540 (less than $20). I've tried a few things with the BR540 dna, but I've yet to try the "real" thing. When I was offered this deal, I figured why not?
I like the BR540 dna, even if people say that it's too common or too popular these days. For the past year, I've been loving the Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa '68 fragrance (and I get tons of compliments whenever I wear it), and lots of people say that it's in the same ballpark as BR50, so I'm assuming that I'll like BR540.
A lot of my perfume collection is stuff like Scentbird vials, because I love trying a bunch of different stuff and view it as a waste of money to buy full bottles of something unless it's an absolute favorite of mine that I use on the regular.
I got my bottle and gave a whiff. I’m in the middle of a migraine episode so had to be careful; a small spritz was too strong for me at that time.
Even as a dupe, I could smell the Miss Dior base. I didn’t get fizz or popcorn but strawberries for sure. I think I’m out of my headache episode so will give it a real go, but I just got all the Le Labo City samples and want to try them before they can’t be purchased.
Oh yeah, the patchouli base is the first thing you notice with the Dua Fragrance. I think that a strong base like patchouli is one of the worst things to smell when you have a headache or migraine, lol. I can literally only do fresh and citrusy fragrances if I'm having any headache/migraine/sinus pressure issues.
Once the Dua Fragrance been on my skin for a little bit, though, I definitely pick up on the fizzy strawberry and the popcorn. The drydown is where the magic happens for me.
Speaking of Miss Dior, I've heard that the 2024 Miss Dior Le Parfum almost smells like Miss Dior Cherie, sans the popcorn and caramel notes. It apparently has the strawberries and champagne notes. I'm curious to try it out.
Today’s sample is Limette 37, the San Francisco City scent.
It opens with fresh squeezed lime juice squirting your nose, anlmost instantly followed by a sprinkling of Jasmine flower. It’s a very nice opener.
As it drys the Jasmine disappears and you get that classic 4711/Neroli Portofino/Clean Aqua Neroli/ summer scent (I believe Bergamot is the main accord), but it quickly deepens and notes of clove appear. In the clean scent it deepens to Ceder but the clove is nicer.
I like it very much. This is a summer to early fall fragrance. I’ve not had it on very long at this point but will update with how long it lasts. I’d be tempted to buy a small bottle of this as it’s got elements of my favorite summer scents with the addition of clove and musk. I’m not getting tonka yet but it’s still developing. I’m crazy for these neroli/bergamot frags though.
Good fragrance for summer weddings, outdoor parties day or night, inoffensive and easy to wear but with a Le Labo slight twist that makes it more.
On the negative, it is not so unlike others of this genre that it is a must have. Especially at $400 or whatever it is.
Edit. Was a skin scent at 2 hours and undetectable at 4. Would not buy. Vanille 44 next.
Vanille 44, Paris, is lovely. Pure vanilla on spray, starts drying into a creamy smoky vanilla, then becomes heady, boozy and beautiful. Vanilla and bourbon all the way. Lasted about 6 hours, but remember, these are samples so I’m not spraying big. I want to try them all again. I like it a lot but it’s not unique.
Poivre 23. London. OMG. This one is amazing. First spray is vanilla floral but third sniff and black pepper shows up. Real pepper, it even tingles your nose. Becomes this warm, woody, wonderful pepper with a hint of sandlewood and reminds me of fires and antique furniture but all covered with pepper. It becomes a mildewy scent like you’ve opened a hundred year old book stuffed with pepper, but is also beautiful in a weird way. This is a unique one and I hope to purchase a regular bottle.
I’m a bit frustrated that I won’t try them all before the month is over and will have to wait until next year.
(2ml Spray) Initial: Very rose. I honestly can't smell anything else. Definitely a older feminine scent, not really one I'd like to smell on my GF.
Longevity: Probably would last all evening, but I decided against wearing it.
(2ml Spray) Initial: A little fruity but very soapy. Fades into only slightly sweet soapy. No kumquat at all.
Longevity: Undetectable at 3 hours in but I also did a really small spray.
(2ml Spray) Initial: Sprayed on GF -> Smells very woody, almost exactly like I'm sniffing a stick. Fades into a little bit of a tabacco-y scent. Similar but different to DS Durga Bowmakers.
GF thoughts: Smells like a couch at a bourgeois furniture store. GF actually really liked this one and would happily wear it again.
