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!

[Samtian]

The second of the Lilac sample pack-

From Luckyscent-

Lilac

Eau de Toilette by Caswell-Massey

The Scoop

In a creative collaboration with the master gardeners at the New York Botanical Garden and renowned perfumer Laurent Le Guernec, Caswell-Massey has been able to capture the authentic scent of the living lilac that blooms in the Garden’s Lilac Hill. The flowering period is brief yet magical, and the plant only flourishes in colder regions. Now, no matter what the season, visitors can enjoy the natural scent of this much-loved bloom.

What We Think

Lilac is a delicate, fresh feminine floral that perfectly replicates the gorgeous aroma of the fleeting annual blossoming of this intoxicating flower. Effervescent top notes of sparkling bergamot and leafy green accord unfold into a romantic heart of living floral lilac and muguet. A dusting of suede is enhanced by the sensual warmth of amber at the dry-down.

Fragrance Notes

Bergamot, Leafy green accord, Living floral lilac, Muguet, Suede, Amber

4/5- My thoughts- It started as a light fresh garden, but not a garden with roses.  Shortly it because citrusy vs floral with citrusy on top. Slightly green. The final dry down was a strong lilac and sweet green. I'm not sure on the wear time because I forgot about it. 

[Titian06]

@Samtian - This sounds like a nice room freshener. 🪻🌿

[Samtian]

@Titian06 it could be!

[Samtian]

It has been a while! 

Luckyscent recently released a sample pack based off Lilac scents. I had to scoop that up fast. Glad I did because it sold out within a few days. Starting with Parle Moi de Parfum, Totally White. 

From Luckyscent-

The Scoop

Totally White captures the ethereal, foggy dew of a spring morning in a Parisian city park. It smells like a field of wildflowers waking up en masse. The delicate, slightly honeyed scent of lilac and wisteria mingle with the intoxicatingly bitter, leathery scent of the hawthorn bushes, creating an effect so pollen-rich and watery-cool that you’d forgive early morning joggers for looking dazed and slightly drunk.

This is a fragrance whose subtlety might make you forget you’re wearing it but for the perceptible effect it has on people around you. The pale, soft-focus blurriness of the florals merges so completely with the pheromones of your own skin that people hugging you will pull you a little tighter, entranced by what they think is your natural smell. It is an intimate, soft scent, the foggy musk and pale spring flowers all working together to form a muted color palette against which your own personality sparkles like a diamond. Beautiful work.

Main Note

Musk

Fragrance Notes

Lilac, wisteria, hawthorn

Fragrance Style

White, Powdery / Soft, Skin Scent / Minimal, Floral - Light, Fresh - Clean

5/5- Started with a strong Hawthorne note. Quickly adding a honey misty wildflower morning indeed. That was a good description they used. It was very intoxicating. A slightly grainy note popped in. Wear time 8+ hours. Would buy a full size if I didn't have so many at the moment haha. 

[Titian06]

This scent sounds lovely, @Samtian ! 💜💜💜

[Samtian]

@Titian06 It definitely was! 

[ragdoll4mom]

This sounds like a lovely fragrance.  It caused me to venture over to Lucky Scent’s site which was a mistake.  Now there are a bunch of scents on my to try list.

[Samtian]

@ragdoll4mom It's a dangerous site! 

[itsfi]

Great that you picked it up @Samtian @when you did. Love discovery sets! I don’t know (or I can’t recall at the moment) ever smelling hawthorns. 🤔 Musk-based scents can be too much for me but this one sounds like a nice blend of notes. The name of the fragrance house makes me smile - Parle Moi de Parfum is a lovely name. 💕

[Samtian]

@itsfi I am glad too! I like Hawthorne trees they are pretty! The Parle brand has a scent called I think Garden of India and it's one of my top 10 favorite scents. 

[Titian06]

I recently attended the Sephora virtual event for Maison Margiela 'REPLICA' Afternoon Delight Eau de Toilette with Vanilla & Sandalwood 3.4 oz / 100 m... .

Notes:  Vanilla, whipped cream, madeleine, sandalwood,  musk

I received a deluxe sample of the fragrance yesterday.  Here are my thoughts after wearing it twice.

It's very gourmand sweet, like pastries, but not vanilla specifically.  I never did smell the sandalwood.  It didn't give me a migraine like most sweet fragrances do.  Today, I layered ABBOTT Seqouia Eau de Parfum 1.7 oz / 50 mL eau de parfum spray on top.  It toned it down considerably.  Tomorrow I'm going to try another scent on top, maybe Maison Margiela ‘REPLICA' By the Fireplace Eau de Toilette with Chestnut, Vanilla, and Clove Oil .

