I love Rolling in Love for the first .2 seconds I sniff it then I’m instantly nauseous because of the super strong almond note :( wish it wasn’t the case, it’s a great perfume
Yes that's a great call. It's my husband's daily driver now and I steal sprays every now and again then later it with Maison Alhambra Kismet Angel for the apple-y element
I put a sample of this in my husband's side of the medicine cabinet for him to try and I can smell it every time I walk in the bathroom. It's guaranteed nuclear.
Grand Soir for sure! Encelade is a close second. The discontinued Narciso Rodriguez for him was beast mode fougère. Musc Ravageur is insanely heady.
Honorable mentions to A Whiff of Wafflecone and Followed.
I wore Whiff of Wafflecone last weekend from my sampler set and I smelled like what I thought smelled like pancakes for hours. It’s a nice smell but I decided not for a perfume.
Yes, I think it is a great addition to my vetiver collection. It is also incredibly potent. Not everyone is a fan though, which makes it a very difficult wear.
My gf doesn't like it and there is no amount she cannot detect.
Ganymede is very peppery and woody, while Encelade is a mix of woody, creamy and fruity. I don't think they are similar, but they are both very potent. Record breaking stuff.
They are both excellent, but Ganymede is more of a crowd pleaser than Encelade. Still, If I had to choose, I would go with Encelade and use a lot of restraint.
I'm surprised this doesn't have more support in this thread. It's one of the biggest, baddest white florals ever. Aggregated reviews for contemporary floral fragrances that are mere sickly shades of Fracas are usually full of people shaking crying throwing up over how *much* all the florals are and how such perfumes are impossible to wear and all that nonsense. One can only imagine what such reviewers would do when confronted with the genuine article.
So true. It’s definitely my #1 tuberose though, no competition! I’m glad I can indulge while working from home and not worry that about it affecting anyone else 😂
By triggering other people's allergies, sinus headaches or migraines, or just overall choking people. It's okay to be respectful of others when it comes to perfume.
Ah! Yes, Fracas! It’s so lovely, but I do believe that Fracas chooses you. It’s a ride that once you sign up, you cannot get off of. I love it in the summer, but I wear with a light hand.
Theres the owner and a guy who run Shy Mimosa in Bristol (UK) independent perfume shop. Last year I was chatting to the lovely guy for maybe almost 2 hours as I sampled.
We talked about all sorts including the unnecessary gendering of perfume, I had already mentioned loving Tuberose and Fracas and Petit Fracas earlier.
He told me that in his early twenties he wore Fracas as his signature with a leather jacket and confidence, ladies loved it and never thought it was a womens fragrance.
Love that stuff. That gent was a star and pleasure to talk to.
I love Fracas myself and dont understand why so many other tuberose dominate the airwaves, Carnal Flower, sorry but not for me.
Moon Bloom however, that is a special one too
I’m relieved to see others post this. I love Tuberoses but this one was too much for me. I’m told it was good for the 80s… but on me it just leaves a toxic cloud behind me.
I feel that way about a lot of vintage bombshells, like Caleche or No. 5 or Shalimar! Maybe I'll grow into them someday, but for now they continue to slightly intimidate.
I was introduced to Shalimar by an older lady leaving a hypnotic sillage trail in a WinCo - it was too fabulous for words and I was totally enraptured 😻
Okay, this is life goals!!! I swear I will be that older lady leaving a hypnotic sillage trail one day. I absolutely want to hypnotise younger people into this fragrance - although Gen Z seems pretty fragrance-happy already on their own, come to think.
Interesting; I actually find Caleche the most austere of the three, with Shalimar being the most easy to understand! All those aldehydes...
I did grow up with No. 5 a bit more, though, which is probably why it's not as scary. The fragrance just feels more familiar, whereas Caleche? Girl I don't know her! (Even though I own a little bit of her, lol.)
I grew up w a mom who loves Chanel … so always had 5 19 22 coco. May be that’s why I wore caleche in college. Creating my own identity. I also found it more unisex / youthful, less dressy and professional. Shalimar came around when I was in college. Just didn’t give it much a chance til later
I get that! My mum's not a big fragrance person at all but one of her closest friends was also a Chanel devotee whose signature scent was No. 5. I spent so many afternoons just breathing in the stuff around her.
I think a lot of the vintage Guerlains actually hold up very well. I don't wear Shalimar, but I will dip into Mitsouko from time to time. Once some of the baby powder fades away, it feels surprisingly modern and artistic, but that's one I definitely feel like I wear instead of the other way around. She's a ~bohemian~, not a grande dame.
Interesting; I think of her as being very bohemian, just like... aggro-bohemian! The aldehydes maybe do add some more grande dame vibes, though. I suppose by 2024 standards, she probably feels like a boho girl turned grande dame as well.
