Perfume / Cologne

Sometimes when I feel like being a moron I wear Skin Musk, that stuff is tops.

I like Smell This for cheap stupid novelty scent. Beach Smells = great.

I don't wear it on a daily basis but sometimes if I'm going out. Then it's Eau D'Issey or Dune. I used to wear Spellbound and lots of men would comment favourably on it. Why did I stop?

Ally C - Lynx Africa does not count as deodorant as it has no anti-perspirant qualities. It's a body spray = perfume = you are a girl.

I like perfume (and girls) so that's not meant as an insult. I'm wearing Farenheit today, which is nice but doesn't seem to last very well. Sometimes I wear Cool Water and sometimes I sip into my CK selection pack.

I do use an antiperspirant myself but that's because I'm a sweaty bastard.

In general I trust Guerlain and Chanel.

I am currently rotating between Fendi, Trussardi Light, CK Truth, Green Tea, Happy, a freebee phial from Zara and a bottle of stuff from River Island I got for Christmas (work days only).

On the boy I'm 'liking' this new one that's oh so obliquely called Sexual. It's like, ok YOU, bedroom NOW!

Suitable replacements for the Chaos are either the Comme des Garcons red or Corso Como 1010 and I will get one of these on my next trip to Liberty, or when a fashion friend goes through Milanese duty free. Whichever comes first.

Ramon wears Pi, that smells pretty good. Nicole, what does the new Mugler one smell like? Is it that Angel Men one?

It is nice though, very fresh

For guys, I like Christian Dior Higher (airy, floral) or Farenheit (to me, it smells like SEX!, it's just raw appeal), or Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gio (light, transparent, oceanic). I don't like old-man- smelling stuff, and I don't want my guy to smell like a girl, either.

Someone I knew wore vanilla essence, but stopped after a strange man approached her and said that she smelt good enough to eat.

Just plain soap and water works fine for some people, but I have noticed that there are some people who just smell off like sour dough even if they bathe and/or shower regularly. Which is why the "no scent" option is sometimes dud.

I like Marc Jacob's new cologne. Except I don't like that it's advertised by pictures of Sofia Coppola.

People do have very distintive smells, whether they clean themselves a lot or not. I do remember another girl I knew who just smelled like a goat. It's not like she was dirty, it was her body chemistry.

Sofia Coppola is a complete dud, and it pains me to want to buy Marc Jacobs when I feel I am supporting Sofia Coppola by doing it.

Just kidding. I've never said "just kidding" in a post before, ever.

I'm wearing something called Croquembouche by Demeter. I don't know what a Croquembouche is, but it smells like caramel, which is a bit odd. WHy do I want to smell like food?

Otherwise, I prefer shampoo/soap/fabric softener/candle odors than perfume/cologne... I'd rather take a dip in baby powder than spend large dollars on little bottles of excess.

For men, I liked Vetiver by Guerlain (vetiver, tobacco, line), which I bought once on the recommendation of the nice man with a waxed moustache at Colonial Drug for an ex-boyfriend who smoked. I doubt I'd like Vetiver any more now than I like Chanel's Coco which I wore when I was 16 and thought I was chic. Now I think it smells like whore.

Has anybody else read the very gothy Perfume by Patrick Suskind? THE UNDETECTABLE YET ALL- POWERFUL SCENT OF YOUNG FRENCH VIRGINS hehehe

I hate when people wear so much cologne that it's almost visible (especially because then I sometimes have slight allergic reactions), but I hate even more when people smell as if they haven't had a shower in the last decade (one of the many reasons I hate DC public transportation).

I'm bored with the fashion for fruit (especially citrus) scents, and thankful that the vanilla fad seems to have peaked.

"angel" was my scent for years, but just recently i decided to go for a change and am wearing the grandly named "jasmine for the empress" by creed, which was created for the empress josephine (napolean's s.o.) it was a limited edition and i probably won't be able to replace it. shame, cos it's heavenly!

I sometimes wear DK Men (discontinued, but I still find a bottle here or there online), it smells like manwhore.

Me, I want a bottle of Alexander McQueen's Kingdom. I don't even care about the perfume, the bottle is just a little piece of art.

(I'm an expert on pig wee, of course. Don't ask. You have to make a living somehow...)

parfum > eau de parfum > eau de cologne

Perhaps I am a grande-mere and Goutal is frumpy anyway but some of the scents are only easily gettable as eau de parfum and eau de cologne. I've tried!

Oh god I love BVLGARI. It's the Korean in me. And no, not because it looks like BVLGOGI,

This is now the FOURTH TIME I've seen/overheard you say this, Tracer Hand. WE ALL KNOW YR GF IS FRENCH STOP BEING PONCEY ABOUT IT. Before I dump buckets of cologne all over your unshowered ass.

I like those VS Secrets line of colognes except 88 is quite strong, I mean it's like meant to kill a man if you put on too much I think

the downside of perfume obv is that it gets stale, and the other day i was on a crowded metro with seemingly ten different types of stale perfume in the air and i wanted to vomit.

thank you.

I've heard good things about Ralph Lauren Purple Label, but I can't find anywhere that sells it around here.

but i hardly wear any, since i'm phobic about wearing too much.

i've been thinking of getting something new. i like burberry brit, but hate the marketing campaign and the bottle. any ideas?

i used to wear cool water or ck crave

Within minutes of my putting Haunted on my hand to test it, Gretchen (a cat, fwiw, not a maid from Benson) jumped up on the couch next to me, sniffed my hand, and laid her head down on it and went to sleep. Your mileage will vary.

(I also like Demeter, if for no other reason than that I can do stupid writerly things like wearing Bourbon and Paperback and smelling like someone spilled bourbon in a used bookstore.)

I will not, however.

!!

Escada came out with a bunch of new stuff over the past couple years, either this is one of em or there isn't a "for Men" version. (Which is maybe good. Do I want to smell like passionfruit? Maybe if I mixed it with the Bourbon.)

Actually, after seeing just how much the Demeter Bourbon does in fact smell like bourbon, I splashed some single-malt Scotch on myself to see what it would smell like. It smelled like I had wasted some really good Scotch.