Longevity: 3 hours in it smells like a leather couch.
(2ml Spray) Initial: A warm spicy tomato? A nice savory acidy smell. A little leafy, very garden-y. Tart. Fades into a citrusy savory sun dried tomato. Very nice but a little out there. Very very unique. Could be cool as an occasional spring/summer/fall scent but unclear if GF would want me smelling like this all the time.
Longevity: Not incredible, 2-3ish hours. I also only got a little itty bitty spray so could be user error.
(0.5ml Dab) Initial: A leathery varnished wood, like a brand new guitar or a bowling alley. The leather interior of an old luxury car. A very interesting smell. GF says it fades into the smell of a department store.
Longevity: 5ish hours, definitely all evening but not forever.
(1ml Spray) Initial: Wet spicy wood. Kinda like the smell of the remains of a bonfire covered in dew. Ever so slightly citrus. Absolutely no "marshmallow" smell like MMR's By The Fireplace
Longevity: It's an EDT but still lasted ~4 hours
(1ml Spray) Initial: Very very strong - honestly can't tell what it smells like. Pretty feminine. Looking at Fragrantica, I can definitely smell the Rose but not really the wood.
GF notes: "You smell like a grandma. I don't like it "
Longevity: Scrubbed it off after an hour. Would probably last all day
My "A" tier is getting a little crowded so I'm going to have to run through them again and determine which are actually "S"s and which are "B"s. Thank you guys for all of your help so far! My "buy next" list is getting a little long but I have a good idea now of what I'll like (citrus, woody, unique) and what I won't (powder, florals, fuck boy spice).
4 more to go before I've indexed them all (last are DS Durga Debaser, Tom Ford Lost Cherry, Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, Zoologist Squid).
Why do you have to wait? Seems like a bunch of the decanters would stock this stuff for when Le Labo stops selling it. I've realized I like unique scents a lot and Poivre 44 sounds like something I should try ($15 for a sampler is insane though).
Because I love D&G Light Blue so much, I decided to try out the intense version in a travel size (especially since I'll be traveling for a weekend soon). The Eau Intense version starts off a bit more masculine than I was expecting, but that stronger woody note fades away almost immediately and starts to smell like good ol' fashioned Light Blue with its brightness and freshness. I would say that the Intense version has a stronger granny smith apple note than a lemon note like the OG, but it all still very much smells like Light Blue. I like it a lot and will definitely wear it ... But I probably prefer the OG one just a tad bit more because of the more dominant lemon note and the not-so-woodsy opening.
And I can finally say that I have tried the infamous MFK Baccarat Rouge 540 now. After trying out a lot of the more affordable and famous dupes, I can't say that the scent of BR540 was surprising, lol. To my nose, the Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 68 that I've been using smells almost identical to BR540 (Cheirosa 68 might smell ever so slightly fruitier/juicier). I'll probably use my travel-sized vial of BR540 for layering with the Cheirosa 68. I'm confident that this vial will last a long time as well, since this is a "beast mode" perfume and I will only need one or maybe two sprays at a time.
The BR540 DNA is great, in my opinion ... But because there are so many great and affordable dupes out there at this point, it's not really worth it to drop almost $350-$500 for a bottle of the "authentic" thing. I got the travel-sized vial for a steal of a price though, so I don't regret getting it.
Received a few samples that have been on my "to try" list for a while.
Petrichor Plains by Mihan Aromatics: supposed to smell like rain on asphalt. To me it smells like an aquatic green with a hint of metal. It's not a bad smell, but not terribly wearable and seems like a less nuanced Temu version of Hermes Le Jardin de Monsieur Li.
Or Du Serail by Naomi Goodsir: oh, this is a well-made, sophisticated fragrance. So carefully blended that no single note sticks out, but instead there's a boozy fruit scent that is somehow light instead of heavy and cloying. If the fruit were just slightly stronger than the booze, it would be on my fall frags list for sure, but I don't gravitate to alcohol-y scents. Damn my uncultured palate, because this is a great perfume that just isn't right for me.