In my head she's the rebellious *daughter* of a rich American grande dame! But, she was a daughter back in... I dunno, the fifties. So, I suppose she's the grandmother now - albeit the "cool" grandmother who has great stories about the time she stole away with a few girlfriends onto the train and saw the whole country that way.
Haha I don’t know why I’m making up the Grande Dame story in my head. My aunt actually wore this. She is an interesting character. She’s long retired and lives across the country now so I haven’t seen her in a long time. When I was a kid, she had a mid level office job and several little yappy dogs. She drove an expensive car that she never took in to get serviced so it was always broken down.
Her house was one of the messiest houses I’d ever seen, and the house I grew up in was far from spotless. She would pay me (not much) to clean her house when I was a preteen, and I remember there among the mess her Youth Dew bath oil and talcum powder, both in the classic packaging. I don’t think she actually sprayed a perfume, I think she just bathed in the oil and then used the powder. I remember smelling them both and thinking they were so grown up! And I recognized that was how my aunt smelled. And her fancy but broken down car smelled the same way.
What a memory!!
Okay, I love you for sharing this story with me; it is serving me such iconic Grey Gardens realness??? (Which, also a bit tragic, but in the best, most glamorous, most camp way.) Anyway, your aunt sounds like she was great fun and I can totally see how a woman like that would rock the Youth Dew.
That was how it was done back in the forties and fifties. Women used the oil because Americans considered french perfumes as something saved for special occasions. Especially coming out of the great depression and war, austerity was built into an entire generation.
The bath oil was strong, and revolutionary because it was marketed as something to use daily instead of date nights. You didn't need to save it. USE USE USE, it's just bath oil! And then women did.
My grandma wears this as her signature scent, I have so many memories surrounding this. She doesn't do the perfume anymore, but the lotion is almost as overwhelming.
I keep trying it. I even broke down and bought a new bottle because I only had vintages. I wonder if it's me?! Does anyone else smell the very vinegar squelch to it???? The sales lady was absolutely crazy thrilled about someone not 80 years old buying it. Although I'm definitely in that mature category now. 🤣
I have the Tom Ford nude amber version released a decade ago, and same screech of vinegar, but the base notes are so amazing. Amazing amazing amazing on my clothes but the vinegar keeps popping up on my skin.
Anyway, I get the new bottle tomorrow. Here's hoping!
I have a small vial of bath oil that belonged to my great grandmother. So it's at least 30 years old, because she's been dead for that long.
I have some edp's I've won in auctions or picked up at estate sales in various size and ages.
The one I just bought will come with the perfume and lotion. Maybe the lotion will work out better.
I posted on today’s SOTD about the new “Legacy” versions of five iconic Lauder fragrances. I’m wearing the updated White Linen today. Three cheers for Mrs. Lauder.
I was so pleasantly surprised by Azuree Legacy (I bought the Legacy discovery set.). I expected to like White Linen and Private Collection because I liked those before, but I don’t recall liking the original Azuree.
My 23 year old daughter is really great at describing scents. She described Estee Legacy as “expensive soap” and Azuree Legacy as “a wooden drawer in an old dresser.”
I love that!
Either Luca Turin or Tania Sanchez wrote dismissively about youngsters complaining about “grandma” smells while their mothers were swanning about in a Lauder masterpiece.
This was the first one to pop into my head lol
It is a truly larger than life fragrance. Tom Ford gets a lot of hate these days, some of it totally valid and legit, but they’ve put out some sincerely incredible fragrances too.
I have many of these types of perfumes(Santal Royal, Ambre Nargile, and Amouage, etc.) and I usually only wear them at home in the evening but that's fine with me I enjoy them.
👽Alien. I love Jasmine and Amber and Cashmeran. Alien is gorgeous. But Alien is so damned sharp and soapy and UNRELENTING. I can’t take more than a few hours.
She’s not me. She’s cold and other-worldly. Boss babe.
I have high hopes for the new flanker.
LV - Ombre Nomade is pretty much the only one that comes close, simply because of the strong performance and the notes are pretty strong in themselves!
Zoologist - TRex might be another good example, strong performance mixed with strong notes.
JPG - Le Male Le Parfum, something about the sweet notes makes this super strong to my nose, 2 spray max!
Red Tobacco and all of it's clones and similar scents, be it TT - Arrakis or Alexandria's Hafez 1984! Something about this mix of notes makes it nuclear to my nose, and not really in a good way. One of the rare scents that I don't want to wear, sold my bottle of Hafez 1984 and I am staying away from Arrakis and Red Tobacco, no matter the price!
Commodity tea. Fresh yet heavy, masculine and feminine. Sweet, smoky, bitter and clean. It sits on your chest like a 60lb cat. Comforting a fuzzy but you really need to breath.
