Perfume / Cologne

that's disappointing. there are a number of products (including fragrances!) that have some very weird social media virality that's definitely artificial

My boyfriend gets a perennial Christmas gift from mom: a section of samples of various colognes, he selects his favourite, and then can redeem an entire bottle. Problem: it’s all drugstore cologne, so he wafts a wristful of this Versace or that Gauthier and I cannot help but respond with unenthusiasm

So for his birthday? I recreated the gift, but using a selection of my own personal favorites, a few rungs up the ladder. The luxury store doesn’t typically give out samples of their Creeds or Frederic Malles but I convinced them. He was delighted!

His pick at the end of it all was a Jo Malone (the grapefruit) which was both positive (it’s not one of the more expensive choices) and a negative (I was hoping he’d pick the Bigarade Concentré because it’s my personal favourite)

I was travelling last month so I held off on getting the bottle until I was at the Jo flagship store in London, where I knew I could get a complementary engraving. Duty fulfilled.

I typically buy my cologne in the country of origin so to reduce import fees— my preference is Creed Virgin Island Water. I’d run out a couple years ago because I wasn’t travelling through pandemic. In Dublin, a friend took me to one of the most head-expanding perfume stores I’d ever seen— Parfumarija. The two staff members were super adventurous and knowledgeable and I smelled things I’d never smelled before.

I ended up being tipped off to the Marc-Antoine Barrois line, and fell in love with and purchased a bottle of Ganymede, which apparently won a bunch of awards when it was introduced five or so years ago.

Encelade by the same maker was also a new favourite— reminded me of the CDG Rhubarb scent but with massive adjustments and improvements. Cologne enthusiasts: seek out these Barrois creations, I’m an enormous fan

Virgin Island Water is the first fragrance I bought my now-husband. I thought it was nice but my now mother in law said he smelled like someone had poured a drink over him…

Anyway I haven’t heard of that place, mainly because I don’t spend much time in Dublin when I’m home but an interesting mix of brands. I wish I’d known you were into perfume cos I’d have recommended you visit Bloom and Les Scenteurs for niche/smaller stuff and also Liberty and Selfridges, the latter for the extremely passionate Fracas woman.

Ooooh I will visit both, next time, thank you for the tip.

My cologne story is interesting, maybe, I'll type it. For many years I found cologne (both practically and conceptually) to be obnoxious. Then, in 2005, I was backing up David Bowie in New York City, and David arrived in a car, and I was adjacent to the door of the car when he emerged. I am reasonably sure that he had just-applied a cologne upon emerging, because the smell was powerful, and also so spectacular that in that one moment, my outlook-regarding cologne entirely changed. I don't remember if I remarked to David about how wonderful the fragrance was, but I know that I didn't ask it to be identified.

For years I remembered the scent mentally but had no idea what it might've been. I started wearing Le Labo Bergamot, because that was popular amongst my gay friends in New York. I was shopping in Paris with my boyfriend a few years later and we were looking at colognes, and we came to the Creed desk. I smelled a number of them on the card stock, and when I smelled the Silver Mountain Water, I immediately said "that's it! that's the scent that David Bowie was wearing!" I googled it afterward, and discovered that Creed had designed it specifically for Grace Kelly, but that Bowie was also known to wear it. (Articles published later, including after Bowie's death, confirmed that this was the case). I bought a small bottle of the Silver Mountain Water, but soon realised that it was simply too ostentatious, too honeysuckle-forward for anybody who wasn't an A-list celebrity to really pull off. I still have that bottle, unfinished, on my shelf, some fifteen years later.

I did develop an interest in Creed colognes, as a result. Vetiver is lovely but somewhat too run-of-the-mill to justify the price. Millisme, despite apparently being one of Creed's bestsellers, smells like urine to my nose after 30 minutes on the skin. Virgin Island Water was The One for me, and it continues to be the scent I fall back on. Creed later introduced the Aventus scent, which I REALLY love, and is my go-to gift for people in my life who deserve expensive presents.

Virgin Island Water is one that I can imagine being fine with an imposter version of. Silver Mountain Water, which is the only Creed I love but do not yet own, no way.

Erolfa, though, has become my signature scent when it's warmer than 60 out.

Every time I put on Silver Mountain Water I find myself feeling bashful about it, like I should be in full drag or something, like there's nothing in my closet that could possibly match its ostentatiousness

xps that’s a great story! Have you ever read Perfumes: The Guide? I think you’d really like it and I don’t know if we’ve ever discussed it (our mutual friend felicity is also a big fan). The updated version covers a lot of niche stuff but the original is classic.