I think you have a better shot at getting away with this than I do.

polo (in high school. nauseating!)
gap grass (miss it!)
claibourne for men (discontinued but have stash if i'm ever in the mood--rarely put it on)
dolce&gabbana pour homme (the one in the zebra stripe thingy. works with my chemistry very well. for now at least.)

crosspost

But such a memory trigger...

Current faves: Acqua di Parma/Lavendar Tonic;Korres Athens/Citrus Body Water; and 06130/Yuzu Rouge.

But for the most part I cant stand strong perfumes on anyone. I'd rather smell sweat than a bad cologne. Women who sit at work reapplying sceent TEN TIMES A DAY whats up with that? Spraying shit on yrself at your desk? Why dont you poop on your desk while you're at it, save some time.

issey miyake on guys makes me utterly nauseous as it was the cologne of choice of the last chap who crushed my heart. i used to love it though.

Primitive part of the brain, apparently. Limbic system?

i wear marc jacobs or fresia from crabtree and evelyn. sometimes i just wanna wear some fruity strange head shop oil but thus far i've held off from moonbeam or whatever. i wish i could smell like rosemary.

sandalwood is really nice. patchouli is ALL BADNESS though.

It says on the packaging that it contains the scent of:

Bergamot
Lemon Bouquet
Fig
Basil
Lavender
Cypress
Black Pepper
Jasmine
Ambery musky notes
Sandalwood
and Vetyver

(xpost)

Well, gem hon, I don't know if it'll stop at that perfume thing. Honestly, I can actually see myself taking on certain traits of hers. The perfume thing seems to be a major signifier of the transformation.

I am so put off by bad smells, that I've actually decided not to date guys I really liked otherwise. My bf has severely bad foot odour probs and I'm really struggling to deal with it. I hate it.

Theres this smell between urine, faeces and B.O that humans get. A clammy greasy kind of smell. He has that smell.

but i agree, there is not much better than the nice smell that your lover has when you cuddle up to their back in bed. i can vaguely remember that ;)

it smells exactly the opposite to how i look. confuse the senses, yo, and the bitches will love you.

I want a tea + cedar + sandalwood + pepper I think.

I only have a tiny smidge of Mitsouko left in the old-school bottle given me by my beloved granny - only scent she ever wore. It's one of the few things I've got to remember her by now. She told me a story once about being stuck in a super-posh hotel room (in Singapore, I think) with some ultra-rich brats who were splashing Joy (bloody expensive) around like lemonade.

This afternoon I smell of garlic from my lunchtime salami. Hello, fellas!

That said, I wear Annick Goutal's Petite Cherie, which only makes me sneeze 3 times when I spray it and I think it smells like pears, although it is described as: vanilla, peach, musk rose and freshly cut grass. Kind of weird, since I try to stay away from vanilla scents, but I love it.

I've got opium parfum, it's really strong.

i'm wearing comme des garcons red palisander at the moment. i never did get the nomad tea that i lusted after upthread, sigh.

I might got for mitsouko tonight and work on the object of my affection's limbic system.

does estee lauder still make cinnabar? that was what my mother wore throughout my childhood.

The absolute worst perfume I own is Oceanus from the body shop. It smells like Ferring on a cold day, yet I can't bring myself to bin it! It'll be the work only perfume after the Chloe's gone.

I wanted to buy my grandmother Bojour's Evening In Paris, which she used to love when she was my age (she tells me). It's been reissued in America, but the cheapest place I can find it won't let me buy it without giving a state. I don't have a state, or a Canadian province, because I live in the UK. It gave me a UK option in the pull down menu, but I still had to give a state. ARRRRGGGHHH>

xp

hell no:
annick goutal ce soir ou jamais
jo malone wild fig and cassis (and the new pomegranate one, sadly)
new edition youth dew (still reeks)

fragrance counters are very good for holiday shopping procrastination.

so true. i sprayed myself with a bit of coco, which i wore in high school, to see if i still liked it. it immediately put me in mind of the french prostitutes in the kids in the hall hotel la rut skit ("i am theenking of tony").

My signature smell is Chanel Chance. I like Allure Sensuelle and Coco too, though No. 5 smells like a grandma to me. So over DKNY Be Delicious at this point. I like Vera Wang Princess. I guess I tend to like "young! fresh!" smells, for better or worse. Embarrassingly, I even like the "Music" smell out of Gwen Stefani's LAMB line. When I feel like a grown-up (rare) I wear Givenchy Amarige.
My BF likes Thierry Mugler's "Angel" which at first I refused to wear, but it's grown on me. Kinda smells like cake or something on me for some reason.
I praise and sometimes wear cK one why because it lol 90s.
The worst thing I've ever smelled: tie between Paris Hilton's Heiress and P. Diddy's Unforgivable. Totally apt name on that last one.

Other smells that are lol 90s:

Tribe
Exclamation
Charlie

I remember a New Girl coming to my middle school and she had this awful, rubber factory-esque smell to her. It was unexlplicable, until one day I saw her with a bottle of Tribe. Wonder if Jaymc remembers her...

Ad-Roc doesn't smell like any of those things.

exclamation... haw! i guess debbie gibson's electric youth fragrance was more late 80s, but i think of that in the same way.

Angel is the absolute worst

Ad Rock smelled like Axe!!

xpost neb, we are just not meant to be, i guess

yeah, i don't think maintaining a 10-foot distance would work

So I can get a refund on this juicer?

I like the Jo Malone jasmine and mint but I end up sniffing my own wrists.

Dibs on the juicer, unless neb wants it.

To juice some red apples.

gross

youre gross

You two are making me think I should hang on to the juicer

Well, Marc Jacobs Daisy smells like shit and I was stuck with it all day.

Also: when I got paid the other day I went to the perfume counter and bought a GIANT cK one. I will be lol 90s til I die, I guess.

I've been using a sample of Stella by Stella McCartney lately. Hope to get a gift card for xmas to buy it with.

atm it's l'occitane's green tea for me.

i love perfume so much. it doesn't have to be stinky and artificial.

my two every day scents are l'artisan premier figuier extreme (notes of fig, fig leaf, milk of almond, sandalwood, coconut) and les nereides musc de java (notes of light musk, berries, blackcurrant, violet leaves, sage, fresh cut hay)

i just found out via my mother who is awful at keeping secrets that i am getting a full bottle of serge luten chergui for x-mas

i love l'artisan stuff. no more perfume for me until i use up most of my gigantic bottle of bulgari red tea, but i really want mure et musc extreme or premier figuier.

roxy is it like one of those small 375 ml Jim Beam sizes? I have seen those & they are rad.