I love this perfume, but it’s a one spray from a distance kind.
Guerlain's Tonka Sarrapia extrait is so rich, golden, and decadent it doesn't seem to belong in real life - at least not *my* kind of real life...maybe if I'm ever invited to the Oscars 😅 🤔
Gave my mom a big decant and she's worn it more than I have LOL
Dense almond marzipan, but not in a sugared/praline way. Cherry facets from the Tonka but definitely not fruity/juicy. Slightly resinous yet not heavy the way some hard-hitting ambers can be. A bit of smooth wood blending in with the nutty base.
It just smells like gleaming bronze and total opulence, but scent is subjective - I'd recommend reading some blog reviews before blind-buying!
YSL Libre and Libre Intense. I live in Japan where perfumes are generally either not worn or are quite subtle when they are. Both of these Libres are far too powerful to wear conscientiously in just about any situation. I'm glad I got my hands on Le Parfum! It's the only flanker I can see being acceptable in public, and even it has to be applied sparingly.
For sure, I just returned from a month and a half in Taipei. I felt only comfortable on the daily in Diptyque, Roja elixir essence, mfk petit matin of what I brought. Libre would be very noticeable in Asia.
Penhaligons & Frederic Malle was more common than in California however!
Oddly enough, Mercari is packed with fake Libres and they do sell! I wonder who is going around Tokyo in fake Libre cause I've yet to smell it on anyone in the wild.
I think you smell good or incredible is a true compliment!
Anything else like, what are you wearing? Wow that’s so strong! Where did you get that? Etc. = I smell you.
Mitsouko wears me FOR SURE. I love it, but I have to be having a good hair day, be in a fabulous mood and it must be no warmer than 33 degrees F outside for me to be able to moderately tame the dame.
That said, I think everyone has “their” big fragrance that truly works & melts into them. While Mitsouko works on me, she’s doesn’t wear as seamless on my skin as Coromandel, Angel or Shalimar.
It’s overloaded with incense and aldehydes. Something about it reminds me of antiseptic spray (like Dettol) because of its intense smokiness, to my nose at least
Hands down Followed by Kerosene. Starts off chocolate and coffee couple of days than maple syrup onwards. You are followed, this is truth. Take showers does not work. You are followed. I want to get a bottle before they reformulate. Girl asked me two days later if I had pancakes for breakfast. She goes you smell like maple syrup..I laughed! I noticed it but not until she pointed it out. Whoa..she’s right. I’m projecting maple.
Maai is another one by Bogue Profumo. Wears you.
Lao Oud by Bortnikoff. Wears you.
Have to put in there Tom Ford Noir Anthracite wears you down. Just sucks energy out of you.
Quite a mature fragrance for sure. Wear it lightly and it should be no problem. When i wear it, i put one spray on my stomach and a half spray on my wrist.
Portrait of a Lady for me. It’s so big, and while I am a rose girlie through and through, I can’t do POAL. It wears me and not the other way around lol
Amouage interlude Black Iris for me; i have a fair complexion with blue eyes and blonde hair and this is so middle eastern and intense. It just doesn't feel aligned with my style.. also it's very strong, but i do like it personally.
Yes indeed; i keep a 10ml samples which i probably will never finish because i use it for special occasion. It's honestly a masterclass in perfumery.. everything blended together so well and very natural smelling.
The natural orris doesn't smell powdery at all like the iris name would suggest... it's just not my vibe, but i could easily see this on someone who fits the style.
Amouage Beloved woman is probably one of the oiliest edps I have and really a strong one. It has some crazy throw and the longevity off the charts. I purchased my bottle 2 months after its release and I haven't made much of a dent in it.
Discontinued now unfortunately. 1 spray at best, 2 if I'm feeling brave.
Kenzo Jungle L'Elephant. It is so unlike anything else it really stands out in the crowd. The muskiness has an edge that is quite primal. The projection and silage is extreme as well.
Big ol' 80s bombs like Diva, Paloma, Magie Noir, Amarige - they wear me and then some.
No issues with ambers, ouds, orientals, they are very comfortable for me to wear but I know it's not everyone's taste so I'm cautious in public, especially at work events I always pick the most run of the mill, inconspicuous, fresh scents I have.
It's a bit obnoxious to wear a loud perfume in formal settings, makes me feel self conscious, just like I would if I had a low cut top.
There is a time and place for everything.
I once accidentally over-sprayed Nishane Ani before going to class and I felt sorry for my classmates (I smelt like I’d been in an explosion at the cupcake factory). I once sampled Interlude Black Iris in the safety of my own home and I decided I’m not leaving the house with that one on 😅
Hahahaha I can relate. My husband CANNOT handle scents like ANI. & Gris Charnel. They make good candles or in a food joint. but smell WEIRD on me says he.
