Ship of Fools: Perfume

Thread: Perfume Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

My immediate reaction to the title of another thread - What are you wearing - was to think of scent, not clothes.

I've always enjoyed perfume - whole eras of my life come back to me at a whiff of Anais Anais or Dune.

Lately, I've become a little more systematic in trying to identify the core characteristics of those that really appeal to me ('crushed greenery' seems to be the best description so far).

I have about 10 main fragrances on the go at the moment, each morning's skoosh depending on mood, season, what I'm doing that day.

They say smell is the most evocative of senses, so what do the bottles on the dressing table mean to you?*

*I don't regard this as a female-only question: Mr Firenze currently has 15 on his.

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

I have only recently begun to get into perfume as a serious thing - the one I own a full bottle of is Shalimar by Guerlain, but I also have quite a few samples. I like Fleur Oriental by Miller Harris, Cinnabar by Estee Lauder, Opium by YSL, Semna by Odin. Need to get some Tom Ford samples. As you can probably tell, I love heavy orientals - they just work well with my skin. I love vanilla, tobacco, incense, vetiver, dry woody irises and carnation.

Useful things for fragrance fans - Fragrantica where you can look for perfumes you like and see ones you may also like, and also search by note/scent group/designer etc, and Now Smell This a brilliant and very comprehensive perfume blog.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

You might want to look out for Pierre Montale. He uses aoud like no tomorrow. I have Sunset Flowers which is, by his standards, quite a light fragrance - but it's one I would wear for evenings.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

quote:
I've always enjoyed perfume - whole eras of my life come back to me at a whiff of Anais Anais or Dune.

It is very evocative. Anais Anais is my post-teenage years, and Miss Dior is the other one that sums up that era, and those exciting trips to London. I can’t wear Anais Anais now, it doesn’t smell the same any more.

These days, in summer I like L’Eau d’Orange Verte by Hermes, which is a cool, refreshing citrus perfume. For cooler days, Stephanotis, by Floris, is a quite rich floral scent that I like. I also have rose, lavender and violet scents – the violets for the spring. I’m still in search of the perfect lavender scent – as close a replica as possible of the real thing. It’s not something that seems to reproduce well and I haven’t found it yet. My grandmother used to have lavender water which she would always put on for occasions or going out and while I hated it at the time I quite like it now.

Coty’s L’Aimant is one that I wear from time to time and like a lot. I also have Blue Grass, which was one of my mother’s favourites, for occasional use. It is quite strong so I use that sparingly. I’m not too keen on the lighter, sweeter scents: they need to be a little heavier and spicier for me.

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

Armarni Code - love it [Big Grin]

Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on :

I think I am going to end up being one of those old ladies who has worn the exact same perfume her whole entire life [Biased]

.

My all-time favourite, which I have worn for lo these last fifteen years, is Jean-Paul Gaultier Classique. Now and again I have other perfumes, usually when people give them to me – most of Chanel’s offerings seem to work for me and a while back someone gave me an enormous bottle of Flower by Kenzo. But in the end I always come back to the same one. I just can’t find anything else I like anywhere near so much.

Posted by Niminypiminy (# 15489) on :

I love perfume. I have a few full bottles (and always have several more I'm thinking about buying, though rarely do), but mainly I wear samples. Discovering that you can buy samples has been a great discovery -- there's so much out there to explore. You can also buy decants, part-bottles, so the outlay isn't so painful.

I'm wearing Apres l'Ondee by Guerlain today (one of my full bottles) -- iris, violet and heliotrope, starting cool and green and ending up warmer and softer -- like a garden gradually warming up in the sunshine after rain at night.

I particularly love complex florals - I love Chamade and Une Rose Chypree by Tauer. I also really like Tauer's L'Air du Desert Marocain, which to me is bracingly herby and aromatic - like the smell of that kind of hill country the French call maquis.

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

What a good idea Niminypiminy!

I have just requested a free sample. No doubt comes with a ton of spam, but never mind!

[Smile]

Posted by Niminypiminy (# 15489) on :

There are specialist perfume shops which sell samples -- Les Senteurs in London and Nose in Paris for example. I've had samples of perfumes I couldn't possibly afford from them for around £3-4 each.

Posted by JoannaP (# 4493) on :

I am now allergic to perfume, an apparently lasting side-effect of being changed to a cheaper version of a drug. I tried a sample in a shop at Christmas, to see if it had worn off several months after coming off the drug, and it took at least two weeks for the rash to go away. [Waterworks]

When I wore scent, I liked complex florals and wore Anais Anais when I was younger. My mother gave me a bottle of a Chanel scent (I cannot remember the number now) and that was lovely. It is what I would wear if I could.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

Or you can go into posh shops and blag shamelessly. Hermes in Rue Saint-Honore are particularly generous.

My favourite house at the moment is Diptyque. And my favouritist scent their 34 boulevard Saint Germain. It's described as a chypre perfume ie citrus/floral/woody. Which figures - once, on a warm day, I was on, I think, the steam train that runs from Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge and we were passing above woods. The scent that came up - of leaves, flowers, wood, water, moss, summer - has been what I have been looking for in a bottle ever since.

Posted by Niminypiminy (# 15489) on :

Yes, Diptyque. I'm working my way through a sample of Philosykos at the moment. I like the way it starts out cool and green and ends up reminding me of sun-tan lotion (Hawaiian tropic??). Very Greek island.

Posted by Starbug (# 15917) on :

I love The Vert (Green Tea) by L'Occitane. Sadly, it's been discontinued but I still have two bottles of it. I bought the second one quickly when I found out they weren't producing it any more!

Posted by Jemima the 9th (# 15106) on :

Niminipiminy - those sound like just the sort of scents I like.