I wear Delices de Cartier because it smells vaguely like cherries to me.

Yep, Abbott! I got the same size cK one lotion, too. :X

http://www.8989.co.jp/santablog/1204/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/pradairis.jpg

^Is growing on me, but I feel like it doesn't suit me for a reason that is difficult to put into words.

What do y'all think about Kenneth Cole Black?

i cannot get behind any perfume. it all smells really bad on me.

http://www.gizmodiva.com/entry_images/1207/07/Masaki_Matsushima_perfume.jpg

Pretty sure I love this too, but I do not own it yet.

Recommend me something manly.

That is a perfume.

I dated a guy who wore Kenneth Cole Black and I loved to smell him.

Haha, What do y'all think about Kenneth Cole Black?

― roxymuzak, Sunday, February 1, 2009 11:22 PM (2 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I dated a guy who wore Kenneth Cole Black and I loved to smell him.

Yes, that is what I need! Mrs. T loves Blenheim from Penhaligan's which is really for men of a certain age I think, and although I am OLD it's just a bit too Prince of Charles for me. Anyone read basenotes.net. Amazing the different 'notes' people get from the same perfume. Such as aforementioned Kenneth Cole Black.

I am a fan of this also.
http://www.basenotes.net/photos/st/26123657.jpg

All those Penhaglions smells are great and interesting, but yeah, most seem a little mature.

Some of those people are OTM re: Black, though. It really does smell like tobacco, smoke and mint, only nicer.

I read somewhere that the main note in Chanel's Chance (what I wear almost every day) is hyacinth, and I never realized that before, but it completely explains why I love Chance so much. When I was a little kid, I went behind our house and found a patch of hyacinths growing, sniffed them and proclaimed them "the coolest thing I have ever smelled." I've always been crazy about both scents, but never really connected the two.

http://www.avclub.com/assets/images/media/movie/3573/Perfume_jpg_595x325_crop_upscale_q85.jpg

he first study to indicate that chemical signals play a role in attraction was conducted by Claud Wedekind over a decade ago. Forty-four men wore the same T-shirt for three days. They refrained from deodorants and scented soaps so they wouldn’t interfere with their natural smell. Women then sniffed the shirts and indicated which ones smelled the best to them. By comparing the DNA of the women and men, the researchers found that women didn’t just choose their favorite scent randomly. They preferred the scent of man whose major histocompatibility complex (MHC) -- a series of genes involved in our immune system -- was most different from their own.

Researchers knew to look at the MHC because of its importance in animal’s sexual preferences. In mice, it has long been known that MHC not only helps ward off infection, but it also plays a role in scent and mate selection.

From an evolutionary perspective, choosing a mate with a different immune system makes survival sense. Kids of parents with different immune genes are more likely to be disease-resistant and are therefore more likely to survive. The women in this study also reported liking the scents that reminded them of their current or previous boyfriends, showing that MHC attraction is consistent. And because MHC profiles differ greatly from one person to the next, there is no universally “good” smell. One woman’s Romeo was another woman’s raunchy.

By all means kill the bacterial odors. But our native scent is part of who and what we are.

I've never wanted to have sex with a flower.

What about a person who smells like one.

do not care for most perfumes/colognes -- really strong ones make me ill. i'm more of a "small dab of essential oil" chick.

i buy unscented products (beauty/hygiene products, cleaning products) whenever possible, but like i said, if it's a small bit of essential oil rather than a chemical "fragrance," that's fine.

i think i'm going back to Gaultier 2 for nighttime, and clinique Happy for day.

I wear essential oils for the most part--usually something with vanilla in it (sandalwood vanilla, lavender vanilla, etc.) For some reason, if I don't have a touch of vanilla in my scent, it fades too quickly.

I'd like start wearing an essential oil or two, but I can never pick.

Chanel's Coco and No. 19 are my favorites. I guess I like to smell like whore.

In hot weather, I've done Clarins' Elysium (sadly discontinued), Alfred Sung's Pure (ditto, I think), and Carolina Herrera's 212. Think I'd like to get my hands on some Elysium again. Can't do the Chanels when it is hot out.

You know, re weather, I was just thinking; I don't really think about perfume in the winter, more about soaps and lotions. Perfume is def a spring/warm weather pursuit for me, and I think I'll come back and take some ideas from this thread in the spring. :)

I totally think about perfume in the winter. What else does an atheist want with frankincense oil?

Also from the department of HOORAY, they brought back Donna Karan Chaos.

i think about it in the winter too. it's hard to justify smelling like wood any other time, and spring is for dirt and flowers and green. i honestly usually spare summer because i am terrified of bees.

My winter routine is: Prada lotion or cocoa butter, frankincense oil or Chaos or Comme des Garcons Avignon. Bees don't usually trouble me in the summer because I don't wear big floral fragrances. I will also go for anything with cedar oil in it when wearing wool because it's the only thing moths hate that smells good.

I don't wear colognes or perfume to work generally. I think I am too PC on this level, I don't want to offend anyone with allergies or oversensitive olfactory senses. What I wear off the clock: In the pricey category: Chanel 19 (a green scent) & 5 warmer sweet; Boucheron (warm sweet with some spice). Drugstore cheap: Love's babysoft mist (kinda baby powder with a little floral). Have worn it since I was a teenager <a VERY long time ago>!

I have never been bothered by bees attracted to perfume, but maybe it's because I am not in the bees environment too often.

I really like the ideas of cedar oil - it smells nice and earthy with the added benefit of no moths! Great idea!

Oh wait I do have a bottle of Chanel No. 5 but tbh it was a press freebie, scent of it gets on everything and not in a good way.

I'm still a Guerlain fan got L'heure bleue, Chamade, Mitsouko, Nahema, Apres le ondee, chant des aromes, Jicky, Shalimar, mouchoir de monsieur, petit guerlain, vol de nuit plus a few aqua allegoria lighter scents and some of the modern ones that i've got as presents. Have branched out a bit with Feminite du bois by Serge Lutens, Bandit and Fracas by Robert Piguet, Ivorie and Jolie Madam by Balmain, Femme, tocade and madame rochas by Rochas and a couple of Sonia Rykiel scents. Fancy trying Cuir de Russie by Chanel but I think it's only available in Chanel boutiques for ££££££££££.

