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The Perfume Challenge

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!

The Perfume Challenge

Do I have 31 perfumes... 😂😄😆

Re: The Perfume Challenge

I bought the 7 Virtues box set and have tried them all 🙂 I think they're better blended than alone. Listed in order from best to worst imo.


Vetiver Elemi
The most creative of the line. Crisp vetiver warmed up with spicy cumin. Unisex and easy to wear.

 

Orange Blossom

Pretty pleasant, like orange blossom water which I use often in my beauty routine.

 

Grapefruit Lime
Bittersweet grapefruit peel paired with the depth of petitgrain. Hesperidic, sweet, light and a little soapy.

 

Patchouli Citrus
More of a rosy floral than citrus or patchouli. The rose geranium is sweet, fresh and light. The patchouli kicks in at around the 20-30 minute mark, darkening the fragrance a touch, but it doesn't add much depth.

Rose Amber
A sweet, straightforward candied rose that is softened with vanilla until its powdery amber dry down.

 

Jasmine Neroli
Opens up with a thin, candied neroli. Jasmine peaks out into the forefront but recedes quickly. No structure, just flattens into an amorphous cloud of synthetic smelling fluff that becomes unpleasantly dense. Not remotely sensual.


Vanilla Woods
This is literally vanilla planifolia in water and organic sugar cane alcohol denat. It smells a little like burnt popcorn to me but eventually softens up. This and the jasmine one are the weakest ones of the house in my view. You might use them for layering.

 

Honestly, they really aren't my cup of tea - except for the vetiver, they are very simple and generically pretty. Decent projection and longevity. I like how the company has a social mission. I also have a friend sensitive to perfume and can wear these with them.

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Thanks, @pocketvenus!  This is a line I've had on my list to try for a while now.  I'm still going to try vetiver.  I think I'll still try the rest, just further down the list.

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@Titian06you're welcome! I tend not to be into minimalist scents so that's my bias 🙂

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Today I'm wearing Dior Sauvage Eau de Parfum.

Bergamot, amber, vanilla.

This smells very nice and is not overpowering.  I don't know how long it lasted because once I got going on my errands, I forget to pay attention to my perfume.

FYI, the Eau de Toilette is not the same; it has different notes. 

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Trying Serge Luten's Participe Passe today. I was looking forward to it as many reviewers wrote that it's one of SL's best in awhile.

 

PP is a sweet, smoky and bristling oriental that dries down to a leather. It's also a total immortelle beast on my skin. Immortelle is a flower that kind of smells like burning sugar. At first this burning scent matches well with an equally powerful citrus, and you get some nice boozy, resinous notes, but slowly, inexorably, the immortelle TAKES OVER!! This might be great if you enjoy the note, otherwise, it's too overpowering for me. PP eventually dries down into a warm leather but the smoldering immortelle never really goes away. Not my cup of tea.

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Wearing Serge Luten's Muscs Koublaï Khän. Wow, this is really difficult to pull off, even harder than stinkers like Papillon's Salome which offsets its musk with giant floral notes, or MFK's Absolue Pour Le Soir which is more about a dense embalming honey vibe dusted with spice.

 

MKK on the other hand, is just the full force of musk. A dirty, dirty musk right up in your face. The civet and castoreum in the opening are very aggressive. They provide an edginess that helps keep the fragrance balanced so I get why they're there but OMG. The dry down gets tamer and becomes more powdery but still, not a fragrance to be trifled with!!! 😮

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@pocketvenus - Wow!  Thank you for your bravery!   This is definitely one I won't be trying!

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@Titian06, glad my experience was helpful 😛 I'd read a lot about MKK which is infamous for being dirty, but my favourite reviewers said it was great, mild even, so I was not expecting this!

The Perfume Challenge

i received a sample of a perfume called Clearwater a few years ago.Does Sephora have it?

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@Carmenattydid you mean Davidoff's Cool Water? I'm not sure US Sephora carries it but ULTA does.

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Yes @pocketvenus that's the one!☺thanks.Merry Christmas🎅

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@CarmenattyYou're welcome! 🙂

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Clearwater is a Mary Kay fragrance isnt it @Carmenatty, so Sephora does not have it. 

Re: The Perfume Challenge

I'm not sure.is it?@GG84?

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Yesterday I wore Tom Ford Ombre Leather.  I could not smell it except for a fleeting second when I put it on, but just barely.  I decided to try again today, spritzing it on a little heavier.  I still couldn't smell much, so I though, "I wonder what would happen if I put Commodity Leather on top of that?"  At first, I could distnguish between the two.  The TF seemed warmer and richer while the Commodity was lighter and fresher(?).  After that, I could smell the Commodity for a couple of hours.

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@Titian06wow, glad you found a way to make OL last longer!

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Tried my last Jazmin Sarai today, Led IV. It's opens up with an interesting tart and sour grapefruit and then it becomes spicy/woody/leathery in a way that's vaguely reminiscent of Bel Ami by Hermes. I quite like it, but again, like Otis and Me, it doesn't last very long! I wish these two had the staying power of Neon Graffiti!

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Tried Otis and Me by Jazmin Sarai. It opens with a multifaceted fragrant green cardamom with a gritty hint of coffee grinds. There’s a 3D effect here with the cardamom note. It’s better than “photorealistic” – it’s more like an enhanced version of reality. It’s really wonderful, like an homage cardamom. As the scent dries down, there is a beautiful hint of smokiness that gets stronger. But the intensity of the cardamom keeps the scent from playing into any smoky jazz café clichés. It’s quite attractive in its simplicity.

 

Unfortunately, the scent fades far too quickly. It dries down to a skin scent within two hours. I was surprized as Neon Graffiti, of the same house, lasted much longer for me.

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Today I'm wearing Jazmin Sarai's Neon Graffiti. It is not my style but it's really lovely. It's a vibrant and sensual jasmine fragrance brightened with cheerful and juicy citrus notes and cedarwood. Really great projection.

 

The thing about small niche houses like 4160 Tuesdays, DS & Durga, or Kerosene is that they can sometimes smell a little rough and unpolished. Which I don't mind! That can be fun or interesting 🙂 But this smells more professional, more careful. And it's priced very affordably at US$95/50ml.

 

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Re: The Perfume Challenge

@pocketvenus - This one sounds nice!

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