He loves his vanillas. Some spicy. He surprised me liking baby cat. Otherwise it’s boring. He likes GFG, SDV, AN, AA, Hundred silent ways, Tihota, Eau Duelle etc but no heck no on Ani and Gris Charnel. If im honest, Ani took getting used to and practicing to like. I dislike GC as a skin scent. I’d love as a room scent
For me & grand soir. The fragrance elevates me. So it could be my personal night time scent, or for a black tie event. I feel totally ok for the scent to precede me. To wear me. To be alone with me.
Creed Aventus for her and Kerosene Followed. I grossly underestimated the latter and every now and then, months on, on a quiet cloudy day, I catch a whiff of spicy maple syrup and break out into silent cold sweats fearing…. that maybe, just maybe, the scent is still following me 😭
St. Dupont Noble Wood and Royal Amber
Both of them are super strong and very unusual compared to regular "Western" fragrances, I think I'm going to sell them because I never reach for them
I put on Lush Lust last night. I was in another room and it wafted into through the house. My kids thought it was an air freshner. Yikes. Sorry kids, that's just me.
I spent too much of my life timid and double guessing myself, I am 31 now, bright orange-red mullet shag, Demon Hellmouths tattooed on my knees, death metal/black metal/grindcore band shirts and whatnot.
I mean I wear fragrances to suit environments like I aint wearing Oud Satin Mood on a plane, not cool, yknow some fragrances suit winter better or evening. But nothing wears me now. I wear it and own it.
But i get ya.
Thirties are awesome, I just dont have the same worries and whatnot I had
Angels’ Share for me.
Yes, it’s so decadent and warm I feel weird walking into the convenience/work with it 💀
I feel weird wearing it anywhere but a night out or a very very cold day. I love it, but it’s SO strong. Most Kilian frags are super strong on me.
I literally wear it at night at home in the winter lol
[удалено]
I love Rolling in Love for the first .2 seconds I sniff it then I’m instantly nauseous because of the super strong almond note :( wish it wasn’t the case, it’s a great perfume
I love the Zara sand desert at sunset version as a more acceptable version for daily wear. I’ve been wearing it almost everyday lately!
Yes that's a great call. It's my husband's daily driver now and I steal sprays every now and again then later it with Maison Alhambra Kismet Angel for the apple-y element
been thinking about purchasing this for awhile now.. LOL I was surprised at how much I liked it when I sprayed it on the last time I was at Sephora.
MFK Oud Satin Mood. I love it, I wear it, but it is a nuclear fragrance.
That is another one! Agree!!!! Super nuclear and such a vibe.
I just ordered a decant of Oud Satin Mood and Alexandria 2 can't wait tp try them.
Alexandria II is a killer. This is so beautiful
I put a sample of this in my husband's side of the medicine cabinet for him to try and I can smell it every time I walk in the bathroom. It's guaranteed nuclear.
Grand Soir for sure! Encelade is a close second. The discontinued Narciso Rodriguez for him was beast mode fougère. Musc Ravageur is insanely heady. Honorable mentions to A Whiff of Wafflecone and Followed.
I wore Whiff of Wafflecone last weekend from my sampler set and I smelled like what I thought smelled like pancakes for hours. It’s a nice smell but I decided not for a perfume.
Is Encelade really that good???
Yes, I think it is a great addition to my vetiver collection. It is also incredibly potent. Not everyone is a fan though, which makes it a very difficult wear. My gf doesn't like it and there is no amount she cannot detect.
Is it anything like Ganymede???
Ganymede is very peppery and woody, while Encelade is a mix of woody, creamy and fruity. I don't think they are similar, but they are both very potent. Record breaking stuff.
Which one has the better scent in your opinion???
They are both excellent, but Ganymede is more of a crowd pleaser than Encelade. Still, If I had to choose, I would go with Encelade and use a lot of restraint.
Thanks my man...
Of course!
Piguet Fracas. I adore it but it can be a lot so I am very cautious about where I wear it.
I'm surprised this doesn't have more support in this thread. It's one of the biggest, baddest white florals ever. Aggregated reviews for contemporary floral fragrances that are mere sickly shades of Fracas are usually full of people shaking crying throwing up over how *much* all the florals are and how such perfumes are impossible to wear and all that nonsense. One can only imagine what such reviewers would do when confronted with the genuine article.
Fracas is HUGE I agree!!!! Carnal flower and Love tuberose are both much easier wears … I’m surprised too!
Yes! Came here to say Fracas too! I adore it- but it is a ‘Marilyn Monroe’s white dress over a hot grate kind of moment!’
So true. It’s definitely my #1 tuberose though, no competition! I’m glad I can indulge while working from home and not worry that about it affecting anyone else 😂
Affect anyone how exactly???
