Do you own lots of fragrances?

Just added Dior Sauvage Elixer. So good.

Between this and the "Do you own lots of jewelry?" thread, I can't help but feel that OP is casing my place for expensive items to steal. OP, you can not have my stuff.

Any of you smelly bitches gonna slather yourselves in "Judy"?

I am not the OP of the "Do you own lots of jewelry?" thread.

No man should ever wear fragrance. Ever.

Not even, Jean Nate?

Only fug Middle Eastern guys and Eurotrash wear cologne.

I come from a cologne family, I used to have like a 5 or 6 good ones, my mother would have about 20.

Now we’re both sensitive to smells & there are some fragrances that I start tasting in my throat & have an allergic reaction, tingling lips & whatnot. One time at work I had a reaction to Lysol wipes, the floral kind. The smell stayed with me for 3 days! Eventually I smelled the same thing again & had no reaction. It’s weird how it’s hit & miss.

I usually make my own. There is a Taco Bell nearby.

What's that SHIT smell. Oh, it's OP.

I like fragrances but I know many people don't. I don't wear them AT THE OFFICE FOR FUCK'S SAKE and if I do wear them, it's sparingly, so as not to overwhelm my own delicate and complicated musk.

O have at least a hundred, sorted by manufacturers, and countries of origin. I'm wearing Shalimar cologne (vintage) right now.

Here they are.

no, just this one, and everyone says I smell great!

I've just counted - I have 18. I am probably Eurotrash, though, so it's understandable.

Nope because OP is a cunt.

R15, Share some examples. I'd like to have an idea what a Euro would have vs an American.

Reply 14, is that the benzene tainted Right Guard? Ah, the aroma of carcinogenic chemicals.

I have a collection from the 1990s, but I haven't worn any of it since then.

I love vanilla musk colognes. If someone is offended by the scent, I give them an option. Comments are accepted in the imaginary "Go fuck yourself" box slot. Spray the naysayer wusses with skunk oil.

How long would a decent cologne keep? I used to wear Tom Ford Oud Wood and I loved it but stopped wearing it because I lived in a warmer city. Now I moved. It's 4-5 years old. It smells the same to me but I haven't worn it again yet.

They say that fragrances have an expiration, but who cares if still smells nice to you.

It really varies, r21. It depends on how you've stored it and what kinds of ingredients it's made from. Citruses are especially hard to predict--they often fade in the bottle. But if your Tom Ford Oud Wood still smells the same, it should be fine.

Fragrance / scents will last depending on the percentage of oils.

1. Perfume - With more than 20% oil concentration, you are likely to still notice your fragrance working from morning to evening. Perfumes have the highest fragrance concentration and would last the longest among all other types: usually six to eight hours.

2. Eau de Parfum - The next highest fragrance concentration would be eau de parfum (EDP) with oil concentration between 15 to 20%. On average, you can get a solid four to five hours of your fragrance working hard.

3. Eau de Toilette - Eau de toilette (EDT) has a fragrance concentration of between 5% to 15%. It is cheaper than the EDP and is one of the most popular types of fragrance available. It will normally last two to three hours and is considered by some as daywear (while EDP is considered nightwear).

4. Eau de Cologne - Eau de cologne (EDC) has a much lower fragrance concentration (about 2% to 4%) than the EDT with a high alcohol content, and therefore is cheaper than those above. It generally lasts for up to two hours.

Only reason to wear these scents is if you don’t practice good hygiene. I find them offensive and a bit femme. I like the natural smell of a clean man.

If you have these anxieties about your masculinity and think fragrances somehow subtract from it, r25, by all means do not wear them.

I think it's fine for a man to have one cologne as their "signature" scent, one which he uses all the time. Guys who use fragrance as an "accessory", switching colognes constantly, have a tendency to over-apply.

r27 And the build-up over the course of time makes their jackets and coats smell awful.

If they take their jackets and coats regularly to the cleaners, it should not be a problem.

Sure, r29. Once a week should do it.

Seems like most gay men apply cologne like the gal at the beginning of this commercial

I have arrived home from work and Scherrer and Scherrer 2 have arrived. I'm wearing the Scherrer 2 and it's wonderful.

