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!

 

[vchotia]

I haven't gotten around to posting my samples from the last week or so, but I did try Jouer de Fete. I like it. It's definitely a sweet one, but I like it.

[Mochapj]

Today I inadvertently picked mostly gourmand scents to try.  Another 4 from L'artisan Parfumeur.

Noir Exquis (exquisite black)

notes: chestnut, orange, orange blossom, coffee, maple, ebony, heliotrope, vanilla, tonka, sandalwood

Starts out sweet chestnuts and a bit of wood.  A warm, holiday scent.  Has all the toasty, earthy, warming qualities of sweet vanilla, tonka and sandalwood.  Smells rich and soothing.  I get no maple and only the barest hints of coffee.  A little yeasty.  I think I will buy this, but I'm going to give it a few more wears before I commit.  It is all the glorious chestnutty goodness I wished MMM By The Fireplace was, without the smoke bomb! 😄

Safran Troublant (disturbing saffron)

notes: passion flower, sandalwood, red rose, vanilla, saffron, sugar, ginger

Spicy, gingery, whispers of rose.  A little sweet.  Intriguing.  Smells like pretty cosmetic powder.  After a while the saffron definitely comes through with it's semi-medicinal note.  A few hours in I get a cumin-ish/curry note.  Then it goes back to soft flowers.  A touch of an 'Oil of Olay' smell; creamy.

Traversee du Bosphore (crossing the Bosphorus)

notes: apple, pomegranate, leather, tulip, saffron, turkish delight (rose, almond, sugar)

A little bit of candied apple, but also sweet and a bit Play-doh-y.  Then some touches of new leather.  An hour later, the smell of candied violets.  This gives way to a fresh, water lily quality.  Rosewater.  Blooms similarly to AT Un Rose Vermeille.  Also a bit creamy.

Mon Numero 4 (my number 4)

notes: lavender, leather, vanilla

A classic aftershave smell.  So categorically 'manly'.  After 5 minutes it's very mild.  Reminds me of a leather shaving strap smell.

[lachaton]

Noir Exquis sounds incredible! I've been considering it so I'm glad you liked it! 

[Mochapj]

Noir Exquis is lovely!  I have no doubt I will end up with a bottle of it.  

[Sprytely]

Zoologist "Hummingbird". Such a strange fragrance. I want to love it because I adore the bottles and at that price I need to love it to buy it. 

How do you know if you're just talking yourself into it or if you actually like a scent when it's not your usual visceral reaction of pleasure? lol

[Mochapj]

That is a cute bottle!  I love the black and white whimsical illustration.

Usually my litmus test has to do with how often I want to smell myself.  Occasionally I like scents that 'challenge' me, but mostly if I sample something and I don't try to find excuses to wear it over and over again, it doesn't get a spot on the shelf.

I feel that away about Panorama by Olfactive Studio.  I want to love it, but it's strange and doesn't smell like 'me'

[Sprytely]

The illustrations on the bottles are right up my alley. I want them all. Must try everything!

Haha I've been huffing myself since I put it on trying to pin down my thoughts, and I keep shoving myself under The Boy's nose. lol.

That's a good litmus test.

I will have to sit on it and see if I want to wear it again and again or if it gets lost in the shuffle.

[Libellules]

I had a sample of the new Alaia Paris perfume that I finally tried the other evening. I did find the leather to be interesting, once it settled down, but very mellowed out (which isn't a bad thing necessarily, since I was not a fan of Cuir de Russie). Overall though, it still smelled very commercial to me :x.

[Mochapj]

Today I have 5 things to share from L'artisan Parfumeur. I'll come back and edit in my thoughts later, but for now, here are the listed notes.

I picked 'weird' ones to start 😄  I'll also be translating names where possible, because sometimes they are quite funny.  