I love perfume, but only bought my first "proper" bottle a few months ago. Partly because I was brought up to believe such expense was frivolous & decadent - which, let's face it, is kind of the point!, but also because I so rarely have the time to do proper perfume shopping. And I spent so much time covered in baby sick.

I loved Chanel no19 as a younger woman (ho ho). My mum always used to buy it for me. The bottle I got myself is Chanel Chance Eau Tendre, which is "pinker" than I usually like, but still lovely.

If I'm feeling too bad about big perfume spending, I frequent Lush. I love Lush anyway, but some of their perfumes are lovely. I had Tuca Tuca for ages, which was light and very violet-y. I don't think they make it any more. Also, their perfumes always smell like scent, and not like chemical attempts at scent, which so many seem to on my skin.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

Jemima, if you don't have a lot to spend and like Chanel, you should pop into Lidl and score a bottle of Suddenly Madam Glamour. In a blind sniffing last year it came out as indistinguishable from Madamoiselle Coco.

Posted by Jemima the 9th (# 15106) on :

Thank you very much - I will!

Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on :

I love florals, Jo Malone's Red Roses is my current favourite, the most heavily rose laden perfume I have found. I also like Chanel's Mademoiselle Coco and Viktor and Rolf's Flowerbomb. I have a whole host of Floris florals, China Rose being a favourite.
Ariel, I have old fashioned lavender water and rose water as toners, I even an orange blossom one. A perfect lavender scent would be heavenly.

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

I'm also allergic to perfume, but it's respiratory, not dermatologic. Sitting near someone wearing perfume in church, at a theater, etc., can make me stuffy and sneezy for the rest of the day. I hate stores that try to attack you with atomizers when you walk through.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Heavenly Anarchist:
I love florals, Jo Malone's Red Roses is my current favourite, the most heavily rose laden perfume I have found. I also like Chanel's Mademoiselle Coco and Viktor and Rolf's Flowerbomb. I have a whole host of Floris florals, China Rose being a favourite.
Ariel, I have old fashioned lavender water and rose water as toners, I even an orange blossom one. A perfect lavender scent would be heavenly.

Sounds lovely - a good rose perfume is hard to find, too. I used to like Yardley's Orange Blossom but wore it so often that I went off it after a while. Still like their April Violets though. I'll have a look for the Red Roses you've mentioned above.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

I have Diptyque (of course) Eau Rose. It's quite light and subtle and not overwhelmingly rosy. More your hedgerow wild rose than your standard tea.

Posted by Drifting Star (# 12799) on :

I have been mourning Chopard's Cašmir since they reformulated it (well over 10 years ago). It is (was) wonderfully long-lasting vanilla, sandalwood, jasmine and blackcurrant, but the reformulation doesn't really smell of anything very much - certainly nothing pleasant (to me). I have a feeling that even that has been discontinued now.

I've been wearing Dior's Poison, which is quite nice (this time I think they improved it by reformulating), but I don't like it enough to replace the bottle.

I also like Coty's L'Aimant for everyday although I don't find that it lasts very well. I have a bottle of Chanel No 5 for grand events, although it is quite strange wearing it as my mother has always worn it when going out.

I have a truly massive collection of miniatures and samples and I often try out something new, but I am very, very picky.

I'm currently on the search for a new signature scent, and have also started making my own perfumes, lotions and soaps, so I may end up with something truly unique!

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

My all time favourite is probably Dior's Eau Sauvage, Aramis on other men makes me weak at the knees but I'm not so keen on wearing it myself these days. I like Fahrenheit but have moved my allegiance to Davidoff's Cool Water, which is similar but gentler. I used to quite like Zizanie de Fragonard but my dad reacted very badly to it, sneezing, streaming eyes, the works so I've never gone back to it. For occasional evening wear I have CK's Obsession, which I prefer to Eternity. I also have a bottle of Sandalwood "Hanky Spray" which I get in Mysore and which is dirt cheap but really rather lovely for everyday wear.

I have no idea why friends of mine in Chester is the late 70s used to refer to me as The Cologne Queen.

Posted by Doublethink (# 1984) on :

I learnt a surprising amount about perfume from Patrick Suskind's novel, irrc, they call the different scents that come through at different times in a complex perfume chords - which appealed to me. I imagine the more accurately you can manage to describe a perfume, the more able you are to work out what you want in a new one.

(NB If you are allergic to perfume, I guess it might be worth finding out exactly what you are allergic to - a specific kind of base etc. so you can avoid it in what you purchase.)

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:
... No doubt comes with a ton of spam ...

Are you supposed to rub it on your wrists? [Big Grin]

Mine, in rough chronological order:

Early 70s: Occur by Avon
Mid 70s: Wild Musk by Coty
Late 70s: Jontue by Revlon
Early 80s: Cinnabar by Estee Lauder
Late 80s (including my wedding-day): Beautiful by Estee Lauder
Early 90s (briefly): Giorgio Beverly Hills (had to abandon it because my then-boss didn't like it).
Late 90s: Jean-Paul Gaultier Woman (the one in the torso-shaped bottle)

Now I'm back to Wild Musk, having discovered that Wal-Mart still sells it (very cheaply), and it does have serious Nostalgia Value. [Hot and Hormonal]

I also have a cheapie called Shades of Blue, which I believe is meant to be like something posh, but I can't remember what.

I can't wear scent at w*rk, because there are too many people with Scent Issues™, and if I'm honest, I have one or two of my own - there are certain scents which make my eyes water and/or give me a headache. Unfortunately if they're on a stranger I don't know what they are, so that I could avoid them.

Having said that, I love nice pongs, and this is just making me think that I must investigate the pong emporium in the duty-free when I go home in September.

Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :

Chanel pour Gentilhomme and Roger&Gallet Eau de Cologne, Floris Limes for male scent; Chanel No 5 or No 19, Guerlain Mitsouko and Floris Boulet de la Reine for women.