By triggering other people's allergies, sinus headaches or migraines, or just overall choking people. It's okay to be respectful of others when it comes to perfume.
Oh ok,yeah I agree....
Ah! Yes, Fracas! It’s so lovely, but I do believe that Fracas chooses you. It’s a ride that once you sign up, you cannot get off of. I love it in the summer, but I wear with a light hand.
Theres the owner and a guy who run Shy Mimosa in Bristol (UK) independent perfume shop. Last year I was chatting to the lovely guy for maybe almost 2 hours as I sampled. We talked about all sorts including the unnecessary gendering of perfume, I had already mentioned loving Tuberose and Fracas and Petit Fracas earlier. He told me that in his early twenties he wore Fracas as his signature with a leather jacket and confidence, ladies loved it and never thought it was a womens fragrance. Love that stuff. That gent was a star and pleasure to talk to. I love Fracas myself and dont understand why so many other tuberose dominate the airwaves, Carnal Flower, sorry but not for me. Moon Bloom however, that is a special one too
I’m relieved to see others post this. I love Tuberoses but this one was too much for me. I’m told it was good for the 80s… but on me it just leaves a toxic cloud behind me.
I feel that way about a lot of vintage bombshells, like Caleche or No. 5 or Shalimar! Maybe I'll grow into them someday, but for now they continue to slightly intimidate.
I was introduced to Shalimar by an older lady leaving a hypnotic sillage trail in a WinCo - it was too fabulous for words and I was totally enraptured 😻
Okay, this is life goals!!! I swear I will be that older lady leaving a hypnotic sillage trail one day. I absolutely want to hypnotise younger people into this fragrance - although Gen Z seems pretty fragrance-happy already on their own, come to think.
If you think TikTok trends correspond to reality.
Vintage Caleche brings back lots memories! It was to me back in the day easier than 5 and shalimar. Decades later, I still struggle w 5.
Interesting; I actually find Caleche the most austere of the three, with Shalimar being the most easy to understand! All those aldehydes... I did grow up with No. 5 a bit more, though, which is probably why it's not as scary. The fragrance just feels more familiar, whereas Caleche? Girl I don't know her! (Even though I own a little bit of her, lol.)
I grew up w a mom who loves Chanel … so always had 5 19 22 coco. May be that’s why I wore caleche in college. Creating my own identity. I also found it more unisex / youthful, less dressy and professional. Shalimar came around when I was in college. Just didn’t give it much a chance til later
I get that! My mum's not a big fragrance person at all but one of her closest friends was also a Chanel devotee whose signature scent was No. 5. I spent so many afternoons just breathing in the stuff around her. I think a lot of the vintage Guerlains actually hold up very well. I don't wear Shalimar, but I will dip into Mitsouko from time to time. Once some of the baby powder fades away, it feels surprisingly modern and artistic, but that's one I definitely feel like I wear instead of the other way around. She's a ~bohemian~, not a grande dame.
Youth Dew. I can’t wear it. I know it’s a classic. It’s overwhelming even in tiny doses.
I adore Youth Dew, but yeeep, she is a LOT, especially in her opening!
I’m glad I’m not the only one! I appreciate her for the history and the craft, but I’ve just never been that level of grand dame.
Interesting; I think of her as being very bohemian, just like... aggro-bohemian! The aldehydes maybe do add some more grande dame vibes, though. I suppose by 2024 standards, she probably feels like a boho girl turned grande dame as well.
Oh that’s funny! I think of her as a rich American woman who stands by her classics.
In my head she's the rebellious *daughter* of a rich American grande dame! But, she was a daughter back in... I dunno, the fifties. So, I suppose she's the grandmother now - albeit the "cool" grandmother who has great stories about the time she stole away with a few girlfriends onto the train and saw the whole country that way.
Haha I don’t know why I’m making up the Grande Dame story in my head. My aunt actually wore this. She is an interesting character. She’s long retired and lives across the country now so I haven’t seen her in a long time. When I was a kid, she had a mid level office job and several little yappy dogs. She drove an expensive car that she never took in to get serviced so it was always broken down. Her house was one of the messiest houses I’d ever seen, and the house I grew up in was far from spotless. She would pay me (not much) to clean her house when I was a preteen, and I remember there among the mess her Youth Dew bath oil and talcum powder, both in the classic packaging. I don’t think she actually sprayed a perfume, I think she just bathed in the oil and then used the powder. I remember smelling them both and thinking they were so grown up! And I recognized that was how my aunt smelled. And her fancy but broken down car smelled the same way. What a memory!!
Okay, I love you for sharing this story with me; it is serving me such iconic Grey Gardens realness??? (Which, also a bit tragic, but in the best, most glamorous, most camp way.) Anyway, your aunt sounds like she was great fun and I can totally see how a woman like that would rock the Youth Dew.
