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!

 

[amanda0000]

Lately I’ve been obsessed with YSL Black Opium Neon Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Eau de Parfum Neon 2.5 oz/ 75 mL Eau de Parfum Spray   My usual go to has always been Versace Bright Crystal Absolu 

[Mochapj]

Looks like Costa Azzurra has been rebranded into the Signature fragrance line, from the Private Blend collection. I assume this means it's probably been reformulated in some way as they did when they moved Ombre Leather and Beau de Jour.

[LCResz]

New Jo Malone: Scarlet Poppy Intense. From JM’s site: From poppies in the golden fields of England to the wild steppes of Asia, home of the great scarlet poppy. This ravishing scent has been inspired by its extravagant blooms, and amplified by velvety iris. Barley and tonka bean add a double hit of sweet decadence while a burst of succulent fig draws us into this opulent and moreish fragrance. This sounds like Poppy & Barley turned up to 11, which is fine by me, Poppy & Barley is a great scent. I’ll have to layer it with Fig & Lotus Flower to see how those notes could potentially play together.

[pocketvenus]

@LCResz You definitely could be right as the nose is Mathilde Bijaoui who did Poppy & Barley and the other English Fields scents! She's also the nose behind three Etat Libres including the award winning Etat Libre d'Orange Like This 🙂

[LCResz]

@pocketvenus Detective Pocketvenus is on the case! I did a few experiments of layer Poppy & Barley with a few other JMs as test runs, and thankfully poppy plays nicely with lots of other scents! I caved and ordered Scarlet Poppy, I’ll let you know what it’s like when I get it!

[pocketvenus]

@LCResz Looking forward to hearing what you think!!

[LCResz]

@pocketvenus The verdict is in: Scarlet Poppy is gorgeous! It has a very sweet and fruity opening then slowly settles into its warm but still sweet comfort zone. The tonka bean base makes it a wonderful cold weather scent. I can’t stop taking a whiff of my arm! 

[blackkitty2014]

@LCResz I’m so glad you’re loving it. Now I’m intrigued 😘

[pocketvenus]

@LCResz So glad you're loving it ❤️ Thanks for sharing!

[Mochapj]

@pocketvenus oh dear... look at this next trademark that’s been filed 🤦🏽‍♀️

 

[pocketvenus]

@Mochapj Oh dear indeed!

In other news, I saw on a Chinese site that Tubereuse Nue will contain tuberose, lily, oud and benzoin. I don't believe I've ever smelled an oud and tuberose scent. Both tuberose and oud can be very creamy, but the house already has the milky, coconut-y soleil fragrances. Given the name and the notes, I'm guessing this will push tuberose in a fleshy, bare skin direction which sounds promising.

[pocketvenus]

Diptyque's LE collection celebrating its 60th anniversary. Set to launch on January 2, 2021 via the brand’s online store. Prices range from $40 USD to $70 USD, with a set of three 70g candles retailing for $120 USD, and a set of a photophore and 190g candle for $150 USD.

[Mochapj]

New from L’artisan, Passage d’enfer extreme

[pocketvenus]

Some LE editions coming out

Lunar New Year versions of Lazy Sunday Morning and Love Osmanthus which will be available at Sephora

A 15th Anniversary Flowerbomb release for $2500, 15 bottles only.

[blackkitty2014]

Oh my goodness. Both bottles are beautiful @pocketvenus 😍❤️🥰

[pocketvenus]

Looks like LV is coming out with another fruity floral, Étoile Filante.

The natural fruity accents of apricot and cassis that osmanthus possesses give this fragrance a unique delicacy that evokes the soft skin of a peach. A dose of jasmine from Grasse, obtained through CO2 extraction, and magnolia from China emphasize the floral character of the composition, while the velvety aspect is enhanced by light notes of sun-drenched strawberries.

Top notes: strawberry
Heart: osmanthus, magnolia, jasmine
Base: white musk

[blackkitty2014]

This sounds right down my alley. Do we know about price range @pocketvenus?

[pocketvenus]

@blackkitty2014 I'm guessing it will be priced like the rest of the line, $310 Canadian for 100ml

[pocketvenus]

From Hypebae and FT

LV has now announced a bespoke perfume service for the luxury-obsessed. The house’s fragrances – made to order at a new atelier in Grasse, France – arrive in a handcrafted monogram trunk case.

Each fragrance is crafted based on the user’s taste, memories, lifestyle and typical perfume habits. After consultation, Jacques Cavallier Belletrud composes one-of-a-kind scents using some of the most exclusive raw materials at the house’s Les Fontaines Parfumées in Grasse. During the months of development, an accompanying trunk is simultaneously made at LV’s workshop in Asnières. Each case can hold four 100mL bottles, three 200mL bottles, a 100mL travel case, a travel spray and 16 refills.

The customized perfume service begins at  €60,000.

The service launches in January, and because of travel restrictions it’s likely many consultations will take place over Zoom, with the client going to their nearest Vuitton store to smell different ingredients as they talk to Cavallier Belletrud. It takes around a year to receive the finished result. “What kind of cooking do you like? What is the best memory of your childhood? Why do you wear perfume? What perfume do you hate?” I’m trying to answer these questions as Cavallier Belletrud demonstrates his process and it turns out to be quite soul-searching.

Honestly, the process sounded to me like a data gathering exercise to build some kind of marketing profile for their highest net worth customers and indeed, the FT article goes on,

Presumably this intimate service will also give Vuitton invaluable insights into its highest-spending clients. “That’s what I consider market research,” says Burke. He believes that there is “a real need” for personal relationships between house and clients. “We have very few people who buy only one trunk,” he says. “Some people buy one every birthday, others buy a whole new set when they get divorced. Made-to-order has the highest growth rate of anything we do.”

Also interesting facts in the FT article are that the LV perfume line is performing better than expected and Asian customers make up 30% of LV's fragrance base.

Honestly, I have smelled some LVs and while they are mostly nice and polished, with a couple stand outs like their mushroomy tuberose, the rest are quite safe and boring.

[tjffc]

@pocketvenus Wow!  I love their bags but .......very pricey.  

[Samtian]

@pocketvenus ...so that starts at $72,000 ish dollars?