[Samtian]

@Titian06 That sounds nice!

[caitbird]

Recently purchased and worked my way through trying the Charlotte Tilbury Scents That Make You Feel Perfume Discovery Set  and thought I'd share my thoughts on the fragrances here. Tagging @CynthieLu @CorgiMommy @itsfi  who I believe had all expressed an interest in hearing about this set.

Disclaimer: I am fairly new to fragrance & often feel like I don't really know what I am talking about yet, at least compared to some of you experts on here 😅 but I will do my best! Hopefully this is at least a little interesting/helpful to somebody.

Charlotte Tilbury Love Frequency Eau de Parfum 3.4 oz / 100 ml eau de parfum spray 

top notes: pink pepper

middle notes: rose, saffron

base notes: amberwood, cashmere wood, patchouli, musk

my thoughts: This was the fragrance from this discovery set I thought I would like best, based on the description and listed notes. After trying it, I am not sure if I like this one. I did not smell the pink pepper, which was somewhat disappointing as that is a favorite top note of mine; I did get floral sweetness and musk, and some woodiness. It was pretty strong at first, but by a couple of hours later it seemed to have faded significantly. After the dry down I mostly get the woodiness and musk. Overall, it was okay, and I will definitely try it at least once more to see if my impressions change, but I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I hoped I would.

Charlotte Tilbury Joyphoria Eau de Parfum 3.4 oz / 100 mL eau de parfum spray 

top notes: coconut water, neroli, petitgrain

middle notes: tuberose, ylang-ylang, jasmine

base notes: vanilla bean, cashmere wood, musk, powdery notes

my thoughts: Overall impression of the scent was warm & sweet, somewhat powdery florals & vanilla. Vanilla is fine in fragrance but generally not my favorite; I like this all right though. Like Love Frequency it started off strong, but faded quite a bit over a few hours, to the point that I could only smell it if I put my nose right against my skin. Liked fine, but not a love.

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Energy Eau de Parfum 3.4 oz / 100 ml eau de parfum spray 

top notes: bergamot, myrtle

middle notes: seaweed, cypress, jasmine sambac

base notes: frankincense, palo santo, ambergris, cashmere wood

my thoughts: this was very woody to me, but not in a bad way, though it was a little more one-note to me than the description would suggest. I did get a bit of the bergamot and some…mossiness, I guess? The woody, forest scent reminded me a little of Ellis Brooklyn Apres, except that to me that fragrance is more crisp cool mountainside forest while this one is more small secret forest glade, if that makes sense. Slightly forest witch vibes. I want to try this one again to see if I can pick out more of the listed notes. Of the fragrances in this set, I found this to be the most interesting; it was also one of the longest-lasting.

Charlotte Tilbury Calm Bliss Eau de Parfum 3.4 oz / 100 ml eau de parfum spray 

top notes: neroli, lavender, bergamot

middle notes: water notes, orange blossom

base notes: cashmere wood, ambergris, palo santo, olibanum

my thoughts: opens with mild aquatic sweetness. I do get a bit of the lavender and neroli/orange blossom. It seems very soft & fresh, quite pleasant. The aquatic, citrusy florals last quite a while, though like the other fragrances from this line that I’ve tried the scent is not very strong, before fading to a faint woody scent. This ended up being the longest-lasting scent in the set for me.

Charlotte Tilbury Cosmic Power Eau de Parfum 3.4 oz / 100 ml eau de parfum spray 

top notes: cinnamon, elemi, black pepper, bergamot

middle notes: frankincense, rose

base notes: amber, vanilla, powdery notes, musk

my thoughts: this one did not leave much of an impression on me on first wear, so I decided to do a second wear test the next day out of fairness. Notes from my second wear test: vanilla is quite strong even on the opening, but I do get a bit of the cinnamon and pepper too. Vanilla remains the dominant note for a while, before fading as the amber & musk becomes more prominent. This is sweeter and much more vanilla-forward than I prefer, but not terrible – I don’t dislike it, really, it’s just not for me. I think this one is maybe a bit stronger than the others in the set. Like most of the others from this discovery set, it is a bit…IDK, generic seeming? Not very complex to me.

Charlotte Tilbury More Sex Eau de Parfum 3.4 oz / 100 ml eau de parfum spray 

top notes: black pepper, juniper berries

middle notes: leather, musk, aldron, ambroxan

base notes: musk, sandalwood, amberwood

my thoughts: Based on the listed notes and description, I expected this to be my least favorite from the discovery set. It’s definitely not my favorite, but I don’t dislike it as strongly as I was afraid I might. To me it does smell pretty much like the listed notes; I very much get leather and musk, maybe a little synthetic-y but not too unpleasant. Just not really to my taste. Still, if you enjoy leather scents you may really like this.