Posted by Fineline (# 12143) on :

I hate perfume. But I like the smell of Karma soap from Lush.

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Doublethink:
(NB If you are allergic to perfume, I guess it might be worth finding out exactly what you are allergic to - a specific kind of base etc. so you can avoid it in what you purchase.)

It's a lot easier to avoid buying any of it. My problem is that I can't avoid it on other people.

Posted by Doublethink (# 1984) on :

I was more thinking of the dermal issue person.

Though it would probably help if you knew, because, conceivably - you could have desensatisation treatment.

(ETA some possibilities.)

[ 07. July 2014, 17:15: Message edited by: Doublethink ]

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Doublethink:

Though it would probably help if you knew, because, conceivably - you could have desensatisation treatment.

Been there, done that -- twice (for two different regions of the U.S.). It did nothing for me, except lower my bank balance.

Posted by no prophet (# 15560) on :

Like third-hand tobacco smoke (the lingering fumes on clothing), perfumes often make me sneeze. It comes from decades in meetings with people all day everyday. Desensitization doesn't work when it was acquired through sensitization unfortunately. In 1980 I would have enjoyed perfumes. Also more drinking. Maybe too smoking a pipe.

Posted by Tree Bee (# 4033) on :

My faves are the original Jean Paul Gaultier, Anais Anais and Stella.
My sister is highly sensitive to any perfume, and although I don't see her that often it's made me aware that others may not be able to tolerate my perfume. So I wear it less and less.
I've had several experiences of feeling unwell and overwhelmed by a strong perfume, once at a church I was trying out.
Really nasty experience.

Posted by Nenya (# 16427) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
I have no idea why friends of mine in Chester is the late 70s used to refer to me as The Cologne Queen.

Just about every perfume I've ever tried smells horrible on me after a couple of hours so for years I've worn the only one that doesn't - Rive Gauche . It's become my signature perfume - both my kids say they're reminded of me when they smell it. I love the smell of a number of the perfumes other people have named, but only when they're on other people.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Tree Bee:
I've had several experiences of feeling unwell and overwhelmed by a strong perfume, once at a church I was trying out.

Yes, I once gave a prospective date a polite refusal when he turned up absolutely drenched in some horrible sugary-smelling aftershave which you could smell from a couple of yards away. I did feel guilty but when I got home my clothes reeked of it, and that was just from being in the general vicinity for a couple of hours.

Come to think of it, I did the same a few years earlier with someone who'd apparently had a bath in The Great Smell of Brut (people from a certain era will remember that one, probably not with much pleasure).

Posted by Kyzyl (# 374) on :

Good old fashioned Shalimar for me. I can tolerate Chanel #5 but #19 will send me into an asthma attack, which I discovered during the bad old days when the "scent girls" would spray you upon entering the store. I am also partial to Eau de Givenchy in the summer. And if anyone has a few benjamins ($100 bills) laying around I like Joy in the parfum version (hint, hint.)

Has anyone heard of/smelled one called Dahlia Noir by Givenchy IIRC?

[ 07. July 2014, 20:40: Message edited by: Kyzyl ]

Posted by St. Gwladys (# 14504) on :

I was once told that if a perfume suits you, you can't smell it on yourself.
I loathe heavy scents - there was a lady in one office I worked in who smoked and wore some very heavy, sweet, perfume - I used to have to try to avoid breathing anywhere in her vicinity!
I like light, green fragrances - for the last couple of years I have stuck to Cool Water Woman, with occasional forays into their summer fragrance which is either terribly sweet, and therefore not acceptable, or very similar to the original and roughly half the price as you get a large bottle for the same price as a smaller bottle of the original. This year's is similar to the original, and I've already bought a bottle for when my bottle of Cool Water runs out.

Posted by The Intrepid Mrs S (# 17002) on :

I match my scent to the colour of my clothes, so Yves St. Laurent 'Paris' if I'm wearing pink, Nina Ricci 'L'Air du Temps' for yellow, or 'Chloe' if I'm wearing peach. Oh, and 'Arpege' for black! I rationalise this by thinking that the manufacturers choose the colour of the packaging to convey something, which I am picking up on.

Estee Lauder is probably my favourite - 'Pleasures Oriental', 'Youth Dew Amber Nude' - often ones quickly discontinued *sigh*. Or 'Cinnabar' for evening, though it's too heavy for day wear.

Mr. S's late mother once got into a lift with a colleague and said 'Oh, they're cleaning the drains again'. Her colleague replied ' no, that's my new perfume'. She was wearing Dior 'Poison'!
[Killing me]

Mrs. S, who *loves* perfume [Yipee]

Posted by Drifting Star (# 12799) on :

quote:
Originally posted by The Intrepid Mrs S:
Mr. S's late mother once got into a lift with a colleague and said 'Oh, they're cleaning the drains again'. Her colleague replied ' no, that's my new perfume'. She was wearing Dior 'Poison'!

That was pretty much my reaction when I first came across Poison - I was sprayed with it in a department store and told the assistant that I thought it truly did smell like poison.

The 20 years and a reformulation later I was happily wearing it!

Posted by Doublethink (# 1984) on :

How does one manage the interaction with shower gels and deodorants ? This I have never really understood.

Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on :

Starting about age 12:
English Rose -- Yardley
Windsong (whispers her name)

Ambush --1965 My entire college dorm reeked of this one. The boys all smelled like English Leather.

Emerald
Chantilly
Joy -- An expensive gift I could never have afforded, wasted on me because my cool dry skin doesn't radiate perfume very well.

Youth Dew -- Este Lauder
Red Door

Right now I wear something purple that was a gift. I don't remember the name but the bottle co-ordinates perfectly with my bathroom décor.

Most of the time I smell like Lysol lemon cleaner or straight bleach.