I have waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much perfume.

cedar oil sounds really good. i'm going to try that.

l'occitane green tea, l'occitane green tea with jasmine and l'occitane bergamot tea.

i suppose i just like smelling like tea but i ALWAYS get compliments on these fragrances when i wear them.

I used to really like Jean Paul Gaultier, but I was wearing it today and it just reminded me of Faygo grape soda or rock n rye.

jessica simpson has a perfume called 'fancy nights' which I think is an awesome name. if the insert in vogue is accurate it smells like getting mugged by grandma.

L'Artisan Parfumeur have a sale on at the moment as they're discontinuing some of their bottles / fragrances. Tea For Two is a real bargain at £25 / $57 for 50ml.

I've been watching the BBC4 documentary series on fragrances and it seems to have triggered my inner perfume geek.

i have grown to love gaultier le male!

I love Frédéric Malle Bigerade Concentrée and wear it pretty much every day

i worry sometimes that i'm just completely indiscriminate when it comes to scents, because I love so many. There are some that I dislike, even hate, but I really just love the whole concept of perfume, and there are so many wonderful smells in the world.

SERGE LUTENS MUSCS KOUBLAI KHAN!

I am curious about Frédéric Malle. A woman came into my store the other week wearing Portrait of a Lady, and it smelled so lovely.

I am also curious about the various perfumes from Etat Libre d'Orange (although not Sécrétions Magnifiques, that sounds horrible) but I am slightly intimidated about going into to the store that stocks it.

I really like Etat Libre d'Orange.

I don't know if it's the same in the US, but some of the online stores that stock it will sell you twenty samples and let you get a discount, to the value of the samples, if you buy a full bottle.

I have Encens et Bubblegum (which is self-explanatory) and Rien (which is quite a bold, powdery leather). A lot of their fragrances are more interesting in theory than in practice so the sample route is a good one to go down.

In my experience, some of the stores that stock their stuff really don't like the brand for some reason.

Serge Lutens is also great, of course.

Sample set: http://www.escentual.com/etat-libre-dorange/elo_025/

I miss my days of wearing cologne. My main scent was a really cheap one: OP Juice!

http://100mililitros.com/store/images/P/OP-Juice-M500.jpg

The bottle had a weird rubber outer covering that made it feel like a sex toy, but if you accidentally dropped it on the ground it wouldn't break. However, that little tab on the nozzle would always break off, so I'd have to depress it with a key or a pen cap or something. Went through three bottles of the stuff in the early 2000s. Smelled like cucumbers, bergamot, with a hint of cardamom? A really good fresh springtime/summertime scent. My wife hated it and said it smelled synthetic. I don't believe her, but I don't wear it anymore either.

i worry sometimes that i'm just completely indiscriminate when it comes to scents, because I love so many. There are some that I dislike, even hate, but I really just love the whole concept of perfume, and there are so many wonderful smells in the world.

― 1 P.3. Eternal (roxymuzak), Wednesday, August 21, 2013 6:54 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

AGREE!! a million times agree. i think i only generally dislike fruity scents but grapefruit notes are usually ok. lemon sometimes. i love most non-noxious smells.

I am curious about Frédéric Malle

At Barney's they have those smelly tubes you can dunk your head into and really get into those scents. To be honest I'm not a big fan of most Frédéric Malle but the Bigerade is really, really special. Orange peel.

I also like the alcohol-free Le Labo, I forget what it's called, but it's good for kids, like, designed for your baby. I've three times given it as gifts to the parents of my godkids/nieces and they've loved it.

I met a guy in 2005 and he was wearing a really intensely beautiful cologne, it was really intense. It converted me from the "wearing cologne is vain" to the "wearing cologne is a treat for yourself and those around you". I tried to smell-remember the scent he was wearing because I was too shy to ask him what it was. Years later, I found it-- Creed "Silver Mountain Water"-- designed for Grace Kelly, I think?-- smells like honeysuckle (but I'm told it's actually black currant). Apparently Bowie is famous for wearing it. I have a small bottle but I'm rarely in a situation where it is called for, it's pretty flamboyant.

Creed stuff is all really good but prohibitively expensive :( I treat myself every few years when I'm in London. I like Millesme and Vetiver.

oh, that sounds amazing. bowie tidbit doesn't hurt. i want to smell it!

how far are we from smellovision, as a culture

I wear Floris "Eau de Santal"...haven't spent much time smelling around, but most non-luxury men's fragrances smell like a teenager's shower gel ime so I'm happy with the one I have.

Also nervous of getting super into fragrances because ££££.

It is such big business, too! If ever I make that hit record the first thing I'm gonna do is design and market a scent

There are lots of good non-luxe scents around that can be picked up really cheaply at discount places. Bulgari Black is lovely and i think i paid about £15 for a bottle a couple of years ago.

You can also get great mid-range ones(Comme des Garcons, Etat Libre d'Orange, Miller Harris, Guerlin, etc) without paying astronomical prices.

The Luca Turin / Tania Sanchez guide is a good starting point for suggestions.

whatever happened to the nose who posted here? was that person for real?

Oh many I love perfumes but my love have been stifled upon obtaining a sneezy spouse.

feel like the time is right for me to start enjoying a good basic scent. i'm really cheap though. wonder if there's anything ok under 50 bucks.