I took up natural perfumery as a hobby during lockdown and now have one signature scent that I make and tinker with. It's based on figs, fresh pipe tobacco, honey, and orange blossoms. It's a concentrated oil and I dilute one or two drops in my body oil that use sometimes after showering. It's very subtle and mixes with my body chemistry. You'd only smell it faintly if we were in very intimate proximity.

That sounds nice but sometimes I need grand grand mal seizure inducing aldehydes, white flowers, and skank.

[quote] Oracular editor in chief of Vogue and whirlwind special consultant for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, Diana Vreeland was a woman of galvanizing style—and she had strong opinions when the subject turned to perfume. “There’s a whole school now that says that the scent must be faint,” the fashion diva (1903–1989) once told interviewer George Plimpton. “This is [italic]ridiculous[/italic]. . . . Do you notice any scent on me now? Don’t come any closer—if you have to [italic]sniff[/italic] like a [/italic]hound,[/italic] it’s not enough!”

Creed Aventus

Creed Millisime

Creed Virgin Island Water

Creed Silver Mountain Water

Malin and Goetz Cannabis

DS & Durga Bowmakers

Santa Maria Novella Melagrano

Escentric Molecules Molecule 01

Bottega Veneta (the original)

Prada (some old one thats discontinued, it came out after the original)

Bobbi Brown Beach- It smells like the 1980's at the beach as a little kid. I don't wear it, I spray it.

Jo Malone Sea Salt Mineral

Jo Malone Grapefruit

Commes De Garcons Incense

Malle L'Hiver

I have some Mont Blanc Legend. When I was somewhat younger I used to wear Abercrombie's Fierce so I thought I should buy a more adult cologne. Went and smelled a lot of stuff at Nordstrom and picked this. Then I compared it to Fierce and realized it's almost identical. So I still smell like prom.

I just use a dab of Florida Water, honeychile

Bump

Today it's the YSL classic Kouros. But the new formulation, so it's not at all animalistic, sexual or lewd. When I was young it was a scent I wouldn't wear because it smelled liked very hot, aspirational gay clones. My loss, I guess.

[...]

Any suggestions for room diffusers with lasting fragrance? I'm using Dr Varajes Oud Nobile, but it's 150 a bottle. I'd like to find something less expensive, but I do love this one.

I know many Eldergays love their cologne, but for anyone under 40, anything like aftershave, cologne, body spray et al was considered majorly guido and uncool. Not gay or effeminate, but guido, up there with gold chains and a Corvette.

R43 tell us you grew up petite bourgeoisie at best, in USA, without having to tell us.

^^Or Eurotrash/Middle Eastern version of Eurotrash- forgot about those guys and their colognes

Hit home with that one R43, I guess.

I'll play

"Tell us you're a shop bottom in a mid-range department store without telling us you're a shop bottom in a mid-range department store"

Perfectly respectable nice young men in much of the world spray on cologne, from the low end to the high end, depending on their budgets.

A dab or two of vanilla extract is all the scent any lady needs

A dab or two of vanilla extract is all the scent any lady needs.

[quote]I know many Eldergays love their cologne, but for anyone under 40, anything like aftershave, cologne, body spray et al was considered majorly guido and uncool. Not gay or effeminate, but guido, up there with gold chains and a Corvette.

Wow do you think "guido" is a xenophobic expression at all?

A lot of people under 40 wear cologne and there are certain brands that are only market to people that age.

All the scent influencers on YT and Instagram are WAY under 40. And there are PLENTY of them.

We probably have around 50 between us, but my Father and Brother both worked for Proctor and Gamble in the UK so they mostly came from the company store at 90% discount. They have over the years owned every brand from D & G to Valentino.

Full list below

Isn't there more than one CDG Incense, R36? I'm always looking for something with a little frankincense, so I looked yours up and found a few by that name.