ETA: Doublethink those shower jells peel the skin right off of me. Burn!

[ 07. July 2014, 21:40: Message edited by: Twilight ]

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

I like florals with a lot of green in eg Diptyque L'ombre dans la eau which is like a handful of crushed flowering currant. And I've just bought Penhaligon's Peoneve which does the same thing for peonies.

But I haven't found a citrusy scent that I like as much as I thought I would. Which is odd, as I love citrus as a flavour and put lemon or lime juice in everything and anything.

Posted by Doublethink (# 1984) on :

Maybe something bergamotty ?

Posted by Vulpior (# 12744) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Doublethink:
How does one manage the interaction with shower gels and deodorants ? This I have never really understood.

I use fragrance-free deodorant for precisely this reason. And I don't go for strongly-fragranced soap or shower gel.

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

YSL things smell wonderful on other people but on mt they always smell like cat-pee - something to do with my skin, I suppose.

Posted by Niminypiminy (# 15489) on :

Firenze - might Annick Goutal's Ninfeo Mio fit the bill? Woody, green and citrussy?

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

I'll look out for that when a vacancy arises. At the mo', besides the 3 Diptyques, the Montale and the Penhaligon, I have Miller Harris Tuberose, Balenciaga Florabotanica, an Irish artisanal one (a gentle herbal-floral), the Lidl Chanel ripoff mentioned above, and Romea D'Ameor Great Inca Priestesses. This last is an untypical one for me being quite sweet, intense and vanilla-ish.

Plus a couple of dozen samples which I keep meaning to evaluate systematically.

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Nenya:

Just about every perfume I've ever tried smells horrible on me after a couple of hours so for years I've worn the only one that doesn't - Rive Gauche . It's become my signature perfume - both my kids say they're reminded of me when they smell it. I love the smell of a number of the perfumes other people have named, but only when they're on other people.

Ahhh memories - I wore that one in my early twenties.

I still remember the blue, black and silver bottles [Smile]

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
... just from being in the general vicinity for a couple of hours ...

When I worked in the art college in Belfast, we had a life-model who we only saw in the office once a week when she came in to sign for her salary-slip, but she wore a very lingering, sickly-sweet scent called, IIRC, Vanilla Fields, which would stay with us long after she'd gone.

[Ultra confused]

Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on :

Some article I read about scent said that the ingredients that make perfumes long lasting are very expensive, so the simple scent in things like body lotions, deodorants and soaps don't last much longer than it takes to get dressed.

Posted by The Intrepid Mrs S (# 17002) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Nenya:

Just about every perfume I've ever tried smells horrible on me after a couple of hours so for years I've worn the only one that doesn't - Rive Gauche . It's become my signature perfume - both my kids say they're reminded of me when they smell it. I love the smell of a number of the perfumes other people have named, but only when they're on other people.

Yes, I love Rive Gauche too, and would wear it with blue [Axe murder]

Unfortunately I now have only a small bottle of the perfume (about 30 years old!) which I am now working my way through - I much prefer a spray. At the moment I can't really justify buying more eau de toilette - though maybe for my birthday? [Devil]

Mrs. S - it's a sad woman who buys her own perfume

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

Several people have mentioned Poison. Don't take it personally, but that's one scent that makes me gag and want to put as much distance between me and the wearer as I can possibly manage. I could never understand why anyone found it alluring.

Shalimar, on the other hand . . . I am sure the streets of heaven are perfumed with it.

Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :

Another asthmatic who can't wear perfume or cope with many perfumes near me - it makes it difficult to breathe. That said I'm wearing Crabtree and Evelyn's Lily of the Valley today, and I used to wear their vanilla, but they aren't doing it plain any longer but mixing it with something I can't cope with.

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:
... Poison ... makes me gag and want to put as much distance between me and the wearer as I can possibly manage.

I used to have a colleague who felt like that about Poison; I really can't remember what it smelt like. Having said that, the same colleague turned up one day drenched in Youth Dew, and it gave me the most God-awful headache, which lasted so long I had to miss a planned evening out with friends because I was so ill.

[Projectile]

Posted by St Everild (# 3626) on :

Coty's L'Aimant takes me right back to childhood - my mum didn't like the smell of baby powder, so she used this in talc form on both me and my sister...
Mum herself always wore something called "Tweed" which I haven't actually seen or smelled for years.

I like Clinique's Aromatics Elixir (only the parfum and the shower cream - I'm not keen on the body lotion.) And I prefer it when it has "matured" a bit, not when it is newly-sprayed.

I also like Clarins's Eau Dynamisante, which is what I am currently wearing.

I would like to find something similar but different, just for a change, but so far I haven't been successful. My last attempt was with the Guerlain family of fragrances. Nothing stood out to me as being "my" new perfume...

Someone gave me Thierry Mugler's Angel a few years ago/ People apparently either love it or hate it..., me, I simply cannot decide if I like it or not.

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:

They say smell is the most evocative of senses, so what do the bottles on the dressing table mean to you?

Oh my! The right scent drives me mad. I was at a faire with a friend who was trying oils and had me judge. One caused me to utter a completely unconscious, throaty growl.
I tend to like vanilla's and musks. Lotions, because of their lighter scent, I prefer to perfume.
Lotions
The Body Shop Duo Body Butter, Bliss Vanilla + Bergmot Body Buff, Lavanila Laboratories The Healthy Body Butter Vanilla Coconut
Perfume, Kiehl's Since 1851 Original Musk Body Lotion
Theo Fennell Scent, Guerlain Jicky, Spirituese Double Vanille, Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille

Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on :

When I was younger, I tried a few perfumes: I quite liked one with musk (that dates me doesn't it? [Eek!]

)but then I broke out with a skin rash.