Oh yes, definitely! Do you have some idea of what you like/don't like?

there needs to be a Shazam for perfume! sometimes i smell something so good and want to know what it is without asking, or i don't know who to ask. also sometimes i smell someone that smells terrible and i want to be sure to avoid their perfume at all costs.

has anyone tried scents that purposely smell like bodily fluids like Secretions Magnifiques? from a customer review:

THE SCENT: It's fear sweat. Hot, semi-sour, salty, and immediately recognizable from human evolution. I'm frightened to ask how they achieved this! It's also sickness, something sick and hot and possibly dead nearby. Blood? Maybe in the saltiness, maybe the sour tang has a pinch of blood too but mostly it's the smell of fear to me. In less emotionally-linked terms about an hour later, it does smell like LOW TIDE FISHINESS/SALT + MILK left in the sun to spoil.

i don't want to smell like bloody jizz btw i'm just intrigued by the idea of conceptual art fragrance. i wish you could get a box of a bunch of little samples of them like the harry potter jellybeans.

yeaaaahhh nope

favorite perfume ever is Lolita Lempicka

too cheap to buy a new bottle at the moment so I googled around for similar-smelling perfumes and bizarrely found out that the consensus was on Jessica Simpson's 'Fancy' now discontinued & available at every Ross/TJMaxx for like $10. It's not perfect, but it's pretty close. Has nowhere near the staying power though. Lolita Lempicka, it was good for the whole day if you put it on in the morning

funnest thing is ppl saying ooh you smell good and telling them I'm wearing some Chicken of the Sea Jessica Simp perfume :D

You used to be able to get a box of little samples from Etat Libre d'Orange! A lot of places would credit the cost against a full bottle so they were effectively free. I'm not sure if they still do that, or whether Secretions Magnifiques is still one of them, but it's worth checking. It doesn't smell great, tbh, but a lot of their other ones are very good.

Lolita Lempicka is terrific too. I need to get another bottle of that.

i have asked strangers what scent they are wearing. mixed results.

i don't usually like fragrances, but i've been wearing tokyo milk's gin and rosewater. it's young, fresh, and not too heavy, as long as i apply it with a bit of restraint.

After a 18 months on it and I'm still addicted to it I guess I'm Philosykos for life now. I don't think I'll ever get tired of it. It's damn expensive but then the last bottle of the parfum, which is manlier I think than the toilette, did last me 8 months or so, so.... It's a bit of a hit shelling out the cash when you do need to though.

http://www.diptyqueparis.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/523x768/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/p/h/philosykos_resize.jpg

It is a little sad to be with someone who sneezes at every perfume I own/love.

Fragrance also an absolute no-no at new gig.

Missing u, fancy smells.

:(

I love the nose who created Philosykos, Olivia Giacobetti. She did two of my favorites: En Passant (for Frederic Malle) and Ofresia (Diptyque). I have a sample of Philosykos but it's too woody for me, but I love it on others.

My current fave is Geranium Odorata (also Diptyque. I get so many compliments on it) and my all-time favorite is L'Eau d'Hiver (Jean-Claude Ellena for Frederic Malle).

i got a sample of molecule 01 by escentual molecules - i layered it with flower by kenzo, and it's a nice combo, but i don't think it's any better than the kenzo on its own. def not as mindblowingly unique as i was led to believe.

i had a subscription with olfactif for a few months, hoping to find a new scent, but i found most of them really really repulsive - like, outright unpleasant.

I think i'm getting into fragrances! I just bought a v small bottle of Maison Martin Margiela (untitled) which is like SO green and grassy with undertones of musk, omg, so good! Also v much into Comme des Garcons Sherbet: Rhubarb (on fgti's recommendation) and it really smells like rhubarb! It's like tart and sweet and so intersting, I love it so! I've also got a small sample of Terre d'Hermes which on paper was interestingly bitter and hyper-woody (like pine sap) but on my skin just smells like a very pleasant but very approachable men's cologne

I'm about to order like 6 Comme des Garcons samples from luckyscent (2, Odeur 53, Odeur 71, Amazingreen, Guerrilla 1, Guerrilla 2) and am v excited to try them out.

I'm really into things that are not assertively masculine or feminine and are also really strange and unique, like "oh wow I would never imagine they would make a perfume smell like THAT but I quite like it!". Numerous ppl have also recommended that I check otu CB I Hate Perfume which I am going to sample next time I'm in NYC

but yeah am v new to all of this and am open to any recommendations of grassy + musk, or just intriguing and unique gender-neutral frags of all types

rly I just want to smell like the weirdo that I already am

Commes des Garcons Wonderwood is really nice - been wearing that for a while. In the recent past I've also worn Clinique's Happy and Chanel for men.

I also have a few of those Demeter "fragrance library" things - the "dirt" one is quite good, kinda smells like a forest floor, but in a good way. I got some in Duane Read last time I was in NYC - some are more for use in rooms rather than on yourself, though it can be hard to decide about this. A lot of them are quite generic smells that get used in theatre, by Punchdrunk or other interactive companies - kinda depends how much you want to smell like "rain" or "bubblegum".

I bought one called "funeral home" to try and see if I would actually wear it, it sort of smells like cold sad memories of death - lily and chemicals - prob more a curio than anything else.

They're worth messing around with though, some of them make quite good and unusual scents.

stevie i think you may enjoy BPAL
this is a good way to sample
i had a severe problem for a while but then i switched to making my own blends
http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/imps-ears/

fragrancenet.com has really good deals, but i don't think they offer any indie stuff.

stevie, i'm really getting into perfumes, too! i generally prefer unisex/neutral scents to really strong masculine or feminine ones as well.

i tried the ineke library sample box, which comes in beautiful packaging, but the scents are all really really soapy :/

stevie give guerlain vetiver a sniff and tell me what you think!

Quite enjoyed a sample set of Murdock's colognes - http://www.murdocklondon.com/

xp I will track down this Guerlain Vetiver if I can find it!

Quite enjoyed a sample set of Murdock's colognes - http://www.murdocklondon.com/

i used to get my hair cut here - these are nice

I almost looked for a fragrance thread last week!

I am very much uncultured when it comes to perfume/cologne, but I definitely feel like I have some strong preferences when it comes to scents.

Very interested in Commes des Garcons' interest in non-standard fragrances. Wondering what Odeur 53 smells like.

If you are interested in smelling like modern furniture this is cool http://comme-des-garcons-parfum.com/perfumes/artek-standard/

those kind of scents are the best imo. i mean it's nice to have a fairly affordable daily thing that smells like you've just showered, but mainly you want your clothes to accumulate some kind evocative musk that people aren't sure is a scent.

I stopped wearing fragrance when I was pregnant because puuuuuuuuke, then I didn't start again when the baby was an infant because it majorly weirds me out when she smells like something other than herself, but I have been feeling like I want to smell like something again. Of course right about the time I made that decision, we got a firm-wide email asking us to refrain from using "chemical scents" although it was very vague as far as whether that pertained to like air fresheners or personal care products or if it is the latter, putting them on at work versus putting them on at home. I think it's more of a "be considerate" kind of thing.