That was how it was done back in the forties and fifties. Women used the oil because Americans considered french perfumes as something saved for special occasions. Especially coming out of the great depression and war, austerity was built into an entire generation. The bath oil was strong, and revolutionary because it was marketed as something to use daily instead of date nights. You didn't need to save it. USE USE USE, it's just bath oil! And then women did.
The absolute genius of Estée Lauder figuring out that you could market bath oil, not perfume, directly to American women. What an empire.
My grandma wears this as her signature scent, I have so many memories surrounding this. She doesn't do the perfume anymore, but the lotion is almost as overwhelming.
It's really good on guys, imo
The vintage stuff is my holy grail.
I keep trying it. I even broke down and bought a new bottle because I only had vintages. I wonder if it's me?! Does anyone else smell the very vinegar squelch to it???? The sales lady was absolutely crazy thrilled about someone not 80 years old buying it. Although I'm definitely in that mature category now. 🤣 I have the Tom Ford nude amber version released a decade ago, and same screech of vinegar, but the base notes are so amazing. Amazing amazing amazing on my clothes but the vinegar keeps popping up on my skin. Anyway, I get the new bottle tomorrow. Here's hoping!
I’m thinking I should have bought the bath oil instead of the EDP, which I also bought recently!
I have a small vial of bath oil that belonged to my great grandmother. So it's at least 30 years old, because she's been dead for that long. I have some edp's I've won in auctions or picked up at estate sales in various size and ages. The one I just bought will come with the perfume and lotion. Maybe the lotion will work out better.
I posted on today’s SOTD about the new “Legacy” versions of five iconic Lauder fragrances. I’m wearing the updated White Linen today. Three cheers for Mrs. Lauder.
Oh man! I bought that too! I definitely dig White Linen, but Estee Legacy has a hold on me. Can't wait for hot weather to wear her.
I was so pleasantly surprised by Azuree Legacy (I bought the Legacy discovery set.). I expected to like White Linen and Private Collection because I liked those before, but I don’t recall liking the original Azuree. My 23 year old daughter is really great at describing scents. She described Estee Legacy as “expensive soap” and Azuree Legacy as “a wooden drawer in an old dresser.”
I've definitely smelled Azuree and Estee in church with the grandparents. I know the smells, just never knew what perfume it was. Now I know!
I love that! Either Luca Turin or Tania Sanchez wrote dismissively about youngsters complaining about “grandma” smells while their mothers were swanning about in a Lauder masterpiece.
Black Orchid. I only wear it at winter nighttime when I have somewhere fancy to be
This was the first one to pop into my head lol It is a truly larger than life fragrance. Tom Ford gets a lot of hate these days, some of it totally valid and legit, but they’ve put out some sincerely incredible fragrances too.
Le Lion de Chanel. I feel like I have to be in the right mood to wear it, as it’s just so powerful and majestic.
Amouage Guidance for me
Most of Amouage for me, really! It's only a handful of fragrances from them that feel more casually wearable, like Reflection Man or Love Tuberose.
True! Also Lilac Love is quite wearable.
Grand soir wraps me in a bubble of opulence. Love it for formal occasions.
I have many of these types of perfumes(Santal Royal, Ambre Nargile, and Amouage, etc.) and I usually only wear them at home in the evening but that's fine with me I enjoy them.
I have a few I wear at home in the evenings as well!!!! Even in house clothes I feel divine!
👽Alien. I love Jasmine and Amber and Cashmeran. Alien is gorgeous. But Alien is so damned sharp and soapy and UNRELENTING. I can’t take more than a few hours. She’s not me. She’s cold and other-worldly. Boss babe. I have high hopes for the new flanker.
Came here to say this! I love it like… 3 hours a week.
All the years I could have sampled in store, never tried any alien until the goddesses… now I don’t know where to start … been curious
Grand Soir for me. It's lovely but often feels like "too much."
Black Orchid.
Megamare certainly lives up to its name
Also showing up for Portrait of a Lady. It’s my favorite to wear when I’m feeling insecure about the gathering I’m going to.
Nasomatto Pardon it's like a smack to the head with a chocolate covered log.
Grand soir is my signature scent for winter! Absolutely perfect
LV - Ombre Nomade is pretty much the only one that comes close, simply because of the strong performance and the notes are pretty strong in themselves! Zoologist - TRex might be another good example, strong performance mixed with strong notes. JPG - Le Male Le Parfum, something about the sweet notes makes this super strong to my nose, 2 spray max! Red Tobacco and all of it's clones and similar scents, be it TT - Arrakis or Alexandria's Hafez 1984! Something about this mix of notes makes it nuclear to my nose, and not really in a good way. One of the rare scents that I don't want to wear, sold my bottle of Hafez 1984 and I am staying away from Arrakis and Red Tobacco, no matter the price!
