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!

 

[malday]

Oooh this sounds interesting. I wish I could actually afford to stay in that hotel when I go next year, it looks gorgeous haha.

[pixiedust2]

You guys! I'm so excited for this sampler. I've been stalking the site, praying they would have a set. Woohoo!!

http://www.sephora.com/histoires-de-parfums-discovery-set-P404762?icid2=Just_Arrived_toplevel_US_sku...

[Mochapj]

Just an FYI Pixie, they do sell a build-your-own trial set on their website, too 😉

[pixiedust2]

Thanks Mocha! I'll have to check that out. I have GC's from Sephora burning a hole in my pocket, so I'm excited to order this 😃

[Anonymous]

Sure beats having to track all these being at a decant site!! Good find Pixie!

[Mochapj]

Grabbed another 4 out of the random sample bag today.  There are 8 left in it, and then it's time to move on to L'artisan-town 😄

Comptoir Sud Pacifique Amour de Cacao

notes: orange, cacao, star fruit, vanilla

Dark chocolate and toasty graham cracker start.  Reminds me a lot of Demeter Brownie, but nuanced.  Dries down quickly (less than 5 minutes) and then tropical aromas of star fruit and vanilla present.  It's a bit juvenile.  Smells like a grapefruit soap they used to sell at Body Shop.  Extremely gourmand.  In the end it isn't discernibly different than the scent of Comptoir's Vanille Abricot.

Tom Ford Extreme

notes: thai basil, coriander, chamomile, cardamom, cinnamon bark, lemon, cistus, saffron, thyme, black plum, violet, black fig, cedarwood atlas, sandalwood, rum, vetiver, caramel, vanilla, patchouli, vieux, black truffle, amber, fig, balsam, supple leather accord, Shoyeido incense

Starts lemony, and a bit smoky.  Like lemon in aftershave.  A little leathery.  Then some suede and mild soapiness.  A bit of powdery fig leaf/stem.  Finishes with a mild chamomile note.  This is beautiful, but I wish my husband would wear it.  

Jazmin Sarai Otis & Me

notes: black pepper, bergamot, cardamom, rose, incense, balsam, coffee

A really peppery, nasturtium opening.  A bit like dirt, too.  The cardamom is soapy.  All of a sudden, I am assaulted by the smell of stale B.O. and cigar.  Gross.

Shay & Blue London Framboise Noire

notes: raspberry, red berries, wild berries, iris, oud, musk, woods

This one was recommended to me by someone - I think Luckyscent.  I had high hopes for it, but it's pretty nonchalant.  Starts out with loads of oud and sweetness, like sugared berries.  A bit of generic potpourri.  It's very nondescript.  Disappears into the skin in under an hour.

[Mochapj]

Yesterday's scent was Ramon Monegal Dry Wood

notes: citron, bay leaf, pepper, moss, sandalwood, cedar, cashmeran, amber, woods, satureja

Very citrusy to start.  Extremely masculine.  Has a sort of 'Drakkar Noir' vibe.  Very mossy and green.  After a while I get a weird, almost green bell pepper note.  Rosemary and thyme with woody herbals.  Ridiculously long-wearing (I can still smell it today, even after showering).  Manly.  

[Mochapj]

A few bits and bobs from the last few days of traveling.

Tom Ford Neroli Portofino

notes: bergamot, mandarin, lemon, lavender, myrtle, rosemary, bitter orange, orange flower, Jasmine, neroli, pittosporum, Amber, ambrette, angelika 

A mix of soapy jasmine and neroli to start.  Clean smelling like laundry.  Quite linear.  Doesn't advance to anything more complex.

Tom Ford Lys Fume

notes: mandarin, pink pepper, turmeric, nutmeg, lily, ylang ylang, artemisia, rum, vanilla, labdanum, styrax, oak

Starts out so beautifully with a nutmeg and lily/lilac heavy opening.  Develops a slight waxiness that's a bit sweet and sugary from the vanilla.  Then a bit peppery and woody.  Sort of reminiscent of the smell of Oil of Olay.  Not long lasting (less than 3 hours) so I can see why it was d/c.

Tom Ford Sahara Noir

notes: bitter orange, cypress, cistus, frankincense, cinnamon, papyrus, rose, jasmine, honey, beeswax, amber, labdanum, benzoin, vanilla, oud, balsams

Lots of frankincense at the top.  Also, an old library smell.  Definite cinnamon notes.  A bit cedar-y, too.  Lots of oud after a few hours.  Similarities to Tobacco Oud.  A very classic 'incense' scent.  Finishes on a chilly, eucalyptus note.  And later, the melty smell of beeswax candles.

[Libellules]

Interesting. For me, Sahara Noir was overpowering with the Frankincense - I didn't pick up on anything else!

Lys Fume sounds like it has alot of potential though :x

[Mochapj]

I liked Lys Fume for the first hour and then it was meh.  Which is good for me since it is discontinued and I hate the expense of tracking down d/c stuff.

Sahara Noir was very frankincense-y for a good 3-4 hours, and I was only getting bits and pieces of the cinnamon/paper/cedar notes.  I actually came back to edit my review because after about 8 hours I started getting the very specific smell of beeswax.  Strangely enough, Sahara Noir reminds me less of desert and more of church.

[jemly]

mmmmm. adding sahara noir to my to-try list !

[malday]

I got my lucky scent samples yesterday. So far I've only tried Biblioteca de Babel.

