The Perfume Challenge

[txcatx]

Do you have a box full of perfume vials and/or a vanity covered in perfume bottles? Are you the Goldilocks of perfume, just looking for the perfect signature scent? Do you want an opportunity to post daily about how your perfume of the day smells oaky and smoky with hints of blackberry and currant, like a cigar in a whisky barrel rolling through a Mediterranean orchard on a breezy summer morning?

If you answered yes to any of the above, or you just want to hop on board for the ride, join us for a 31 days of perfume challenge starting January 1st! Some of us from the 25 days of lipstick challenge wanted to continue the fun and exploration, and since many of us have so many perfume samples, we thought this challenge would be perfect. If you don't have 31 perfumes or hate everything that doesn't smell like Meyer lemons and fresh goat cream, that's fine--we're just aiming to use the neglected perfumes we have laying around and incorporate them into our perfume rotations.

And if you want more perfume vials, there's no better time than now to take a peek at Sephora's samples section.

Edit: Anyone can join in at anytime! We're here to support, live vicariously through, and encourage everyone in their olfactory adventures!

[pocketvenus]

O'driù's Satyricon has brought me back to another cacao based scent! This unusual fragrance opens up with equal parts cacao powder and wood shavings with warm spice. As the fragrance develops, a jammy accord rises, adding a touch of gentle, fruity sweetness. The notes then seem to meld into each other more into something darker until the scent is almost smoky. Despite all the food notes, the wood keeps the scent from veering into gourmand territory and maintains a surprising edge in the dry down. Warm and very unusual.

[pocketvenus]

Fueguia's Zonda is described as a “tobacco wood.” It's an easy-to-wear spicy woods which is not to say this fragrance is simple. Like Sudestada, I like the complexity of the tobacco although here it's sweeter and heavier. A citrusy spicy heat gives Zonda more heft. The fragrance maintains a delicate, transparent quality that I found with Sudestrata.

I also want to note that while Zonda and Sudestada do not change much during their dry down, they retain their complexity, unlike so many fragrances that have a marvelous burst at the beginning, only to become mundane or fall flat in the following hours. So far, so good!

[fieldsofclover]

Yesterday was AC Café Tuberosa, which I was expecting to be wowed by (I *love* tuberose) but was just not feeling their blend of it. It had great staying power - was still getting a whiff of it on my sweater after 8-9 hours - but while I think it's "stackable" I'm glad I got it as a sample size rather than ordering a mini.

[pocketvenus]

@fieldsofclover

I enjoyed smelling it on its own - I like how creamy the tuberose was and how it's like, stirred into the coffee - but more as a creative novelty...

[pocketvenus]

Today I'm trying Fueguia's Sudestata, which is classified by the house as a “woody tobacco.” It really does smell like tobacco - complex with a touch of bitterness - not one-dimensional and sickly sweet like so many tobacco notes I come across in other perfumes. The perfume manages to impart depth while remaining diaphanous and airy. In addition, it really projects! I made one spray to the back of my hand, so generally far from my nose, and could smell it quite distinctly for hours. I was not expecting something this strong or long lasting - especially with a scent that seems so ethereal. I don't think I'd wear this regularly but this is the first skin test I've done for this house and it's a promising and intriguing beginning 🙂

[fieldsofclover]

I'm on the hunt for a new signature scent so this challenge seems like a good opportunity to do a tour of my sample collection. Today is Atelier Cologne Santal Carmin, which I am finding surprisingly easy to wear. I think I need a lot of complexity to keep me invested in a fragrance over the long term, and there is definitely a lot happening here.

[fieldsofclover]

(Yesterday was AC Clementine California; Tuesday was Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia.)

[blackkitty2014]

Both are good scents.  I'm debating whether i should get the full size of Clementine California.  I try real good to be thrifty this year so i think i will redeem the 100pt whenever it is available.

[lyravega]

Love Clementine California! After very first sniff of my very first sample of it... I had to get me the largest bottle of it right away! It smells just like my childhood, summers at the sea side, when everything was perfect... Le sigh... This one is very special to me. 

[fieldsofclover]

@lyravega I confess I have three of the 100-pt minis now, and the 25DELIGHTS dabber... it's not my Goldilocks signature scent, but I'm still bewitched by it for some reason (like Clean Sueded Oud).

[pocketvenus]

@blackkitty2014 

It looks like Clémentine California is available now as a 100 point reward 🙂 At least, on the Canadian site, it is.

[blackkitty2014]

I wear Creed Aventus for Her couple days since the new year.  🙂 It is super strong so the tiny vial lasts me a while.  I love it though.  It is full blown citrus on me.  😉  Are we starting 2018 challenge?  I really need to clear out all my samples (2018 goals) 😉

[pocketvenus]

@blackkitty2014 

The challenge has begun, but anyone is free to join in anytime 🙂

[pocketvenus]

Tried Tom Ford's Vanille Fatal today. I have to admit upfront, I am not a vanilla fan so my thoughts will be biased... it started off quite lovely. It was spicy with a hint of coffee, but I would not describe it as a gourmand. I would classify it as a spicy oriental. However, once the opening faded, the fragrance went full-on gourmand. It was like hitting a wall of caramel. Not pleasant. The intensity of this has faded over the course of three hours into a gooey, sweet vanilla with spices just barely tempered at times by a drier tobacco. It's not a sharp refined sugar sweetness, but it is way, way too dense for me, too much like a dessert - a fancy expensive confection... I guess the name is apt, as is the timing. This is definitely an evening scent for cold weather.

Also, as a side note, the order of the posts in this thread have become mixed up for me! Is anyone experiencing the same thing? New posts seem to be scattered throughout... At least it is showing up on the conversations page though 🙂

Edit: if you are having trouble like me in finding the earlier 2018 Challenge posts, they are bizarrely in the middle of this thread (assuming you have posts sorted newest to oldest): https://community.sephora.com/t5/Perfume-Posse/The-Perfume-Challenge/td-p/2633976/page/65

[lyravega]

@pocketvenus  Totally mixed up for me, too! 

[pocketvenus]

@lyravega 

Thanks - it's good to know it isn't just me! It seems to be working again though?... Hopefully it's just those few errant posts.......

[KatieBT]

Testing to see if this shows up in the feed!

[pocketvenus]

Today I'm wearing Nasomatto's Pardon: upon opening it's a soft and fluffy oud with a touch of cocoa powder. The scent subtly shifts from sweet to spicy and settles down into a sweeter, denser and creamier confection. It's going strong four hours after application but has become too sweet for my taste.

Also, as an update, I had no luck with Le Labo's Jasmin...

[pocketvenus]

Wow, it's 9 hours after I applied the Nasomatto and I can still smell it 😮 Soft and sweet with a dusting of chocolate.

[txcatx]

@pocketvenus Oh, this fragrance sounds so lovely, and impressive staying power! 

I need to see if I still have perfume samples around...I got rid of a lot of samples before moving last year. 

[pocketvenus]

@txcatx 

I took a shower after I posted and I could still smell it 😄