I've been using White Rabbit from BPAL as my main smell for a few years. Maybe I'd like to branch out? Body chemistry does change after childbirth/breastfeeding/when we get older. I'm not sure what I'd like to smell like, though. Something... interesting.

Anyway, good call reviving this thread, Stevie.

mainly you want your clothes to accumulate some kind evocative musk that people aren't sure is a scent.

YES! Exactly so!

My mom has used Clinique Aromatics Elixer for my entire life and even when she doesn't wear it, her ~~aura~~ seems to carry that essence and I love it. I want people to associate a smell with me.

A good smell, I should say.

babies smell kind of nice when they don't smell like poop

Non poop smelling babies smell amazing! Baby head is the best smell. I wonder if the maternity ward will let me borrow a baby to sniff at lunchtime.

I don't want to smell like baby, though.

No, I'm not suggesting that. I think that was in reference to you mentioning that it weirds you out when she smells not like herself!

This is my all time favorite perfume: http://www.sephora.com/for-her-eau-de-toilette-P110113

This stuff is also great:http://www.neimanmarcus.com/Library-of-Flowers-The-Forest-Eau-De-Parfum/prod160940112/p.prod?srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=43-38579937-2&ecid=NMCIGoogleProductAds

And in summer I love this . . . oh no! My favorite summer scent by Lush is no more. This is bad.

I know you weren't! I was making a joke as dry as baby powder.

Which Lush? I used their orange flower water Guerrilla Scent for awhile, but although it smelled great in the little sampler vial I got, it never smelled the same coming out of the spray bottle, and now it's years old and I should really throw it away.

speaking of lush, their 'grass' products smell great imo -- sandalwood and chlorophyll

i unabashedly love patchouli oil

Local Garda, you really need to check out Philosykos if you like unconventional fragrances.

I will investigate.

CA it was this one: http://staging.gorillaperfume.com/us/products/35/25-43 and it was really interesting nice for summer. I think this summer I just want to smell like the beach.

For which this is supposed to be very good: http://www.sephora.com/beach-fragrance-P270559

Vetiver? Frederic Malle "Vetiver Extraordinaire" is my current fave eau de parfum. I always stock up when I visit France. It's way overpriced here in the States.

OMG OMG OMG my cute tiny bottle of Maison Martin Margiela (untitled) just arrived and I am so elated!!!! It's so green and delightful and I lost the tester I had years ago and I cannot stop smelling my wrists. It's so pleasant and delightful and not v assertive and I think I might make this my signature daily frag! My only quip is it dries down to like a cinnamon/bubblegum smell but it's still so great. It's a dabber and not a sprayer so I am legit considering investing in one of these:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41k91bk1suL.jpg

stevie d: ebay is great place to find people selling samples or small aliquots of scents that sound interesting without having to commit to a full bottle.

yeah that's where I got this lil baby bottle!!! it is SO CUTE TOO, I just have to post a picture

http://i.imgur.com/64hGrmj.jpg

I wanted to spend a day w/ each of these CdG frags and let u kno but the prob is I have absolutely no clue how to write about frags.

Also they come in these teeeeensy tiny little vials with a toothpick-like dabber built into each cap, so I'm not really sure how to properly apply them bcz dabbing them with the dabber puts SO little on.

imo take the end of the vial, press it against your skin and flip it upside down and then back. you should have a little circle of fragrance that you can then rub

yeah but even that puts such a small amt on, i mean this opening is V V tiny, but I think I will just do that a few times

yeah just put the palm of your hand over the bottle and flip it a few times

OK here's what I will tell you

Comme des Garcons BLACK: this is a Very Serious Cologne. I smell like a humorless doctor or a funeral director, like someone stern and smug who maybe makes a lot of money and dresses conservatively. It doesn't smell bad per se but it is just totally not ~me~. It is has no joy; it is not fun in the least. I was expecting it to be kind of cool or modern but it's not really any of those things.

It doesn't even smell interesting!

I ordered some BLACK, lol. I AM SERIOUS MAN, STEVIE!!

btw I am going to wear it in my Lexus

xp wait did you rly order some?

yes, as a "I can wear this and norms at work will like it" selection

I, in fact, ran it past some work norms and they liked it

mh please please tell me what you think of this frag, I am dying to discuss it w/ someone else who knows what it smells like. What does it smell like to you note-wise? What does it evoke for you?

my dad sent me a bottle of this amazing expensive italian cologne santa maria novella and it is the best thing i have ever smelled in my life

http://i59.tinypic.com/ixyull.jpg

I will wait until I am hovering over the vial to document my experiences and will do so soonb

what other frags did you order?

well that is the only bottle, I also like green and uh wood? I forget

amazingreen? wonderwood?

or the Play Green?

Wonderwood
Amazingreen
Black
Odeur 53

btw I already have a bottle of Standard

I just ordered a bunch of tiny samples! I've worn the same fragrance for years and this thread got me thinking it's time to have a bit more fun with smells.

wonderwood is amazing. all-time classic.

Odeur 53: jfc what is this? this is very, VERY feminine. Does not feel particularly "avant-garde" or interesting or anything, it just smells like a not-unpleasant lady's perfume but not something I would ever choose to wear.

I think I am going to go wsh this off.

mh I NEED yr 2c abt this frag

wish I got a Wonderwood sample! maybe I'll go to the CdG store in Chelsea and spritz a little spritz while I'm in NY this weekend.

this whole fragrance adventure is making me think a lot though, like who are these for? Who are these ppl that use all of these weird words (nail polish! burnt rubber! desert sand! gasoline!) to describe this ultimately kind of regular-smelling perfume?? Maybe this is "avant-garde" to ppl who are immersed in this world but to someone who does not wear frags it smells v reg and not at all the "Oh huh, isn't THAT interesting!" that I thought I was going to get from this.

also learning that you can get a sense for a thing when you read about film, about music, about food, about art, about books, about virtually any type of thing that people would write about descriptively or evocatively, but basically everything you read about a fragrance will be complete bullshit and is way, WAY farther removed from experiencing the product for yrself than any of the above mediums. The concept I formed in my head of these smells from reading about them smells absolutely nothing like the smell itself smells to me; language seems completely ineffective in representing these things. Maybe that's what makes it cool. I mean, what other objects in the world are absolutely impossible to experience even vicariously w/o engaging w/ the object itself? You can look at a photograph of a sculpture, you can read a synopsis of a film and a breakdown of its cinematic techniques, but what of smells?