Overall thoughts: I found the fragrances in this set to be generally fine and mostly pleasant, if not very complex or unique, in my opinion. They ranged from not very strong at all, to decently strong, and most lasted an average length of time on me (as compared to other fragrances I have tested and worn). I was a little surprised by which one I ended up liking best, which wasn't what I had expected. I didn't dislike any of them per se, but I don't think I will be purchasing the full size of any of these perfumes. Still, I always enjoy trying out new fragrances, so I don't regret purchasing this set.

[Titian06]

Thanks for your great review, @caitbird ! 💖💖💖  I'm not particularly interested in any of these.  However, if I can get a sample of Calm Bliss, I wouldn't mind. 😁

[CorgiMommy]

@caitbird thanks for the reviews, I guess I will have to give it some thought.  

[Titian06]

I recently purchased the Maison Louis Marie Discovery Eau de Parfum Sampler Set .  It's on sale for $11.00--half off, so I couldn't resist.  However, it's only a five-piece set, not the six-piece set as described.  No. 13 Nouvelle Vague is the fragrance not included in the set I received.  Here are my thoughts.

No. 02 Le Long Fong

Top:  Hinoki Wood

Middle:  Cedar, Patchouli 

Base:  White Musk, Amber

Comment:  For the most part, I could not smell this one.  I could tell something was there, but I couldn't tell what it was.

No. 04 Bois de Balincourt

Top:  Sandalwood, Cedar

Middle:  Vetiver, Nutmeg, Cinnamon

Base:  Woody, Amber

Comment:  Although I could only smell this one for about two minutes, I absolutely love it.  All these notes are right up my alley. 🙂

No. 09 Vallee de Farney

Top:  Grapefruit, Black Pepper, Orange 

Middle:  Geranium, Cedar, Patchouli 

Base:  Vetiver, Musk, Amber

Comment:  I could not smell this one.

No. 12 Bousval

Top:  Sicilian Bergamot, White Cardamom, Italian Orange

Middle:  Eucalyptus, White Ginger Lily, Oakmoss, Petigrain, Heliotrope 

Base:  Cedar, Myrrh, Musk, Amber

Comments:  I could not smell this one either.  I have this issue with many scents. 😄

Antidris Cassis

Top:  Black Current, Bergamot, Black Pepper 

Middle:  White Rose

Base:  Oakmoss, Musk, Tonka Bean

Comment:  For the brief moment I could smell this when spritzing it on, I caught a whiff of citrus and sweetness.  The two didn't really seem to go together, but it was so fleeting, it was hard to tell.

For the sale price, it was worth trying these.  Overall, though, how disappointing!

[greatscents]

WOW! Isn’t it weird how we all value scents differently? In like you, I LOVE “Le Long Fond” and am bummed you can no longer buy this scent in perfume from Sephora. I also Loved “ Vallee de Forney” and I was able to purchase the large bottle of this one. Lastly like you I enjoyed the “Bois de Balincourt” and I also bought the large perfume.

[Margalee]

@Titian06 I didn't buy Nest oils for a long time because I couldn't smell them. Maybe let them macerate for awhile and revisit them in a few months. Hopefully that's not why they were on sale for bad batching but definitely put them in a dark cool place for quite awhile. I can smell Nest oils now. I feel like they are much softer than parfum form but I nearly over applied once because they seem so soft. I think the heat of the body amplifies the oils. Maybe do a workout and see then. Hahah.

[Titian06]

Thanks for the suggestion, @Margalee ! 💖💖💖

[Margalee]

I have found a couple Few, hahah) new favorites lately. One is Guerlain's Shalimar Millèsime Iris. I think it retains about a quarter of the Shalimar DNA and then steps out as a warm, dusty scent with some golden smelling vanilla. I find it comforting. I could smell this on myself throughout the day. I sprayed about four or so sprays and I didn't find it overwhelming at all. It lasted all day but it definitely was midway between skin scent and powerhouse for me. I didn't find it overly sweet. I don't think it's as sweet as Burberry Goddess or Kilian's Princess. There is a less sweet quality that pulls it back from that level for me but it I definitely wouldn't rate it as sugarless, so to speak. Millèsime Iris is so appealing to me that I am tempted to get a backup bottle because it is a flanker to the OG Shalimar and those are usually limited edition and once it's gone out of production it will be hard to get.