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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!

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@WinglessOne Love hearing your thoughts and like you, I did not find this to be smoky.

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@pocketvenus Wow, the advertisement alone makes me want to try this. Looks mysterious, yet unique. Based on your description, this sounds like something I definitely could enjoy. 

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@pocketvenus Scarab sounds like I would like it very much. I will have to find where I can get a sample. I've been waiting for 19-69 to get their sampler in stock so went to their website and didn't see US dollars etc anywhere so I guess I'll be waiting on Sephora.

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@Margalee same! I'm smelled a few and was not blown away but the bottles are truly gorgeous. I also wish they'd bring Heretic to Canada as I think I tried them under sub-optimal conditions, mostly during a very hot and humid day, and want to give them another chance. The only one I really liked is Dirty Ginger, which I tried in a normal, temperature controlled room and I love it. I don't think they stock that one though.

Re: The Perfume Challenge

I'm glad you liked this, @pocketvenus ! 💖💖💖

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@Titian06 Same 🙂 I really enjoy Sloth too!

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Scene-Sloth_800x

 

Testing Zoologist's Sloth. I liked the idea of a sleepy lavender-chamomile scent but given that it's a Zoologist, I wasn't sure what to expect. It's definitely unique. Rich, aromatic, spicy but gentle. It suggests bruised green foliage with sun-warmed hay contrasting with a cool thread of medicinal aromatics. There's a touch of sweet berries and texture from warm spices like cumin but nothing about this is aggressive or fleshy. This is all shaded in with loamy earth and moist vegetation.

 

I really enjoy smelling Sloth but I'm not sure I want to smell like it, if that makes sense. There's definitely a warmth to it that makes it very much a perfume to be worn on the skin so it's not one of those perfumes that would work better as a room spray or a candle. It's kind of a solo wear, something you wear to please your own senses, not something to wear to match an outfit or go out.

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Tried more scents from Grange. Overall, they are casual wears with pleasant openings and gentle dry downs. They do not last very long or project very far. Nothing to write home about but decent. They kind of remind me of loungewear. Not at all fancy or tailored, a bit fuzzy and cozy, appropriate for a lazy day indoors.

 

Also, I'm going to take back a couple impressions I had earlier. First, I don't smell super doses of naturals - just the orange blossom one seemed pretty indolic and complex. Second, I don't find them like the Jo Malones afterall even though both houses make fragrances designed to be layered. The JMs have more structure and they do not have that super cozy vibe for me.

 

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Valse Bleu

Pleasantly surprized by this one as I was expecting it to be sharper due to the reference to ozone and I thought it would be more like a generic citrus freshie. Opens with a bristling lemon with just the right amount of spice and lavender. Refreshing yet soft.

 

Ecorce Vert

Pleasing herbaceous opening that's sweet rather than fresh. The green apple and green tea are very abstract. The suggestion of tartness, the lightness of tea. The dry down is a little unfortunate though, it's reminiscent of citrus household cleanser on my skin.

 

Sous L'abricotier

Opens with an apricot that's tart and chewy with a gentle sweetness that develops into a pleasant, generic dry down.

 

Reve a Paris

I thought this would be your typical feminine, girly rose. The dry down has too much cream and vanilla for that, it's almost gourmand like. More oomph than the others, not just because of the stronger concentration but the creaminess. I'm having trouble trying to imagine who this would suit as it's not loud enough for a teenager or young adult, not sophisticated or sexy enough for someone older. It's very domestic to me, an indoor scent.

 

Sfumato

Opens more like mandarin to me than smoke with a sweet dry down. Like the others, it's all soft around the edges, an easy wear. I don't get really get oud or agarwood. Maybe some of that sort of medicinal vibe but it's too tame for me to consider it oud-like. Compared to most smoky niche fragrances out there, this is more of a wispy suggestion of smoke.

 

Anyway, happy to discover this Quebecois house! They're not to my personal taste but it's very cool to try independent perfumers in Canada.