One of the reasons I love the writing so much is, besides it being pretty funny, they will tell you that fragrance is as personal as fingerprints. Groundbreaking I know but! The notion of a scent that suits everyone doesn’t work. I don’t always agree with their assessments but I think the book is really useful in helping you to find things you may like. And they are writing from a place of deep love and knowledge and that’s always pretty compelling. I strongly recommend it, it’s a great read. Here’s some of the reviews for a sample of what it’s like:

https://i.postimg.cc/VsZxCXcz/0079997-C-A3-D2-4775-9859-876-BC8-B53-EC4.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/zvQ4YYky/82-D2-FC92-0-A3-D-418-B-BF8-A-9-D2-B7-B8537-EA.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/yN7Q5Nzf/2-CA2-ACBD-E4-C5-4-FD1-883-C-79-C103-BB3168.jpg

I recently finished my Fracas I have had since 2009(?) and it was still perfect; I am getting another for my birthday. Really hope it hasn’t changed again.

Every time I put on Silver Mountain Water I find myself feeling bashful about it, like I should be in full drag or something, like there's nothing in my closet that could possibly match its ostentatiousness

Holy shit I'm buying it right now!

Well, two weeks ago I bought that book, and thousands of dollars and multiple tours of suburban strip-mall discounter perfumers (and a couple of debatable eBay purchases) later, I have a stupid number of fragrances on hand. I think I have about 30 bottles on the go right now. My favourite is Chanel Sycomore EdP.

Luca Turin's specific dogma is a mixed-blessing entrypoint into this world, I feel educated in all these amazing ways, I'm easily picking out passing odours at concerts and on the street, I feel genuinely elated to sit and work with the stink of something nice evaporating off my skin to reveal something even nicer. Mixed-blessing: aside from the bias-against-what-he-thinks-is-bullshit that his book instills in you (my nose is prejudicially unsympathetic when a scent guy urges me to try a Marly or a Xerjoff), Turin's entire historical mode does seem to be one of documenting a dying empire. Those classic Dior femmes? can't get them anymore, and their reformulations are bad. That once-inspired Amouage experiment? they lost the plot and even their classics are changed and/or discontinued. Gucci Rush? reformulated, now discontinued. Mitsouko? not what it used to be. All the joy of discovery I've felt in wearing Jicky for the first time has been tempered by reading about the extinction of sandalwood, the restriction of oakmoss and citrals, the triumph of commerce over art, and the desperate weirdness of people trying to buy (or trying to sell) fifteen-year old bottles of Dior Homme and all the identifying markers that will ensure you're getting the iris of Polgé Jr.'s original formulation.

It's interesting, too, online music communities are one thing, online gaming communities another, but I've encountered no weirder online community than the fragrance community. It's definitely fun.

no one is doing perfume reviews like her pic.twitter.com/BiJqoWi0XK

— brandi (@finalgirItrope) June 26, 2023

who the hell is that? i am aflame with envy. the effortless, unhinged economy, the subtle off-whjte coloring, the tasteful thickness of it.

i got cowboy grass for christmas. i looked for reviews online and none of the bigger reviewers reviewed it, so i assume it's not that big a deal? one review i found claimed it was redundant: it was an inferior copy of cdg 2 man or encre noire. i have both of those and i need all three of these things and none can replace the other. i have no idea if you should regard it or not but for me, it's my horse, wyoming plain, barn jacket scent. way off over the horizon there's an oil refinery on fire; maybe or not i can see the plume but i sure as heck can smell it. either ds or durga or both get the appeal of industrial smells. i haven't yet smelled cosmico but i can imagine.

lavender is in everything but always different somehow. i'm wearing caron pour un homme and it's the only one where lavender smells just like the essential oil or the lavender in castille soaps. a lot of things also have bergamot but only some of them remind me of earl grey tea? makes me question my basic proficiency at identifying rudimentary scent profiles. like in the cowboy grass that's def bergamot but in most other things i just get a vague citrusyness.

flamboyant goon tie included, who is you publisher and when is your book coming out?

p.s. i call my horse d'artagnan, although his government name is michael freeberg. we're both big michael york fans and did not take his passing well, and agree that the best bit of cinematic history was the "i'm basil exposition, from british intelligence" parts of austin powers. d'artagnan informs me that york is still with us, so i guess i rescind that comment. maybe i was thinking of someone else. probably connery.

xp El Cosmico is pretty miraculous imo; it just about nails the "I don't know why but I like the smell of gasoline" conceit

Anyone used this?

https://www.labourandwait.co.uk/collections/bathroom/products/4711-cologne

(Pondering as an Xmas gift but haven't had whiff).

commodity milk is my new crush

My mom wore 4711 when I was growing up! I liked it but haven’t smelled it for ages so I can’t really describe it. Fresh and citrusy without smelling like any particular fruit. Unisex for sure. I wear Cartier EDC and it is somewhat similar iirc.