I detest lilac smells indoors, and quite abhor Brut. Someone showed up one day with it and I quietly asked some of the more tactful women I supervised to ask him to please never wear it again to work.

A quiet dab of perfume is surely all that is needed. What is this compulsion to drench oneself in it?

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

quote:
Originally posted by St Everild:

Mum herself always wore something called "Tweed" which I haven't actually seen or smelled for years.

Still soldiering on.

Btw, can I recommend Perfumes: the Guide by Turin & Sanchez.

This is part of their remarks on Poison

"...the fragrance everyone loves to hate, the beast that defined the eighties, the perfume that cost me a couple of friendships and one good working relationship. It is also unquestionably the best dressed-up, syrupy tuberose in history..."

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :

I thought patchouli was the scent everyone loves to hate.

Bad hippie! Patchouli is not a substitute for bathing.

Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :

quote:
Originally posted by PeteC:
A quiet dab of perfume is surely all that is needed. What is this compulsion to drench oneself in it?

I remember discussing a film that had "smell o vision"... fragrances were let into the theater. The problem is that people have an order of magnitude difference in how sensitive they are to fragrance. So a level that one person could barely smell makes someone else nauseous with the strength.

Years ago I worked for a small company in Boston. The high school dropout shipping boy and the president of the company both wore eye-watering amounts of perfume such that you could smell them coming 30 feet off.

Posted by Hilda of Whitby (# 7341) on :

I have some really lovely Chanel parfums--No. 5, Cuir de Russie, Bois des Iles. These are gorgeous but a bit too much for the humid summers here. Cuir de Russie is my go-to winter fragrance.

For summer I have Chanel No. 19 Eau de Parfum, Vetiver Pour Elle by Guerlain, and Cefiro by Floris--those are wonderful light fragrances. Oh, and let's not forget that old classic, No. 4711--if kept in the fridge, it is just delicious to spritz on when coming in from the heat.

I also have Arpege--love the bottle and the old-fashioned scent. That one I wear in fall and winter.

I have some Chypre by Coty from the 1980s, which I like a lot . I don't have anything else quite like it. I got a very small sample of even older Coty Chypre--it's a knockout.

My most treasured fragrances are vintage Gold by Amouage, and some vintage Tabac Blond by Coty. I am rationing these, trust me.

I got heavily into perfume last year, bought tons of vintage samples from various places and read up on perfume like a maniac. A lot of the classic perfumes have been reformulated due to environmental or animal protection concerns. I am all for that. It's true, though, that the vintage versions of certain fragrances pack a wallop that the modern reformulations just don't.

Posted by SimonRockman (# 18155) on :

I appreciate that this is going to take the thread off topic and that’s probably a poor citizen thing to do with my first post but I’d like to share a story with you about perfume.

About six years ago my wife, Diana, and I were on holiday in France, staying in a friend’s house with a mutual friend, Karen. My wife, Karen and some other friends went to Grasse for the day where they visited a perfume factory.

Karen and Diana, two beautiful women, learned how to make perfume and composed their own fragrances. The factory made up samples to Karen and Diana’s recipes. I first knew Karen when she was a dancer, but by the time of our trip to France she had become a doctor working for BUPA. She always liked a challenge. That grew to become a humanitarian one and she went to do incredible work in Afghanistan. Where she was tracked by the Taliban and killed.

In March 2012 Diana and I were back in France, she had been diagnosed with cancer and we took the opportunity of a romantic week away to just enjoy each other’s company. But Diana wanted to do something special for Karen’s mother so we revisited the factor and got them to re-make the one-off perfume Karen had created and Diana also got her perfume made up.

A few days after we returned to the UK Diana got ill, but all the time she was in hospital he implored me to send the perfume to Karen’s mother. I was too concerned about Diana’s health.

It was a well-founded concern. Diana succumbed to pneumonia, chemotherapy left her too weak to fight it and she died. I gave Karen’s mother her daughters perfume, and Diana’s mother also go the perfume from her dead daughter.

It’s bittersweet. It’s nice to remember people by their photographs, videos, paintings, writings and recordings but perfume gave two women an opportunity to remember their children by the smells they had created.

Simon

Posted by Banner Lady (# 10505) on :

Wow, that's some first post Simon. I guess it is going to take some time for the pain to go out of those aromas. Bittersweet perfumes indeed, but I think most women would probably love to be remembered as a unique and lingering fragrance. What amazing women. May their memory and legacy be eternal.

I had no idea ordinary citizens could have their own perfume made up and filed. Mine would have violet undertones, but then, I probably would not be able to wear it, as my husband of 35 years is allergic to perfume. (Think Mr.Bean crawling through the scent department on the floor of a department store and you've got it). It really does leave him gasping for breath - just another reason he avoids crowded places.

But early in our marriage I read somewhere that people who were allergic to perfumes could often tolerate the smell of natural oils.
So I dragged him off to our nearest purveyor of natural perfume oils from the East and we went through the entire stand to see what pleased us both.

There were two that he liked: Sandalwood, and Frankincense. Having been children of the 60's sandalwood was a little too redolent of hippydom for either of us. But I have worn Frankincense or Frankincense blended with Myrrh for 3 decades now.

A friend of mine has a perfume that is based on a rose incense used by the orthodoxen. I think it is very beautiful, but her son claims it makes her smell like a smoky barbecue, and hates it.
Perfume is obviously an odd and subjective thing.

Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :

BL, a large department store in Sydney used to have its perfume department on ground floor near the entrance and also near escalators to upper floors. Most perfumes give me a headache. I would take a deep breath, very deep, enter shop and sprint to escalator where I held my breath till I reached floor above.

It's not that I don't like perfume. Most of it gives me a migraine very quickly, although essential oils in a light perfume are usually fine.