You should read The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr. It's really interesting and satisfying.

this might be something you would find interesting, arts festival that did a scent/audio/visual thing:
http://www.unsound.pl/news/unsound-launches-ephemera-a-perfume-series-connecting-scent-and-sound

last vestiges of my head cold were acting up last night, didn't think I would get a good read (sniff?) so you'll have to wait a bit

stevie, are you smelling these on their own or on you for each? they smell diff on people than on their own

on a somewhat unrelated note, it's interesting to me how closely I associate certain smells with memories

In certain contexts, Chanel No. 5 makes me really angry now due to past experience

nah I'm putting them on and then commuting to work and sitting in my cube and thinking abt how I smell rn

everyone who has a sense of smell closely associates smells with memory! it's a powerful trigger.

You should really read that book Stevie

The Emperor of Scent tells of the scientific maverick Luca Turin, a connoisseur and something of an aesthete who wrote a bestselling perfume guide and bandied about an outrageous new theory on the human sense of smell. Drawing on cutting-edge work in biology, chemistry, and physics, Turin used his obsession with perfume and his eerie gift for smell to turn the cloistered worlds of the smell business and science upside down, leading to a solution to the last great mystery of the senses: how the nose works.

xp yeah! frags seem way more of a subjective means-to-an-end than any other medium, less abt what they actually smell like and more abt how that smell makes you feel. v powerful stuff.

ugh god I just smell like I gave my grandma a big hug or like some jackass aggressively sprayed me with a perfume that is v much not mine; i don't want to wear Odeur 53 anymore.

I like that one but I can't imagine wearing it full time

just pretend you are John Waters right now

yeah I am trying that and it is just totally not working.

what does it evoke for you? what does it smell like to you?

again, I'll want to smell again with a clear head, but I got kind of a clean baby smell, crossed with a little bit of a musty-but-not-unpleasant vibe, with kind of a kicker of overripe fruit that you left in the garbage can

I really enjoy the review I found on some website
This smells like my cat
By Anonymous on 3/10/2007

oh whoops sorry I didn't read what you'd said earlier

This book is also awesome--who knew perfume reviews could be so amusing?

http://www.amazon.com/Perfumes-The-Guide-Luca-Turin/dp/0143115014

I have no real way to describe how my cat smells, but I would perhaps have a stuffed animal at work that I would spray with his fragrance if I could buy such a thing

philosykos

further reviews of Commes des garcons

wonderwood - this makes me think of a really high quality, very normal scent. high, sharp green notes w/a very subdued musk. maybe a bit of a juniper thing?

black - I had a lot more of an incense feel to this originally, but the second time it really reminds me most of a humidor that's had nice pipe tobacco in it. some muskiness and pepper notes. malin + goetz have a "tobacco"candle scent that has some similar notes

so wait these are all colognes by the same company (or designer?)? Just out of curiosity why are you, mh and Stevie D, sticking to this one brand?

I am not, it's just a recent interest!
I do not speak for Mr. D tho

my relatively inexpensive default is Kiehl's Musk

I am v perfume-dumb but I am such a massive fan of CdG's aesthetic and just playful things that make you go hmmm in general and the frags are so fascinating to read about that I guess I'm kinda jumping off w them.

the more I wear Margiela's (untitled) tho the more I think it's The One For Me

Some of the CdG frags are like almost antagonistic in their aggressive weirdness

I think they want to be!

Their collaborations are kind of cool, although the Pharrell Williams one was ehhh. Kind of wondering what their Monocle magazine ones smell like, except, lol Monocle

btw I was wearing some of the Black one over the weekend when I went to a new restaurant and had this whiskey cocktail that was served in a whiskey bottle filled with wood chip smoke and between that smokiness, the cologne, and some savory food I was pretty much in rich texture overload

I want to smell you guys!

None of the men in my life wear cologne (well, Jesse did but he can't smell anymore ;_;) and I'm so intrigued by the scents you two are describing.

I should buy some for Jesse and just put it on him when he's around me.

wearing currently:

Ivy perilla:
Top notes are Celery Seed, Maillette Lavender, Bergamot, Himalayan Cedarwood, Pine, Juniper Berry
Heart notes are Perilla, Lovage Root, Lavender Abs, Geranium
Base notes are Galbanum resinoid, oakmoss, Pine absolute, vetiver, patchouli

incredible

Do you still live in Chicago? Come here and let me smell you.

i'm surprised you can't now. i love this so much that i probably overapply but who cares.

CLOUDS I ilx-mailed you!

Today I'm wearing Comme des Garcons 2.

It's just a flowery perfume, quite pleasant and fresh, not at all cloying, but not terribly ~intriguing~ either. Still not really getting how any of these are niche/avant-garde

OH OH OH EXCEPT for the Series 1 Leaves: Tea which smells like a computer lab or like plastic!!! It's so strange and interesting! This is by and far the most intriguing one I have smelled so far. Not unpleasant but DEFINITELY nothing remotely like you would smell in a perfume.

All the other ones I have smelled smell like bad or weird perfume, whereas this just smells like not perfume at all.

you need to smell Standard

If you want stuff that's unlike perfume, definitely try those Demeter scents I mentioned upthread. There are about a hundred of them and they're all based on generic scents, like grass, bubblegum, laundromat etc. the "dirt" one is good as a scent.

wearing today:

Distant Heath
Top notes: Coriander Seed, Peach, Wild Chamomile, Bulgarian Lavender, Celery Seed
Heart notes: Armoise, Ylang Ylang, Frankincense, Jasmine Grandiflorum, Octanol-3 isolate
Base notes: Liatrix, Oakmoss, Ambergris, Cardamom Abs, Guaiacwood

brown note y/n

sorry

it's okay, i know yr'e jealous~

Are you smelling these things or are they what is in the marketing?

my friend who is an apprenticing scent maker put it together

i do smell the things i recognize

imagining the smell of those notes together IS making me quite envious tbh

ysi

my friend who is an apprenticing scent maker put it together

i do smell the things i recognize

― clouds, Wednesday, April 1, 2015 5:45 PM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

FYI clouds' friend who is an apprenticing scent maker is putting something together for me, too, and I am UNREASONABLY EXCITED ABOUT IT. It should be done May 20, he said. Can't wait can't wait! I will need to immediately find La Lechera so she can smell me.