Dzing! (???)

notes: leather, ginger, tonka, musk, white woods, caramel, saffron, toffee, candy apple, cotton candy

Gingery leather with a bit of a medicinal quality to it.  Slightly powdery and sweet.  A fair amount of musk is present.  For a while it reminds me of the smell of melting Barbie plastic.  Once it settles, it's definitely a gourmand.  Lots of sugary caramel notes and toffee.  Powder.

Fleur de Carotte (carrot flower)

notes: carrot, cucumber, tarragon, apricot, ginger

Tarragon is the first note I sense.  It's also a bit soapy, in the style of sushi ginger.  Refreshing spa water cucumber scent.  It's weird, but also fresh.  At the end it starts to get a bit cumin-y.   

Bois Farine (wood flour or flour tree)

notes: a special tree from Reunion Island; floral, woody, powdery

Starts off smelling like a peanut butter and honey sandwich, but flowery.  Strangest thing I've ever tried.  Sweet and Play-doh-y.  Fades to a skin scent.  

Ananas Fizz (pineapple fizz)

notes: grapefruit, woods, pineapple

Screams tropical fruit candies.  A very fake pineapple.  Dries down to a sweet, almost soapy scent.  Then, artificial pineapple with a hint of musky B.O.  

Mechant Loup (bad wolf)

notes: hazelnut, honey, sandalwood, cedar, licorice, myrrh

Starts off with the glorious scent of warm, toasting nuts.  Then, black licorice-y.  After a while it smells like I am dirty/in need of a shower.  This is a men's scent, but I need to sample it again some time.  After the licorice fades, it's a hard scent to pick up on my skin.

[Libellules]

Did you pick up a discovery set per chance? These do sound interesting 🙂

[Mochapj]

I did not.  

Over the past 6 months I'd been buying decant samples of L'artisan from Luckyscent and Surrender to Chance.  I'm just now getting into trying them all. 😮

I still have 14 others to sample this week...

[jemly]

mohca, i'm trying to remember from a few months ago: which was the serge lutens you ended up going with ?? 

[Mochapj]

Well, my favorite one (the one I bought in bell jar) is Douce Amere.

But I do have a bit of an SL shrine of the smaller spray bottles, now 😉

[Mochapj]

More new year notes.

counted the remains of my sample pile this morning, and am down to 32 more vials.  At the rate I've been sampling, I should be finished in 8-10 days 😄

Eat d'italie Baume du Doge

notes: orange, bergamot, cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, pepper, watercress, myrrh, olibanum, cedar, saffron, vetiver, vanilla, benzoin, frankincense

My favourite of the bunch.  Incense, cedar and cinnamon opening.  Warm and church-y.  Reminds me of Memoire Liquide Encens. Touches of vanilla and cardamom.  Doesn't change much, but exceptionally long wearing.  Gets a bit citrusy at the end. 

Eau d'italie Jardin du Poete

notes: grapefruit, bitter orange, basil, immortelle, angelika, pink pepper, vetiver, musk, cypress

Clean and watery, grapefruit and musk. Hints of basil.  Very fresh, with wisps of white flowers throughout.  Soothing.

Eau d'italie Bois d'ombrie

notes: cognac, calamus, wild carrot, leather, iris, copahu, vetiver, tobacco, amber, patchouli, myrrh, incense, opponax

Very heavy notes of burnt tobacco and tanned leather.  An overwhelming amount of bitter coffee grounds or my dad's burnt espresso.  Nauseating.

[Mochapj]

Dropping off some notes for trials I've done over the past few days of traveling.  I also have some notes to add for a few Eau D'Italie scents (Baume du Doge, Jardin du Poete and Bois d'Ombrie) but I have to find the cocktail napkin I scribbled them on, first 😄

Anyhow.

Etro Vetiver

notes: clary sage, artemisia, vetiver, cedar, cypress, tobacco

Lots of vetiver, and a lemony, citronella note.  Gets grassy/waxy after about an hour.  And the strangest hints of cattails (the plant) and wicker basket.  Very odd.