I was given some expensive stuff once. A quick sniff made me overcome my thoughts and I sprayed a bit on a wrist. Big mistake. Massive migraine and although I washed my wrist thoroughly, I could still smell it days later. I don't know if it is the actual perfume, or some of the fixatives or other ingredients. I no longer try anything. Someone mentioned Tweed up the thread. It used to be good, but I think that although it smells similar to the Tweed of my youth, the ingredients have changed. It is now a migraine trigger.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

Welcome to The Ship, Simon.

Only the actions of the just
Smell sweet, and blossom in their dust.

Your post may have taken us further into perfume than the cosmetic, but that's fair enough. Scent is very evocative of memories, both happy and sad and both.

On a Hostly note, take time to stroll the decks: you'll see we have a range from light to serious to sulphurous.

Happy sailing.

Firenze
Heaven Host

Posted by Hilda of Whitby (# 7341) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
Scent is very evocative of memories, both happy and sad and both.

I'll say. My beloved oldest brother was killed in a car accident in Austin, Texas in 1977. In 1981, I moved to Austin. His widow had packed up his clothing and let me have a couple of his shirts. They still smelled like him. I was in tears; it was like he was still alive.

I slept with those shirts until they didn't smell like him any more.

Definitely, scent is incredibly evocative.

Posted by Banner Lady (# 10505) on :

Loth, the most beautiful essential oil I have ever come across was Lotus oil. My sister came back after visiting a perfumery in Egypt, and while all the other passengers on her tour were buying blended perfumes she chose to bring home a tiny bottle of straight Lotus oil. Apparently always used as a base note because of its intensity and expense, I thought it the most exquisite thing I'd ever smelled.

Now I understand why it was so prized in Middle Eastern cultures.

Posted by Meerkat (# 16117) on :

As a male Meerkat, I like Eau de Earwig or Scent of Slowworm! [Killing me]

Seriously, I like Givenchy's "Pi" and Thierry Mugler's "Amen”. The latter lingers longer!

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Banner Lady:
Having been children of the 60's sandalwood was a little too redolent of hippydom for either of us.

Maybe the hippies knew something back then: Sandalwood scent facilitates wound healing and skin regeneration.

Posted by Banner Lady (# 10505) on :

Frankincense and Myrrh also have many wonderful properties. I suspect most essential oils do. So if you struggle with perfume, there is a world of natural blessing to explore if you wish to. Often much cheaper too!

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

A great post on youth and fragrance and what is outdated to some but not others is here. For example, I was born in 1989 so I associate patchouli with modern fruity florals (which they are often a base note for), not hippies.

I love, love, love Shalimar - just perfection. I also love Estee Lauder Cinnabar, and happy to wear it for daytime. My skin amplifies sweetness and spice, and I find florals difficult to wear because they go weird or disappear. Chanel No5 is dreadful on me, and No19 is grass and metal and not much else. Rive Gauche just goes soapy. I like some orange blossom scents though - if you like JPG Classique you'll probably like Elie Saab EdP, very pretty. I am definitely a Guerlainade fan, though I prefer L'Heure Bleue to Mitsouko - Mitsouko is nice but for some reason very Christmassy on me. L'Heure Bleue is really interesting and subtle.

Niminypiminy, I love Nose and use them all the time. And Tauer fragrances are wonderful! Have you tried any Arabian fragrances, or Serge Lutens?

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Fineline:
I hate perfume. But I like the smell of Karma soap from Lush.

There are many perfumes that smell similar to Karma though - and Lush make Karma in fragrance form.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

Patchouli, oh dear. I used to love that and after a few free dabs of it in successive visits to a shop, I eventually treated myself to a small bottle of it and immediately put some on. Inevitably, I forgot to close the bottle as tightly as it needed, so it leaked badly on the way home. By the time I got home my bag and I reeked of it, the things in the bag had to be thrown out, and I couldn't seem to get rid of the smell, which lingered for days. I've loathed it ever since.

The Body Shop used to do a nice range of tiny bottles of interesting scents. I still have their Japanese Musk, which is quite pleasant. But today I have Yardley's Orange-Blossom. I used to wear this a lot until I got fed up with it, but am now coming back to it again.

[ 12. July 2014, 20:20: Message edited by: Ariel ]

Posted by Starbug (# 15917) on :

The Body Shop's White Musk is gorgeous.

Posted by Doublethink (# 1984) on :

All this talk of perfume has encouraged me to dig out the one bottle I have, Body Shop Bergamot cologne spray.

It must be at least 10 years old, but it smells much as I remember it.

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Jade Constable:
A great post on youth and fragrance and what is outdated to some but not others is here. For example, I was born in 1989 so I associate patchouli with modern fruity florals (which they are often a base note for), not hippies.

I was born in the mid '50s so I remember patchouli becoming popular, and the reason, it masks the smell of dope smoke. I associate patchouli not so much with hippies but with dope smoking.

My scent is Calvin Klein Eternity, as I prefer the no alcohol non irritating after-shave balms. My skin is so sensitive that most of the non-irritating deodorants irritate me, and those I can use can only be used in small quantities, so that what is supposed to be 48 hour protection will only last 8 hours at best.

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Doublethink:
All this talk of perfume has encouraged me to dig out the one bottle I have, Body Shop Bergamot cologne spray.

It must be at least 10 years old, but it smells much as I remember it.

Bergamot if fine as a perfume, just don't add it to tea. That is outrage.

Posted by Doublethink (# 1984) on :

Heretic, Earl Grey is the only tea worth drinking !

Posted by Doublethink (# 1984) on :

What I want now is bergamot shower gel.

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Doublethink:
What I want now is bergamot shower gel.

Boots have frustratingly discontinued their lovely one - Palmolive do a bergamot and verbena one which is heavier on bergamot. Also this.

Posted by Doublethink (# 1984) on :

Ta muchly.