I have 4711, I spritz it liberally first thing, as an accompaniment to my coffee making. Eau de Cologne is meant to be a brief ride, not a long-lasting perfume. It smells of lemon and neroli, and there is a synthetic chemical in it I can’t identify but I once described to my bf as smelling “like a concave surface, like you’re smelling the shape of a red blood cell or a clean bathroom sink.”

As Eau de Colognes go, this is the best choice for daily usage as intended, that is, it’s good value for money. If you want this smell as a long-lasting perfume (why would you? but if you do) then try Tom Ford Neroli Portofino, which was specifically designed as “4711 as an Eau de Parfum” iirc. If you want a nicer but more expensive Eau de Cologne, there are (pricey) alternatives that I’ve smelled but cannot bring myself to splurge on; I saw a 200 mL vintage beehive bottle of my favourite Guerlain EDC Imperiale last week in a random shop, but at 280 Euro I passed.

Also it’s worth mentioning that 4711 makes amazing upholstery spray. I have an atomizer of it in my living room and spritz the couch before guests arrive and always get compliments

my mom used to have 4711! the only perfume or cologne i remember her ever using

I like Imperiale, and the non-vintage 100ml version is not expensive. Guerlain pretty much does everything right ime.

Anybody have an opinion on the defunct Minotaure by Paloma Picasso? I love it and cherish my one bottle of it but you have to get the original version which has more staying power and it evolves.

Imperiale (and Eau de Guerlain, and “Coq”) are all so pricey for what that liquid is supposed to do! My fave of them all is Chanel’s Eau De Cologne, but it’s just impossible to imagine spending that much money on something I use like a freshener

I do agree that Guerlain is generally the best :)

i got my brother dior eau sauvage for christmas. i couldn't think of anything else. it's sort of a steve mcqueen wore it, who are you to disagree type of thing. it's eternal.

Is Eau Sauvage different from the one that has Johnny Depp’s cunt face polluting duty free everywhere?

hell yes

eau sauvage is a well-balanced citrus aromatic from 1967 or whatever and sauvage is a recent lets just go overboard on ambroxan cause it's the vibe nowdays type of thing. no offense if anyone digs it.

it's like a cake that's mostly frosting. frosting is the best part, but if you have to eat a whole slice of that cake, you're sick of frosting after the first few bites. do you want a fragrance that wears that many bracelets and scarves and still has a goatee and is hanging out in the desert for no reason other than it looks cool.

Yeah I think they had Zidane advertise Eau Sauvage. I’m intrigued by your description but I’m not interested in buying from Dior probably ever again, so will have to live vicariously.

I’m not interested in buying from Dior probably ever again

Respect, and same.

My first big goal with taking perfuming classes is to recreate a few Roudnitska classics according to original recipes, including (especially) Eau Sauvage

A team-building Q: what’s your favourite note, at this point? The question was asked on Reddit and I had to think carefully.

For top notes I vote galbanum without second thought, it’s unfortunate to me that such a fierce opener is seen as “too astringent” or whatever for modern tastes

For heart note, I feel like it is cheating but it’s “birch tar”, as smelled in Cuir De Russie and Anubis. Eugenols (broadly) would be #1 except you don’t smell clove oil in contemporary fragrance

For base note I need to research what exact musk ingredient that my nose adores, but it is the musk I smell in vintage Equipage

I wish I could differentiate between the three types of notes. I'm still very much an "I know what I like" sniffer

Literally nothing wrong with that

Nothing wrong at all *leans in closer* so what do you like?

Nothing to contribute except that this thread is wonderful and I’ve been reading with pleasure. Thanks to everyone and please feel appreciated.

so what do you like?

Looking through the notes in the fragrances I've especially enjoyed: citrus, yuzu, pink pepper, bergamot / white blossom, ylang ylang, oakmoss, sea salt / ambergris, white musk/'musk' (idk the difference?), cedar, vetiver. All pretty basic, I think. Not adept enough to refine any further.