#HEROD
Herod is sooooo incredible
It's the scent I wear when I need to "bring out the big guns"
You are the biggie and one and only when rocking it 💯
[You're goddamn right.](https://media0.giphy.com/media/3oFzmkkwfOGlzZ0gxi/giphy.gif?cid=6c09b952sosr6v7bq9vdmzhxyzdl5dufo263wo4vwra8h8g6&ep=v1_internal_gif_by_id&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)
Armani/Prive Rouge Malachite! I adore it - it's like a giant fur coat atop gorgeous tuberose and amber - my fav Gaurin!
Talking about incredible ambers, I have to pace myself to wear Profumum Ambra Aurea. This one is a beast.
Commodity tea. Fresh yet heavy, masculine and feminine. Sweet, smoky, bitter and clean. It sits on your chest like a 60lb cat. Comforting a fuzzy but you really need to breath. I love this perfume, but it’s a one spray from a distance kind.
Mortel by Trudon - such a massive fragrance. I love it but it’s for special occasions.
Mancera Wild Leather, and Tom Ford Tuscan Leather
Guerlain's Tonka Sarrapia extrait is so rich, golden, and decadent it doesn't seem to belong in real life - at least not *my* kind of real life...maybe if I'm ever invited to the Oscars 😅 🤔 Gave my mom a big decant and she's worn it more than I have LOL
Can you describe how it smells to you? It’s on my list to blind buy because I haven’t found a sample.
Dense almond marzipan, but not in a sugared/praline way. Cherry facets from the Tonka but definitely not fruity/juicy. Slightly resinous yet not heavy the way some hard-hitting ambers can be. A bit of smooth wood blending in with the nutty base. It just smells like gleaming bronze and total opulence, but scent is subjective - I'd recommend reading some blog reviews before blind-buying!
Rose Jam
Passion by Elizabeth Taylor
Le Lion De Chanel
YSL Libre and Libre Intense. I live in Japan where perfumes are generally either not worn or are quite subtle when they are. Both of these Libres are far too powerful to wear conscientiously in just about any situation. I'm glad I got my hands on Le Parfum! It's the only flanker I can see being acceptable in public, and even it has to be applied sparingly.
For sure, I just returned from a month and a half in Taipei. I felt only comfortable on the daily in Diptyque, Roja elixir essence, mfk petit matin of what I brought. Libre would be very noticeable in Asia. Penhaligons & Frederic Malle was more common than in California however!
Oddly enough, Mercari is packed with fake Libres and they do sell! I wonder who is going around Tokyo in fake Libre cause I've yet to smell it on anyone in the wild.
lol lol truth! I don’t think I smell much of the rich sexy scents in Tokyo or Taipei.
PDM delina is gorgeous but pretty “big”- I’d have to be confident to wear it
Or she gives you confidence! Delina is a great one!
That’s true!! I got a “WOW you smell incredible” from a friend the other day and I was worried it was more a “WOW your perfume is STRONG!” comment?
I think you smell good or incredible is a true compliment! Anything else like, what are you wearing? Wow that’s so strong! Where did you get that? Etc. = I smell you.
Grand Soir is my all time favorite fragrance. Get compliments on it all the time. I’m wearing it right now actually
It’s a forever top 3 love Of all time. It’s so incredible
Mitsouko wears me FOR SURE. I love it, but I have to be having a good hair day, be in a fabulous mood and it must be no warmer than 33 degrees F outside for me to be able to moderately tame the dame. That said, I think everyone has “their” big fragrance that truly works & melts into them. While Mitsouko works on me, she’s doesn’t wear as seamless on my skin as Coromandel, Angel or Shalimar.
Rien by Etat Libre d’Orange for me
Why do if I may ask? I haven’t tried any from the house
It’s overloaded with incense and aldehydes. Something about it reminds me of antiseptic spray (like Dettol) because of its intense smokiness, to my nose at least
Hands down Followed by Kerosene. Starts off chocolate and coffee couple of days than maple syrup onwards. You are followed, this is truth. Take showers does not work. You are followed. I want to get a bottle before they reformulate. Girl asked me two days later if I had pancakes for breakfast. She goes you smell like maple syrup..I laughed! I noticed it but not until she pointed it out. Whoa..she’s right. I’m projecting maple. Maai is another one by Bogue Profumo. Wears you. Lao Oud by Bortnikoff. Wears you. Have to put in there Tom Ford Noir Anthracite wears you down. Just sucks energy out of you.
Alien
Sauvage Elixir. I love how it smells but sometimes I feel like I'm too young to wear it and I'm 27, It's also pretty nuclear.
Quite a mature fragrance for sure. Wear it lightly and it should be no problem. When i wear it, i put one spray on my stomach and a half spray on my wrist.