Etro Messe de Minuit

notes: bergamot, lemon, orange, myrrh, cinnamon, petitgrain, citron, patchouli, musk, labdanum, incense

Lots of incense and citron.  Some muskiness and hints of cinnamon.  Rugged (would be delightful on a man).  The cinnamon mixed with the citrus is elegant and exhilarating.  Has a mulled wine quality.  The longer I wear it, the more the citruses and spices meld and come forward.

L'artisan Parfumeur Timbuktu

notes: mango, pink pepper, frankincense, papyrus, smoke, karo karounde flower, vetiver, balsam, spices, patchouli, myrrh, woody, resins

Opens with loads of frankincense and balsam.  Patchouli sneaks around a bit, but isn't too strong.  Some myrrh and smoke.  A little lemony.  Then the papyrus comes through.  It gets woody and resinous.  Very spicy, and a hint of wood smoke.  Quite a bit of vetiver about 3 hours in.  Semi-masculine, or at least very firmly unisex.  

[Mochapj]

Dropping off the names and notes on today's 4 randoms from the sample sack.

Heeley Menthe Fraiche

notes: mint, bergamot, lotus, mate, cedar

This is a really intriguing fragrance.  Bergamot with lotus sort of smells like a grapefruit, at first.  The mint is there, but it isn't overpowering.  It's like a Scotch mint, mint.  Then I get hints of tea (the mate?) and something fresh like a melon.  It's very mild and would make a good summer scent.  A fruity, crisp spearmint tea.  

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Lumiere Noire Pour Femme

notes: rose, patchouli, daffodil

This is a dried rose, like rose petal potpourri.  The patchouli makes it smell really dirty, like mouldering flowers.  There's a waxy undertone to it.  After a few hours, it just smells like a generic rose scent.  

Bottega Profumiera Polianthes

notes: tiare, tuberose, gardenia, ylang ylang, jasmine, benzoin, olibanum, amber, vanilla, teak, vetiver, sandalwood

Preface this by saying I usually hate white florals, tropicals, benzoin and olibanum.  I definitely detest vetiver, so there isn't much going for this scent for me.  It was a free sample sent with purchase, so I didn't 'pick' it.  At the start all the white, sweet flowers combine into a jarring, plastic/rubber/acetone mess.  Once it dries down a bit it is just cough syrupy.  After about 4 hours, it mellows into a tropical scent, with some vanilla and sandalwood notes, but I do not like it and I would not want to spend 4 hours hating it before getting to meh.  

L'antichambre Le Poivre Rose

notes: clary sage, nutmeg, incense, cedar, pink pepper

I like a few L'antichambre fragrances, but they are really hit and miss.  This starts as a spicy, herbal Szechuan pepper, with a bit of fuzzy sage.  Some fresh woody cedar, not a sauna cedar next.  Then after a few hours, inexplicably - pencil shavings.  

I'll come back and update my thoughts on these later, but I can already tell you (spoiler alert!) that the Bottega one is up there as one of the worst things I've ever smelled.  I expect the only thing that's going to top this is ELD'O's 'Secretions Magnifique' :S

[pixiedust2]

Ha! Pencil shavings!

[Libellules]

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on poivre 😉

I was really intrigued by L'antichambre's Menthe, as I'd love something gourmand mint. It doesn't sound like the one you have would satisfy that - but, who knows!

[pixiedust2]

I'm so bummed you hate the Bottega! I was really interested in that. It has all the tropical notes I love (minus coconut), but with the addition of incense notes, which I also love. Really interested to hear your thoughts later on this one. 

[Mochapj]

Pixie, to be fair, I had no expectations of the Bottega going into it.

It was not something I asked for or ordered, but a random sample sent with a purchase I made from a boutique.  

I'm not typically a fan of the kind of white floral/tropical notes either, and I despise vetiver, so I don't think it had much of a chance.  

[Mochapj]

Atelier Cologne is releasing a new scent, inspired by the Majestic Hotel in Spain:

New! Sophisticated and bright elixir capturing unique clary sage and bergamot in the warmth of seductive musk.