For now, depending on weather/mood, I want things that smell like a pirate ship, or a stormy sea bashing against a pine-lined shore, or a breezy tropical or Mediterranean beach, or a jungle at night, or a campfire in a forest, or some combination of those. During deepest winter I thought about trying 'warmer' fragrances, but didn't find any I loved, though I also didn't try very hard.

this Aprés by Ellis Brooklyn has been my winter jam, just glorious mix of spicy wintery woodsiness: https://www.ellisbrooklyn.com/collections/fine-fragrance/products/apres-eau-de-parfum

Looking through the notes in the fragrances I've especially enjoyed: citrus, yuzu, pink pepper, bergamot / white blossom, ylang ylang, oakmoss, sea salt / ambergris, white musk/'musk' (idk the difference?), cedar, vetiver. All pretty basic, I think. Not adept enough to refine any further.

For now, depending on weather/mood, I want things that smell like a pirate ship, or a stormy sea bashing against a pine-lined shore, or a breezy tropical or Mediterranean beach, or a jungle at night, or a campfire in a forest, or some combination of those. During deepest winter I thought about trying 'warmer' fragrances, but didn't find any I loved, though I also didn't try very hard.

For pirate ship, it might be worth checking out Tonnerre by Beaufort, which has gunpowder, marine and brandy notes, inspired by the Battle of Trafalgar.

Cape Heartache by Imaginary Authors is one of the better pine-centred things I’ve come across (pine and wild strawberry, with a touch of smoke).

Zoologist have a bunch of jungle-themed scents, from approachable (Sloth) to very divisive (Bat). Debaser by DS&Durga has been my go-to tropical-ish one recently, though.

Picked up an impossibly cheap bottle of 31 Rue Cambon at a benefit shop along the way and love it on slightly overcast days like today.

Bat by Zoologist is disgusting, don’t even try it out of curiosity. It smells exactly like it sounds, and it hangs around forever.

yes, I agree it is disgusting, but I think it's worth experiencing.

I think I like scents that don't last that long, which is one of the reasons I like Diptyque. I don't want to wake up in bed the next morning wondering if there is a stranger next to me

I love Oriza L. Legrand's Rêve d'Ossian (and the corresponding soap) and am theoretically on board with all of their scents, but they are very very strong. Their Relique d'Amour is interesting but also smells like a dank crypt, and their Chypre Mousse is lovely at first, but I can't help but eventually feel I'm being smothered under a pile of wet leaves

their Vetiver Royal Bourbon is astonishingly strong. If you want a scent that will last you all day and into the next, they are the brand for you

I wanna love Zoologist bc they’re hometown but so far… zero winners have met my nose. I got a sample of the famous T Rex and I just hate it

I’m wearing Anubis all the time. Bf is getting into “contemporary scents” to match the tastes of his co-workers and brought home a sample of frankly lovely Ariana Grande thing? It’s ridiculous off the top (marshmallows?) but dries down as nicely as a Guerlain

Civet was kinda aiight. The one I really wanted to love, sloth, I really just didn’t.

A DS&D limited I caught and absolutely wish I’d bought a second bottle of is Rockaway Beach. Smells actually of beach in a very unsentimental way

I like a lot of Zoologist fragrances but Bee is the real standout. Smells exactly like Russian Orthodox churches filled with beeswax candles.

I've been meaning to try Cape Heartache and some of the Beauforts but forgot about them when I was in Bloom last week. I ended up with Albatros by Mendittorosa and Resonant by Oddity. Albatros seems to have a similar destination to IA Every Storm a Serenade (what I've been using most), but a different journey. Resonant is citrus and 'metallic notes' which is weird but I like it and I'm trying to use my paltry 1mL sample sparingly - might save it to try in warmer weather - because a full bottle is unjustifiably expensive for me.

I like the idea of Zoologist but the ones I've tried have mostly not been good

I need to catch up with the newer Mendittorosa ones. Le Mat is an all-time great.

A friend came over with her small but amazing collection— she has a preference for intense ambers, dirty rose, conifers and iris notes. Our interests are divergent but complimentary, I have a “I want to smell everything” attitude and she has a “I want to specifically smell like this particular thing and I’m going to invest in that, specifically” attitude.

The showstopper was unfortunately the breathtakingly expensive Areej “Siberian Musk”, I think in an attar concentration. I feel like I’d been betting against that company and their ridiculous price point and claims to the finest materials; I lost the bet.

The also-spectacular was Orto Parisi “Stercus”. I had no experience with that brand and this was something really amazing.

I’m off the new buys, and I’m taking a break from the homebrewing until I can find and purchase a better bergamot ingredient— the one I got isn’t working for me. Made some Chanel No.5 for my aunt-in-law and, honestly? better than store-bought, it turned out marvellous. I’ve been stumbling hard on all other assemblies :(