Posted by Niminypiminy (# 15489) on :

Jade, I loved that post on teen perfumes. It reminds me seeing two boys in their early teens looking at Lynx in the supermarket, and saying 'oh, this stuff is gorgeous'.

The only Serge Lutens I know is Bois de Femininite, which I quite like, although I'm really not a fan of fruity perfumes. I'd like to try his Bois de Violette though. My favourite woody perfumes at the moment are Chanel Bois des Iles (my sample has run out, though, alas, and I haven't managed to find another one), and Guerlain Samsara, which I own a bottle of.

I love Guerlain, although not all of them. I can't wear L'heure Bleue at all, but like Mitsouko. My favourite is Chamade which is my default scent.

Posted by Doublethink (# 1984) on :

I would assume a major goal for teen perfume, is to mask the smell of Clearasil.

Posted by Mrs Shrew (# 8635) on :

My skin is slightly sensitive to perfume but I fi d spraying it on a hairbrush and brushing lightly through my hair means I can smell it all day with no skin irritation.

Hopefully this also means it is not too strong for those around - like others up thread I find it very difficult when people in my office insist on drenching in perfume - one girl refreshes it two or three times a day, making me wheeze (I don't have asthma but do get hayfever and similar allergies).

My scents of choice are Chanel no 5 and Lush Karma.

I hate patchouli, it smells of rotting mouldy trainers to me.

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Mrs Shrew:
My skin is slightly sensitive to perfume but I fi d spraying it on a hairbrush and brushing lightly through my hair means I can smell it all day with no skin irritation.

Hopefully this also means it is not too strong for those around - like others up thread I find it very difficult when people in my office insist on drenching in perfume - one girl refreshes it two or three times a day, making me wheeze (I don't have asthma but do get hayfever and similar allergies).

My scents of choice are Chanel no 5 and Lush Karma.

I hate patchouli, it smells of rotting mouldy trainers to me.

I'm a bit puzzled - Lush Karma is heavy on patchouli [Confused]

It's basically patchouli and orange.

Posted by St Everild (# 3626) on :

As a teen, I also wore Je Reviens by Worth.

Posted by Mrs Shrew (# 8635) on :

Good spot! My apologies!

I take it back (I had always thought karma smelt of jasmine but Google says I am wrong.) in which case, something else, which is often in other products than Karma that have patchouli in, which I had previously believed to be patchouli, smells like mouldy trainers.

*goes back to drawing board to find out what That. Thing. That. Smells. Bad. is*

Posted by Banner Lady (# 10505) on :

Love the idea of spritzing a hairbrush with perfume. I've never tried turning an oil into a spritz. Anyone else here done that?

I was told many years ago that the only pulse point worth putting scent on was the hollow of the neck, as that helps to warm the oil and carry it to the olfactory senses. Dabbing scent on the wrists might be nice if you sniff your wrists all the time, but is otherwise not particularly useful or long lasting. No idea if that is true, but it does sound reasonable.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

Depends how much you want other people to smell it - since you wave your arms about more.

Posted by Drifting Star (# 12799) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Mrs Shrew:
Good spot! My apologies!

I take it back (I had always thought karma smelt of jasmine but Google says I am wrong.) in which case, something else, which is often in other products than Karma that have patchouli in, which I had previously believed to be patchouli, smells like mouldy trainers.

*goes back to drawing board to find out what That. Thing. That. Smells. Bad. is*

I think patchouli is one of those scents that can smell very different depending on what else is in the mix. Of course people smell things very differently anyway, so one person might smell the components of a fragrance whilst another smells the overall blend.

I like patchouli as a very small addition to a fragrance that would otherwise be a bit sweet or cloying, but not on its own.

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

Strange memory last night of the first time I visited a gay bar, sometime in the mid to late 1960s, and the whole place reeked of Brut - YUK!

[Projectile]

These days I don't think any self-respecting gay man would dream of using it.

eta: I wonder if Henry Cooper knew about its then reputation.

Splash it all over!

[ 14. July 2014, 09:50: Message edited by: Welease Woderwick ]

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Mrs Shrew:
Good spot! My apologies!

I take it back (I had always thought karma smelt of jasmine but Google says I am wrong.) in which case, something else, which is often in other products than Karma that have patchouli in, which I had previously believed to be patchouli, smells like mouldy trainers.

*goes back to drawing board to find out what That. Thing. That. Smells. Bad. is*

In Lush, Godiva shampoo bar and Flying Fox shower gel smell of jasmine. Lust perfume and Silky Underwear dusting powder smell of jasmine and rose.

Depending on what the fragrance is, it could be something like coriander causing the Bad Smell - but if you like Chanel No5 I don't think it is (I cannot wear Chanel No5 as it smells like rotting flowers on me, and I think it's the coriander). What fragrances have you tried and not liked?

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Banner Lady:
Love the idea of spritzing a hairbrush with perfume. I've never tried turning an oil into a spritz. Anyone else here done that?

I was told many years ago that the only pulse point worth putting scent on was the hollow of the neck, as that helps to warm the oil and carry it to the olfactory senses. Dabbing scent on the wrists might be nice if you sniff your wrists all the time, but is otherwise not particularly useful or long lasting. No idea if that is true, but it does sound reasonable.

Depends on the strength of the fragrance IME - I have some very strong, very heavy orientals (stuff like Odin or Serge Lutens) that I wear dabbed on the wrist, as if dabbed on the neck it's a bit overwhelming.

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
... I wonder if Henry Cooper knew about its then reputation ...

