Fragrance Junkie Central

[Mochapj]

I know there are a few of us on BT that are fragrance addicts, so I thought it would be nice to have a dedicated place where we can share our thoughts.

This is not to take away from the lovely What Are You Wearing Today, Fragrance Edition thread, but more a place to post longer reviews, chat about new brands or releases, and just shoot the breeze on anything good and smelly 🙂

For me, I recently acquired 2 new decants that I've been anxiously awaiting.  Ever since Lachaton mentioned that MMM was releasing a new scent called By The Fireplace I've been itching to get my hands on it.  My decant arrived yesterday, so I'm looking forward to marinating in it this weekend.  Secondly, I recently picked up a tiny sample of Shiseido Nombre Noir.  Supposedly it is one of the most expensive failures in perfume history - made by Serge Lutens for Shiseido back in the 80s.  Of course, with a backstory like that, I was dying to get a sniff 😄

What's new on your scent radar?  Do tell!

 

[Libellules]

I was wondering about this myself!

[Mochapj]

So today I unearthed my tiny decant of Shiseido Nombre Noir to sample.

And it's been perplexing me all afternoon as I try to figure out what to say about it.  

For reference, this is the plethora of listed notes for this scent...

Top notes: aldehydes, bergamot, marjoram, coriander and rosewood.

Heart: osmanthus, Damascus rose, geranium, jasmine, ylang-ylang, orris root, carnation and lily of the valley.

Base: amber, musk, honey, sandalwood, vetiver, benzoin and tonka bean.

My first thoughts are that for something that has this many listed notes (assuming there are likely more that aren't listed) it is amazingly well blended.  

On me it leans pretty heavily floral (rose in particular) but every now and then I will get a whiff of the spice of coriander or the sweet nuttiness of tonka beans.  I definitely get carnation stem pepperiness, but it meshes so well with everything else that it isn't sharp or overbearing.  It contains a host of notes I can't stand (carnation, musk, vetiver, benzoin, bergamot) and yet it is so wearable.  At the beginning, it has a milky/powder scent, but that fades within about a half hour.

It's not terribly long lasting, nor does it have a large projection.  In this regard it is the type of scent I like to wear.  I much prefer scents that only I can smell, and I never like to be the woman you can detect a few steps before they arrive.  :S  After about two hours I can still smell it, but it's literally a whisper on my skin.

After our first meeting, I'm glad I got to experience it, but it's no love at first sniff.  I don't think (luckily) it will be my perfume unicorn.  Which is good, since I was googling to see if bottles could still be found, and there's one on Ebay for $6,000 😮

[jemly]

the notes all sound like my favorite things -- except lily of the valley which makes me nervous.

i don't understand the aldehydes either. pardon my ignorance. isn't aldehyde an alcohol compound ?? something ? i admit complete ignorance here.

where do you think the powderiness comes from ?

[Mochapj]

Aldehydes commonly give the soapy/waxy/floral notes we pick up in perfumes.  

The powderiness could be coming from the aldehydes, or the lily of the valley.  I find I often pick up LOTV as a powdery note.

[jemly]

xoxoxo

i find lotv quite powdery too, though i was never sure if it was the actual lotv or what it is traditionally paired with. 

yay this thread is going to be like FRAGRANCE JUNKIE UNIVERSITY

[Mochapj]

I have on the Nombre Noir. o_O

[Gwenhwyfar]

Do you like it?

[Mochapj]

I don't know... 😄

It has soooooo many things going on I feel like I can't get a read on it.  

I'll update once I've had it on for a few hours.

[Libellules]

I'm on pins and needles!

[Mochapj]

Apparently I need a nap.

I read that as pine needles :S

[Libellules]

Which would work if I was wearing FeA 😛

[Mochapj]

I can't tell you all how bummed I've been these past few weeks not being able to try all the perfumes I am waiting to try. 

I was waiting for my cold to pass and the congestion in my sinuses to clear, and I think I'm finally there, so tomorrow is PERFUME DAY!!!

[amartiya]

I feel for you, as much as I love makeup perfume is my first love and being sick sucks!!!!  Happy sniffing!!

[jemly]

yay ! eager to hear about your discoveries. 

[Mochapj]

Tomorrow has Nombre Noir written all.over.it. 😄

[jemly]

yesssss. can you feel my envy through the screen ??! 🙂

[Tiiiiiffany]

Hey ladies! Figure I'd come here and ask the experts because I barely know anything about fragrance 😉 I wore Viva La Juicy for the longest time, then switched to Viva La Juicy Noir.. Now, I am absolutely in love with Alien by Thierry Mugler, I ADORE this scent, cant get enough! My only problem with it is that it can get pretty pricey if I wear it to work every day.. Any suggestions as to what may smell similar at a lower price point? Or anything else similar that you would know of?

Thank you!

[meganlisa]

Mugler's site does lots of promos.  I can't recommend a similar scent...pretty distinctive.  But if you sign up for notifications on the site you'll get invited to numerous insider sales.

[Tiiiiiffany]

Thank you! Here's me hoping they ship to Canada

[jemly]

i only just now got my nose on YSL black opium and i'm surprised how much it smells of flowerbomb ?? anyone else find that ?

[sweetxteeth]

black opium, to me, smells like flowerbomb layered over diesel's loverdose..but i prefer black opium to loverdose (which i love) and flowerbomb (which is "meh" on me). i'm w/ meganlisa -- i love coffee notes!