I had higher hopes for this, it sounded so intriguing, but it fell a little flat for me. Here is a comment from someone on Fragrantica that basically sums up how I feel about it:

"Very gourmand, it smells like some sort of spiced cake sitting on an old library table."

I was honestly hoping for something that smelled more of old books (that comforting papery vanilla scent) and wood. It reminded me a little of Santal Carmin, but I prefer Santal Carmin much, much more.

I'm not sure why I was suggested two gourmand scents from my Scent Bar quiz, I don't like them 90% of the time. If I want to smell like a cake I'll just bake one... 

[Mochapj]

I wish that the Scent Bar quiz had a 'do not want' section. 

My recommendations all contained things I didn't like too (overly gourmand or citrusy notes) 😞

[jemly]

i've received a gift card to a department store and have my sights on diptyque eau duelle. i'm leaning toward the eau de parfum over the toilette.....but i was wondering if anyone has experienced both ? obviously the edp will last longer than the edt...but if the difference is slight, i'd be open to the toilette (then i can get another vanille candle !). wondering how different the dry down is, too, between the two (if at all).

regardless, i'm so pleased just knowing this (in whatever form) will be in my collection soon !

and for the sake of conversation....i really want eau rose too. i think--think--it's my fave *pure* rose i've come across (as much as i adore le labo rose31...it's so much more than rose, yeah ?). but this will have to be a purchase for later this year. eau duelle comes first !

[Mochapj]

4 more samples from the mixed bag!

Today:

Penhaligon's Bayolea

notes: mandarin, tangerine, lemongrass, cardamom, pepper, neroli, lavender, cedar, sandalwood, musk, moss, patchouli, amber

Tons of neroli and hints of a resin/plastic smell at the start.  Then it gets mossy.  Pungent.  Grassy.  I don't like this.  

Penhaligon's Lothair

notes: juniper, cardamom, bergamot, grapefruit, fig, red berries, lavender, magnolia, geranium, black tea, vanilla, musk, cedar, ambergris, oak moss, wedge wood

This has the freshness of grapefruit, with the woody resins of juniper.  A nice amount of lavender, without being soapy.  A bit of a classic, barbershop vibe.  Picks up some vanilla and tea after a while, like a milky chai.  The amber is warm and boozy.  Cardamom is spicy.  It's a pleasant level of sweetness without being a gourmand.    I get no fig, but it's still really pretty.

Atelier Cologne Oud Saphir

notes: bergamot, pink pepper, ambrette, suede, birch, jasmine, agar, vanilla

This starts off with lots of suede; it is reminiscent of TF Tuscan Leather, and has several of the same notes.  Blooms into a bit of a tea scent.  It might be the first AC fragrance I like?!?!

Andy Tauer Dark Mysterious Woods

notes: ???  Tauer has not released 'official' notes on this yet, as it was a sample of an unreleased 'in-progress' fragrance

I don't know how to describe this, so I'll just do my best.  The opening is a huge smokescreen.  So much musty, burning wood.  At the start it smells 'evil'.  Gets a bit of a strong, tanned leather to it, like an old biker jacket.  A little bourbon-ish alcohol smell.  Some suede too, and petroleum.  After a while, frankincense-y and comforting. I don't think I'd buy it, but it's interesting.

[Libellules]

I need to try DMW again, but I don't think it was a fan. I think on me it smelled too much like burnt rubber 😕

[malday]

You've piqued my interest in Oud Saphir. Also, Dark Mysterious Woods totally sounds like something I'd want my SO to smell like if I had one haha.

[jemly]

i've been wanting to try oud saphir !! 

the AT dark mysterious woods sounds like something i'd like !! 

[Anonymous]

Re: Oud Saphir: DO EEET.

[Mochapj]

I think you would like both of these, actually!

[Mochapj]

My 4 mystery bags scents today are as follows.  They were all samples sent to me with FB purchases, and not things I would've chosen for myself.

April Aromatics Nectar of Love

notes: fruit nectars, tuberose, jasmine, rose, sandalwood

Firstly, I can't stand the name of this.  It makes me want to barf.  Secondly, SO MUCH JASMINE!!!  Ugh.  It's overwhelming how much it smacks you in the face with.  Then, it turns a bit lemony and headshop-esque.  After a few hours, it is decidedly musky.  This is what I imagine 'Sex Panther' smells like :S

Pecato Originale Cantaride

notes: angelika, caviar, leather, benzoin, patchouli, vanilla, musk

This is really pretty, musky and sweet, but with a hint of sugared berries and vanilla.  A little like candies.  Doesn't take long before it dies off.  I am left with a soft vanilla musk.  Where is the caviar and leather :(? 

Apoteker Tepe Anabasis

notes: citruses, shiso, birch, mint, pine, cedar, musk

Loads of citrus and shiso.  Abort, abort!  After half an hour, it smells a lot like Olfactive Studio Panorama.  Very fresh, stem green smell.  Loosens up and becomes a cool, clean scent, with a tiny bit of citronella.  I get a hint of something like lilac, but not lilac.  Becomes a skin scent.

Apoteker Tepe The Peradam

notes: lily, jasmine, orris, sandalwood

HA!  This perfume is 3 of 4 scent notes I typically don't like, and the 4th I'm not sure on because WTF is orris???  This smells powdery and plastic.  Like a grandmother.  Way overbearing.  Stale bubblegum breath.  NONONONONO.  At the end, Playdoh.  Such a pass.