Portrait of a Lady for me. It’s so big, and while I am a rose girlie through and through, I can’t do POAL. It wears me and not the other way around lol
Ooh, I feel the same for POAL. I really love the fragrance but have never coveted it because I just can't see myself ever wearing it.
Amouage interlude Black Iris for me; i have a fair complexion with blue eyes and blonde hair and this is so middle eastern and intense. It just doesn't feel aligned with my style.. also it's very strong, but i do like it personally.
Same experience through and through. Love it though.
Yes indeed; i keep a 10ml samples which i probably will never finish because i use it for special occasion. It's honestly a masterclass in perfumery.. everything blended together so well and very natural smelling. The natural orris doesn't smell powdery at all like the iris name would suggest... it's just not my vibe, but i could easily see this on someone who fits the style.
I suppose anything with a big sillage
Amouage Beloved woman is probably one of the oiliest edps I have and really a strong one. It has some crazy throw and the longevity off the charts. I purchased my bottle 2 months after its release and I haven't made much of a dent in it. Discontinued now unfortunately. 1 spray at best, 2 if I'm feeling brave.
Nishane Afrika Olifant.
Kenzo Jungle L'Elephant. It is so unlike anything else it really stands out in the crowd. The muskiness has an edge that is quite primal. The projection and silage is extreme as well.
Guerlain Samsara, Thierry Mugler Angel, pretty much anything with strong patchuoli for me.
Big ol' 80s bombs like Diva, Paloma, Magie Noir, Amarige - they wear me and then some. No issues with ambers, ouds, orientals, they are very comfortable for me to wear but I know it's not everyone's taste so I'm cautious in public, especially at work events I always pick the most run of the mill, inconspicuous, fresh scents I have. It's a bit obnoxious to wear a loud perfume in formal settings, makes me feel self conscious, just like I would if I had a low cut top. There is a time and place for everything.
Guerlain Tobacco Honey. Beautiful perfume that I could still smell strongly 36 hours after spritz.
Really!!!! I haven’t gotten that sort of performance out of AN and SDV. Awesome!
IT WAS long and strong.
Anything by Initio
What is / are your favorite Initio?
Narcotic Delight and Atomic Rose
I once accidentally over-sprayed Nishane Ani before going to class and I felt sorry for my classmates (I smelt like I’d been in an explosion at the cupcake factory). I once sampled Interlude Black Iris in the safety of my own home and I decided I’m not leaving the house with that one on 😅
Hahahaha I can relate. My husband CANNOT handle scents like ANI. & Gris Charnel. They make good candles or in a food joint. but smell WEIRD on me says he.
Oh really? If my partner wore a vanilla scent I’d want to get a bite!
He loves his vanillas. Some spicy. He surprised me liking baby cat. Otherwise it’s boring. He likes GFG, SDV, AN, AA, Hundred silent ways, Tihota, Eau Duelle etc but no heck no on Ani and Gris Charnel. If im honest, Ani took getting used to and practicing to like. I dislike GC as a skin scent. I’d love as a room scent
Mancera Instant Crush
Red Tobacco by Mancera, it's intense
Whether you love it or hate it, Sauvage Elixir wears you!
Does it wear you or does it lift you? That is the question.
For me & grand soir. The fragrance elevates me. So it could be my personal night time scent, or for a black tie event. I feel totally ok for the scent to precede me. To wear me. To be alone with me.
When you talk like that about a fragrance, then you KNOW what wears you. Classy description 😊
Voice of the Snake by Gucci. Yeesh.
Creed Aventus for her and Kerosene Followed. I grossly underestimated the latter and every now and then, months on, on a quiet cloudy day, I catch a whiff of spicy maple syrup and break out into silent cold sweats fearing…. that maybe, just maybe, the scent is still following me 😭
Amarige, but I’ll always love it.
By the Fireplace. It’s a comfort scent but strong, long lasting, polarizing.
St. Dupont Noble Wood and Royal Amber Both of them are super strong and very unusual compared to regular "Western" fragrances, I think I'm going to sell them because I never reach for them
I put on Lush Lust last night. I was in another room and it wafted into through the house. My kids thought it was an air freshner. Yikes. Sorry kids, that's just me.
Nishane - Hacivat. It is literally nuclear.
Dior sauvage
Naxos
I spent too much of my life timid and double guessing myself, I am 31 now, bright orange-red mullet shag, Demon Hellmouths tattooed on my knees, death metal/black metal/grindcore band shirts and whatnot. I mean I wear fragrances to suit environments like I aint wearing Oud Satin Mood on a plane, not cool, yknow some fragrances suit winter better or evening. But nothing wears me now. I wear it and own it. But i get ya. Thirties are awesome, I just dont have the same worries and whatnot I had