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@pocketvenus, the notes on these sound nice. Too bad they don’t last very long. I love that it’s a local / local-ish house for you. That’s cool. Snacks, coffee, teas, fragrances - I love discovering the local ones when I visit places … and even in my own backyard. 😊 

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@pocketvenus Love these reviews ❤️ I think Reve a Paris sounds like the most "up my alley" out of these scents. I love a girly rose so much, it's actually quite embarrassing. 😂 Matter of fact, put "rose" anywhere in the notes and I want to try it. 🤣

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@QueenMarceline Not embarrassing at all! Reve to me is maybe an introverted, quiet, eating dessert by myself in a cottage kind of girly, if that makes sense?

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@pocketvenus Hahha, that kind of sounds like me 🙂

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@QueenMarceline ❤️

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Today I broke out a sample I’ve had for several months of KILIAN Paris Good Girl Gone Bad Travel Essentials 😍 I’d forgotten I had this one, but Kilian Hennessy had a pretty impromptu livestream today, which I attended. He talked a lot about his newest creation, Kologne, but I haven’t put my hands on that yet, so I decided to put on Good Girl. It is sooo much nicer and softer than I remember! The osmanthus is the note that stays with me the longest, hours after the white flowers have faded away, and it’s a yummy, gourmandy peach-tinged osmanthus, much to my delight! I think I must’ve had Omicron last winter and didn’t know it (several family members had it) as everything smelled too bad or too good for a couple of months there, and I received this sample right in the middle of it! I’m going to have to purchase a bottle of this, as it’s quite delicious!! Also, I’m probably going to kick myself (because there are limited spots each month) but I belong to a perfume club that Emma Vernon of PerfumeRoomPod (her podcast on Spotify, iTunes, etc) curates. It’s wonderful, and I’ve discovered so many new fragrances since listening to her podcasts!! She interviews master perfumers to niche fragrances creators, and it is utterly fascinating 🧐 

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@clemsongirl Glad you recovered your sense of smell 🙂

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@clemsongirl - Welcome!  So excited to hear your thoughts on whatever you care to share! 😍  The podcast sounds really interesting.  Enjoy! 💖💖💖

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Trying a couple new ones today from La Grange du Parfumeur, a perfume house based in Quebec. I couldn't find much information about them online in English, they seem to mostly operate in the Francophone world.

 

Tested a couple EDTs today, L'Authentique and Mumuration

 

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L'Authentique is an orange blossom scent, darkened by a spicy petitgrain. The opening is juicy, not from the citruses, but from orange blossom itself, which has an indolic quality so a touch of plastic that suggests, strangely enough, natural ingredients. The notes pyramid says there's agarwood in there, but I didn't really detect this.

 

Mumuration is a honeydew and white floral scent. This combination sounds weird but it works, the sweetness of the melon with a touch of greenness pair well with the white florals. Easy going and unique, particular if you enjoy honeydew.

 

Overall, these scents are nice but I felt they were lacking a little depth or complexity. Then I read the site and I see these are designed to be layered. Scent layering is not really my thing. They are more lush and juicy so far than the Jo Malones but they remind me a little of that house. One note really dominates in each scent.

 

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@pocketvenus - Both of these sound pretty good to me, especially Mumuration.  There was a honeydew scented shampoo in the '70s (I don't remember the brand) that I loved for the honeydew scent.  Of course it did nothing for my hair, but it smelled great (to me)! 🤣

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@Titian06 Honeydew is a very distinctive and pleasant scent 🙂 I can definitely see myself using a meh shampoo if it smelled fantastic!!

Re: The Perfume Challenge

I’m VERY interested in L’Authentique! Where does one get their hands on this in the US? Orange blossom and ALL the citruses are my favorite notes in perfumes, and I don’t mind a simple soliflore if it’s done well (Obvious Parfums “Une Fleur d’Oranger is a new favorite of mine!)

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@clemsongirl I think your best bet would be to visit the website of La Grange de Parfumeur. Upon consideration though, I don't find these like the Jo Malones which feel like completed perfumes despite their simplicity. Of the two Granges, I've tried, they smell like there are more natural ingredients, but are also less "formed," if that makes sense.

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