Manakara by Indult: I don't like rose or powdery scents. The only rose frags I tolerate are Rose de Nuit by Serge Lutens and Rose of No Man's Land by Byredo, and neither are even in my "keep a 2-5 mL decant on hand for when the mood strikes me" list. I ordered this one in hopes that the lychee would be a sweet, jammy topnote to balance out the rose. It did not, but if you like sweet powdery roses that aren't too screetchy, this is nice. The drydown smells like Turkish Delight.
I also ordered a couple decants of some favorites that are prohibitively expensive for full bottles.
Green Neroli by Creed: great, fresh summer scent. I have come SO close to buying a full bottle of this numerous times (and used to spray it on myself at this one department store every time I went in) but the longevity is shit (< 2h) for a $250 bottle. $100 maybe, but not $250. I'm on my second 5 mL decant in a year though.
Changing Constance by Penhaligon's: sweet caramel and cardamom! It's a cozy gourmand that I like as a bedtime scent when the weather turns cool. The pimento (sweet red pepper) adds just a bit of kick to keep from being too sugary, and this is one of the rare scents that has cashmeran that I don't hate. Good stuff, but not a top 3 gourmand for me so no full bottle, just a 2 mL decant.
My wife likes having fragrances in the house and, generally speaking, I do not. She has tried to buy fragrances that I like - earthy, woody scents like pine, balsam, heather, etc - but they are always a bust. The best way I can describe them is that they smell "cheap." Are there any home fragrance brands that the ladies can suggest?
My wife likes having fragrances in the house and, generally speaking, I do not. She has tried to buy fragrances that I like - earthy, woody scents like pine, balsam, heather, etc - but they are always a bust. The best way I can describe them is that they smell "cheap." Are there any home fragrance brands that the ladies can suggest
The brand Pineward has a lot of piney scents of decent quality, appropriately enough. Slumberhouse Norne is a dark pine and Hwyl by Aesop is cypress; my notes on it simply read WOOD. Bond No. 9 by Bleecker Street is a strongly woody, oakmossy but very wearable masculine fragrance.
Is anyone here interested in organic DIY perfume making? I've been wanting to make my own organic perfume for ages. I started saving all orange peels from the oranges I ate months ago, but sadly they got moldy. I thought they wouldn't if they dried up, but maybe I just didn't dry them well enough.
Is it possible to extract their essential oils efficiently once they're all dried up?
My intention was to distill them (my mother has a still), but I'd never seen it and it's quite big. Are there small stills you can use on your stove?
My wife likes having fragrances in the house and, generally speaking, I do not. She has tried to buy fragrances that I like - earthy, woody scents like pine, balsam, heather, etc - but they are always a bust. The best way I can describe them is that they smell "cheap." Are there any home fragrance brands that the ladies can suggest?
For home fragrances, you should go with her to a shop that sells candles and find a few that you like. Bath and Bodyworks usually has a bunch but most major stores (think Target) should have a section of candles for you to try. Candles tend to do better for woody home fragrances than any spray I've smelt so far.
I don't wear much makeup but I love fragrance. Thanks for this thread!
My favorite indie perfumer is Persephenie. I highly recommend. They do a lot of ancient-inspired and indo-euro traditional scents, and they also do incense now! I bought a sampler ages ago so I have a bunch of stuff they don't carry anymore. They used to do more layering scents so it came with 3 eau fraiche and 5 tiny eau de parfum. I also got a concentrated aged patchouli which is heavenly but very strong, I don't even have to use the liquid I literally just touch the dried resin on the lip of the open bottle to my skin and rub it in and it stays for hours. Seriously, look into their stuff it's incredible.
Lush is a fucking tranny mess and I hate giving them money but they still have a few fragrances I swear by. I love the "Dirty" scent body spray, I use it like febreeze on the insides of my jackets and coats. I also like Karma because I'm just a sucker for patchouli and orange like that. My favorite though is Breath of God, a unisex scent with like tarragon or someshit, I still have a vial saved but they recently started stocking it again in US stores.
I'm always going back to my vials from the Derek Lam 10 Crosby discovery set. I've tried Skylar and it's cute and smells nice but nothing to write home about. When I was super young I used to wear Squeeze by Lilly Pulitzer and the unisex Lady Gaga perfume whose name I can't remember but it came in a really cool bottle. Tokyo Milk is cool too, i forget which scent I have. I use Demeter Fragrance Salt Air all the time.
I'm also just a total sucker for fruity scents, ocean scents, and anything with amber.
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