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!

 

[JazaChai]

Waterlily Sun is my most favorite - a sample of that is what prompted me to get the set initially. I also really like Iris Meadow and also Lilac Path, which is a surprise to me. Amber Musk is good, but it's less intense and long-wearing than the others.

The Rose one... I don't know. I said this somewhere else on this thread I think, but there's something in it that smells downright unpleasant for a good hour at first, until it dries down/fades a bit. After that it is smoky "incense and cognac" over the rose. I haven't decided whether the random icky note is too much for me to wear it or not.

[meganlisa]

Oddly enough, lilac is my achilles heel.  I'm going to check that one out for sure. It's underdone in fragrance, in my opinion, but also lends itself to cloying.  Thanks!  I have a new thing to start googling!!!

[JazaChai]

Lilac Path is not cloying at all! It is more of a clean floral than sweet. Surprisingly good.

[meganlisa]

Jaz...it's now on my short list!  Thanks!!

[pixiedust2]

I got a bottle of barely used Not a Perfume from Juliette Has a Gun for $50. Total score. I bought the sampler kit a few weeks ago, and that's the only one I really liked. 

I wore it to meet a friend recently and she noticed right away, said I wasn't wearing my usual scent. I asked her what it smelled like and she couldn't describe it, which is per usual, right? She couldn't pin it down but liked it a lot. I've been wearing it even while sick with a cold. It makes me feel like I smell pretty even though I look like hell. 

I want to start layering it once I get my sense of smell back. I'm not very good at the layering process, I usually make a bad recipe that I want to scrub off immediately. 

[meganlisa]

I like that scent a lot!  Good score.  I'd think it's an easier one than many to start mixing.  Report back?

[pixiedust2]

Will do Megan. Any suggestions for notes I might try mixing with it?

[meganlisa]

Hm...it's also what you have to mix...isn't it?

I'd try a floral, sultry, unisex or whatever mix you have and see how the note (not a perfume is a single note, right?) changes them.  Then, when you have a sense as to how the note changes different types of compositions you can get a little more adventurous.  That's how I would handle it...but I can sometimes play it safe so...

[pixiedust2]

I have an almost full bottle of EL Bronze Goddess that I just do not like. I think I'll start with that one. I bought it blind based on reviews, and it's nothing like I expected. 

[meganlisa]

Oh no....I have one that's still in plastic...why don't you like it?  Should I try to sell mine!!!?

[pixiedust2]

Megan, sorry for the late reply. Well it's not awful, just very boring to me. I'm a fan of tropical scents. I love coconut and a bit of gardenia of plumeria. This sounded like a vacation in a bottle per all the reviews, but on me, it's just a light floral. I don't smell anything beachy.  MMM Beach Walk is definitely better.

Sometimes these beach scents go wrong on me. Like BB Beach, ugh. Smells like bug spray on me. Really awful. Bronze Goddess doesn't do that, it's just so meh. 

[kethry70]

I never knew until a few years ago that people layered perfumes. I don't think I would dare try 😄

[pixiedust2]

I know kethry, I'm scared every time I try it. It's usually like an olfactory kick in the face 😄 But I must keep trying!

[aviscardi]

Though i did get 2 new fragrances in the spring, fall time seems to be time for newness. My recent gifts have been 2 hermes original and absolu and chancel chance eau vive.

with that, out go 5 fragrances! ysl parisienne is the only one i gave away since it was very low and the rest are in my sale pile to rehome- RL romance, nest white sandalwood, passiflora and gucci flora mandarin. 🙂

[amartiya]

Hermes makes some great fragrances!  I don't own any yet I've been more on a vintage kick lately.  

Enjoy!

[buggirl]

So I havent tried anything yet but i just received the juliette has a gun fragrance sampler.  It listed more floral notes than i usually like but also lots of spice and wood notes, which I tend to gravitate to, and i just love the name.  My local sephora doesnt carry it, so it was this or buy blind.  any recommendations on which to start with?

[meganlisa]

I like the Midnight Oud best...but I like oud...it's not a light scent...but I love it. The rose, oud, spices and tobacco are just so sultry and warm.  It makes me think of a romantic evening in a hot, exotic way.

[k617]

First time posting in this thread!

I'm not really a junkie by any means, even though I have a dozen bottles of perfumes and enough vials to last me an eternity.

After years of buying the more mainstream fragrances, I recently started exploring the lesser known (to people outside of this community, anyway) brands like Atelier, Juliette has a Gun, and most recently, Aerin.

I tried some Ikat Jasmine at the Canadian Rouge event, loved it, and had to go back for it the next day. I have my eyes now on Rose de Grasse, after reading reviews on Fragrantica and such... and wanted to know the thoughts of those who've tried this?? Is it really as amazing as they say?

I love roses, and really liked Juliette has a Gun's rose scents...Mad Madame was my fav, Miss Charming second (although it didn't last long enough on me), and Lady Vengeance third. Would you say Aerin Rose de Grasse is similar to these? And if so, how would you rank it among your favourite rose fragrances?

I'm not a fan of the super complex scents, because I don't know how to appreciate them. For example, I like a few Atelier scents, but many of them are a bit too...musky? Woody? for me...

[k617]

I went to HR and tried both the Jo Malone Red Roses and Aerin Rose de Grasse. I LOVED the JM as soon as I smelled it, so I put some on my wrist.

Waited around for 10 minutes for someone to help me at Estee Lauder because the Rose de Grasse was locked in a case, for some reason... finally...got help, sprayed on paper... nothing.

Sprayed on wrist....still nothing. I asked for a sample vial, but they didn't have any.

So I walked around HR for a few minutes, smelling each of my wrists like I'm checking myself for BO, and then walked straight back to JM to buy a 30mL spray of the Red Roses. It's the rose scent I'm looking for. To me, it's pure red roses. The Aerin is a soft, pretty rose scent, but unfortunately just didn't smell very strong to me. It's been an hour and I can barely smell it anymore whereas I'm still getting whiffs of the JM.

[amartiya]

It's possible that you couldn't smell it properly because of olfactory fatigue.  Sometimes especially when starting out if we smell to many fragrances or even just one strong fragrance it affects our ability to smell after.  Especially if you are smelling perfumes with similar or strong notes like the rose.

A few tips:  Smell away from the perfume counter.  That area is so filled with scent and it affects the way we perceive scent (ever smell something in store and at home it smells different?)

Don't smell the coffeebeans, you're just adding more scent and overloading your nose.  To reset I tend to put my nose in my elbow take a few deep inhales, its like cleansing your palette but for noses.

If you're just starting out pick only 3-4 scents to try.  If you're going to spray it on your skin make sure you've used unscented lotion (or the lotion you will normally wear with that perfume), it all affects how the perfume will react with your skin.  

I'd try the Aerin one again but make it the first one you try.  I will say that of the Aerin fragrances I have tried they come across more skin scents in my opinion.

Rose scent is addictive!!  Happy sniffing!

[k617]

Thanks for the tips 🙂 The olfactory fatigue makes sense...in the end, I chose the one that stood out more so I guess it still worked out in the end! I stood around waiting for the SA for SO LONG that I was bored and smelled a bunch of the Aerin perfumes.

I can definitely say that the Amber Musk was definitely not olfactory fatigue though. I just don't get anything oout of it at all, unfortunately 😞 It was maybe the 3rd scent I smelled today, and I had a good few minutes in between before I smelled it!