Big thanks to you, clouds, for putting me in touch with him!

i wanna smell you!

i have switched from my winter to my summer scent and it's lifting my spirits a little

grateful that all 3 of you will be ready for me to smell by mem day weekend

omg yay carl! so happy i was able to connect you two! i love my scents so much and am getting another more spring/summery floral/woodsy fragrance soon :D

i wannna know more about this custom-scenter friend of yours

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2015/04/21/modern-life-smells-so-good-its-killing-the-cheap-perfume-industry/?hpid=z1

imo it's not that modern life smells good, it's that everything has a scent already

Big companies have helped deflate the scents industry by piling on with their own special smells.

After reading that Burr book LL mentioned upthread this seems incorrect -- there are two tiers to the perfume industry, the creation of "pure" scents and the people combining those ingredients as perfumers. While some perfumers work creating products to be spritzed on the body, that ignores all of the scents used in everything from dish soap to dryer sheets to air fresheners.

I wonder if the industry is actually booming, it's just that stuff spritzed on human beings is in flux.

Seems a fairly arbitrary distinction between cheap and expensive scents if things like Katy Perry's fragrance (£11 for 30ml of EDP) falls into the latter category. The decline in "drug store" scents could easily be because drug stores have started stocking celebrity fragrances.

The slow prevalence of chain stores like Victoria's Secret marketing scented lotions replacing entry-level perfumes with other scented products has to be part of it. Same with scented shower gel soaps.

Who needs a Le Jardin gift set when you've got Bath and Body Works?

I was trying hard not to type B&BW

was it the 90s when they came to power, or was that just for my locale?

Why did you not want to invoke B&BW? Are they like the Scientology of single note smells?

I don't think I really noticed them until the 00s? But I could be misremembering.

when they first opened up in my area every high school girl was slathered in their lotions, especially the fruit-scented ones

I'm getting kind of hungry for apricots just thinking about it

there's a link on their wikipedia page to an article titled "Bath & Body Works: 'The McDonald's of Toiletries'"

I was a fan of their Warm Vanilla Sugar smell, and I liked some lime coconut offering of theirs as well.

But I had McDonald's for breakfast.

i figured this is why a glade candle and cheap shampoo can smell similar -they both use the same cheap smell factory scents

In the mid-90s or so, my roommate took me to some mall store in the Delaware Valley area where you could mix your own fragrances. I remember there were glass containers of fragrance with glass swizzle sticks in them that you could pull out and smell.

Does anybody remember anything like that?

Body Shop!

Was it???? I'll be damned.

Yup I did it too and my scent was groooooss

Totally forgot about that!!

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/art-and-olfaction-awards-what-did-qaddafi-death-smell-like

why

add to list of "links I will never click"

No no it's actually really interesting!

It's about an art exhibit of smells.

The Art and Olfaction awards. The award winner that created a smell narrative of celebrity deaths is only a part of the article.

just got in another shipment of scents from my friend joseph

excited :D

Got CdG Amazingreen for xmas, reviews of it are so middling but I am telling you it smells so fucking incredible, a bit masculine but definitely not assertively so, very foresty and green with hints of like gunpowder and spice, it is like everything I have ever wanted in a fragrance. I might like it even more than Margiela's "untitled". Cannot recommend enough.

stop assaulting my disposable income!!

get a tester of it, all these ppl whine and moan abt how very BLUE it is and how very PEDESTRIAN and MASS-MARKET it is, and i agree that it's much more approachable and less challenging than many other CdG frags but it does NOT read pedestrian or mass-market to me, it seems v unique and interesting, and also i'm not really getting the blue, it seems so green to me

I mean I know you are v into CdG Black and also wearing black clothes and Amazingreen is much softer so idk

I am wearing a $3.50 Acqua di Gio knockoff. The scent is dead on but fades quickly.

nah, I had a tester it's nice

It pains me to say it, but I don't think I've ever heard a better Badn

was just looking for Stevie's recommendation and have to say amazingreen is really nice

It's great but its longevity is poor and it stays very close. I couldn't spent £80 on something that disappears after an hour. It is a really beautiful scent for 30 minutes though. One of my favourites but doesn't have staying power.

yaasssss

rn I am into a bunch of these things I got at some boutique perfumirie in Berlin:

https://www.frau-tonis-parfum.com/en/

I just bought four Demeter frags for super cheap! Dirt, Grass, Tomato, and Greenhoue (the first 3 were $25 ea and came in a set for $30 total, which was great bcz I was specifically looking to buy Dirt and Grass).

Have not tried them on yet but am super stoked

(also Greenhouse was a free gift for ordering the $30 set, idk what they are doing over there but I'm not complaining)

I'm realizing that I've gone from "dabbling in frags w/ a slight curiosity" to, like, being in possession of 20 diff frags now (most of them v small testers but still)

slippery slope

been wearing a mix i made of black poplar, douglas fir, rosewood, hinoki and orange lately

can we just take a minute to appreciate what a great name for a perfume 'Fracas' is

Better than http://oldschoolmemories.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tramp.jpg?

but not as good as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPKigfGYwKE

the demeter stuff is p cool, whether in the context of it being used in theatre, or as a cologne, or just for general amusement. dirt is really good as a cologne tho.

the earl grey one is nice. there are so many. there's one called funeral home that is good if you want to wear a strange scent as a joke.

in theatre??

i think my new frag is gon b 1 spritz each of dirt and grass

my boyf and i saw funeral home on the web page and were horrified

there's an immersive theatre company called punchdrunk and they use the scents a lot in their shows. like you walk into a room and it is a forest and smells of dirt. their only running show is in nyc at the moment, sleep no more - i think that uses some demeter stuff too, most of their shows do. i've noticed other companies copying this a bit.

people still do this?

rather than put an air freshener in my car I used a half dozen sprays of a nice neutral scent on a paper towel and threw it in the back seat