I've lived a very sheltered life - I didn't know it had that sort of "reputation". I remember liking it*, and even buying a ladies' scent called (IIRC) Gingham because it smelt similar ... [Hot and Hormonal]

* I was a teenager, it was the 1970s - of course I didn't have any taste. [Big Grin]

Posted by Drifting Star (# 12799) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Jade Constable:
Depending on what the fragrance is, it could be something like coriander causing the Bad Smell - but if you like Chanel No5 I don't think it is (I cannot wear Chanel No5 as it smells like rotting flowers on me, and I think it's the coriander). What fragrances have you tried and not liked?

I'm pretty sure Chanel No 5 doesn't contain coriander. It's a revolting idea!

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Drifting Star:

quote:
Originally posted by Jade Constable:
Depending on what the fragrance is, it could be something like coriander causing the Bad Smell - but if you like Chanel No5 I don't think it is (I cannot wear Chanel No5 as it smells like rotting flowers on me, and I think it's the coriander). What fragrances have you tried and not liked?
I'm pretty sure Chanel No 5 doesn't contain coriander. It's a revolting idea!

You're right (I think I was thinking of Coco), but coriander (seed, that is) is a very common ingredient in perfumery - it has a spicy citrus aroma, it doesn't smell like leaf coriander smells or tastes.

I can see some perfumes I like contain coriander, and most of Chanel No5's notes are ones I like in other perfumes, so I think it may be the aldehydes spoiling it for me.

Posted by Niminypiminy (# 15489) on :

I find aldehydes very difficult nowadays. In the 80s I used to wear White Linen which is full of them, and now I can't bear it at all. Make my nose and head ache.

Chanel no 5 is a very aldehydic perfume -- they make it sparkling and perfume-y; Rive Gauche is another classic aldehyde-heavy scent, and so is Chanel no 19.

Today, on the other hand, I'm wearing Tauer's Une Rose Chypree, which to me smells like wild roses in a damp wood, with lots of moss and earth and fallen leaves around. It's a baking hot day, and it reminds me of the coolth of woods in this weather.

Posted by Persephone Hazard (# 4648) on :

I am a big fan of perfume - I own about a hundred different scents, actually - but I really don't get on with most of the mass-produced, watered-down eau de parfum types that are filled with alcohol to make them sprayable.

I much prefer perfume oils; they have a wider variety of scents, they dry down more interestingly and they last longer. They also don't all smell of alcohol!

The usual place to start with these is the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab; they were once the biggest and best, but perhaps have suffered a little from their widespread success. They're still the best place to begin, though, probably, and they have some truly wonderful things - Cathedral and Queen of Sheba are my favourites, but there's something for everyone.

The ones I get complimented on the most are from One Hand Washes The Other, but there are many many many more indie retailers making and selling truly glorious things.

There's also a whole perfume community that is full of lovely, friendly, welcoming people and organises swaps and sales and gives advice and all sorts.

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Niminypiminy:
I find aldehydes very difficult nowadays. In the 80s I used to wear White Linen which is full of them, and now I can't bear it at all. Make my nose and head ache.

Chanel no 5 is a very aldehydic perfume -- they make it sparkling and perfume-y; Rive Gauche is another classic aldehyde-heavy scent, and so is Chanel no 19.

Today, on the other hand, I'm wearing Tauer's Une Rose Chypree, which to me smells like wild roses in a damp wood, with lots of moss and earth and fallen leaves around. It's a baking hot day, and it reminds me of the coolth of woods in this weather.

Maybe it's the aldehydes plus the 'warmer' notes in No5 that I dislike so much. Rive Gauche and No19 are not what I'd choose but they don't smell awful as such on me, just quite flat and one-dimensional.

Posted by Kitten (# 1179) on :

I've never really been one for perfumes, I tried a few of the Avon ones in my teens but the scent didn't last long on me, same with the imitation perfumes I tried at a time when money was very tight. For the last ten or so years I have stuck to lavender water.

However, on a whim last week I decided to order some proper, grown up perfume and ordered Sunflowers by Elizabeth Arden, mainly because I liked the name. I think I have actually found a perfume that suits me, I love the scent and it lasts, I put a little on my neck and wrists this morning and can still smell it on me

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

Goodonyer.

There are websites (some mentioned above) which will sell you samples for modest amounts, before you splurge on a whole bottle. Or you can tour the perfume counters (best done with a friend). Use the little cardboard strips for first spray - only put it on skin if you think it's a contender. And be shameless in asking if they have samples. Remember phrases like 'top notes' and 'dry down'.

Perfume is a pleasure, so enjoy.

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

Be aware that some sample sites like Nose specialise in niche brands - I much prefer them but they can be difficult to wear. This isn't meant to put you off, just as a heads-up. If you have a search on ebay, there are lots of samples and mini bottles from more mainstream brands. Also, go into Boots/department stores and have a sniff of everything - this is really helpful as you get an idea of what perfume houses you like as well as notes. M&S has a great perfume range nowadays with some nice designer dupes, as well as original own-brand perfumes and some smaller designer ranges.

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :

I remember reading somewhere that there's not much point in sniffing more than a couple of perfumes at one go, as you'll just confuse your nose, but like all things scent-related, this rule may not apply to everyone.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

I think capacity increases with knowledge. If you are sniffing on the basis of just like/don't like, then yes: but if you can analyse the notes you are smelling, and categorise the scents - floral, citrus, green, chypre etc - then you are less likely to be fatigued.

Posted by Persephone Hazard (# 4648) on :

Also it might look weird but sniffing coffee beans works well as a palate cleanser.

Posted by Jemima the 9th (# 15106) on :

I honestly can't tell you just how happy this thread makes me. Thanks for those links Persephone Hazard - I really really really want lots of things from the Black Phoenix place now.

*happy sigh*

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :

Wearing perfume samples is the most important thing - it needs the warmth of your skin to bring out its proper scent, and also so you can see whether it works with your skin chemistry or not. Sometimes things that smell good in the bottle smell awful on you, and vice versa (I find that women's clothing often works the same way!).

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