R53- I have this one and I suspect its the one you would like best!! Avignon-

Femme UnisexMasc Avignon Eau de Toilette by Comme des Garcons: Incense Perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour Released 2002 Country France Ratings

128 REVIEWS Share

The Scoop Powerful and intense, Avignon evokes the medieval city in the south of France which surpassed Rome as the Catholic Church's power center in the 14th century. It's the scent of gothic cathedrals and Papal palaces, of tapestries imbued with centuries of incense. Of cold marble steps, holy relics and dark confessions. The recognizable smells of frankincense and myrrh open the high mass of Avignon, giving way to the almost eye-smarting, gloriously smoky and resinous heart. A dry vanilla and soft Roman chamomile dull the edges of this reverent fragrance. Beautiful, dark and mysterious, Avignon takes its place among the most talked about (and admired) of CdG's entire line.

Avignon Fragrance Notes Roman chamomile, cistus oil, elemi, incense, vanilla, patchouli, palisander, ambrette seeds

Oh, wow, that sounds terrific. The cold marble steps part sounds perfect. I love that whole atmosphere. I'll check it out!

I just bought a CDG sample of Zagorsk at Lucky Scent.

Ha, I bought Kyoto and Avignon samples there today, too.

I have somewhere between 150 and 200. Full size. Not counting 5ml oil rollers etc.

I also bought Avignon and picked up samples of Ebene Fume and Tuberose Nue by Ford.

I love tuberose and dance like a hippo in Fantasia perfumed in it as I dust the castle. Nice to see Tommy's version.

NEVER wear cologne.. I figure with scented deodorant and scented soap, do i really need cologne and the expense that comes with it?...

Lately I'm on a Mitsouko EDT kick. I was thinking of buying Givenchy III but it's similar to Mitsouko without the peach and I like the peach! When Guerlain rebottled and relabeled Mitsouko yet again last winter they quietly dumped these bottles on the grey market for peanuts.

I own one and rarely wear it. When I do, I spray it it the air and walk into it.

très sophistiqué, R62. Let me guess, is it Lidl Suddenly Madame Glamour?

- It should be. A very good Chanel Coco Mademoiselle dupe for 7 bucks.

I am a woman. It is because of DL that I discovered scents, I now have a collection of vintage, first-edition fragrances that I LOVE. I think I overdo it, especially at work (I’m sorry coworkers!!) but it is the joy of my life, aside from my coffee. And my pot. I’m serious — I was born in ‘72, I did a shit ton of blow, I couldn’t smell many notes for almost 20 years. Part of how I got into scents too came from the DL spring gardening threads. From those, I started growing tea roses, and that was the first place I discovered I could fully smell things again!

I planted my first Pope John Paul II tea rose for the smell, and the rest, as they say, is history.

R94 what are some of your favorite rose scents? For cheapies I like Paul Smith Rose and Perfumer's Workshop, of course. Guerlain Nahema is great and I'm told it's 100% synthetic and always has been.

One. I have a bottle of "Dunhill" that a fb gave me like 30 years ago. I haven't worn it in 15 years. Yet I can't part with the bottle.

Yes, I'm a big ol' MARY! But he was a good lay.

R63 - what a fucking cunt. I do that because I don't like to reek of it. It's a case of less is more, unlike you where less is too much

[quote]I find them offensive

Mary!

Tonight I'm thinking of buying Agent Provocateur Maitresse for only 10 bucks. It's supposed to smell like an old whore so it should be fun.

There are about 40 Dunhills. Which one?

In 1972 a generous admirer gave me a bottle of Helenesque. I'm still waiting for the perfect occasion to dab it behind my ears.

[quote]There are about 40 Dunhills. Which one?

How the fuck should I know? I only own one bottle it and it was gift.

Well since you have 1 bottle and have stared at it for decades, you might have noticed the name of the fragrance, not the brand. You probably just have the classic one "for man" which is nice. Wear it, if it hasn't gone off. 30 year old colognes can smell much better than todays - they have real oak moss.

I wear Chanel No. 5 to bed at night - and nothing else! *giggles*

I used to own a ton of fragrances. Alas, my partner is allergic to scented products, so I had to retire the collection.

That's pretty much it, R73, but the bottle is opaque.

It still smells good, I'd say a bit musky. Like a full bush.

*gets wood*

So basically you smell like two packs of cigarettes R72?

That's Dunhill "Edition" which came out in 1984. Lucky you with your vintage bottle.

Tom Ford's EDP Syphilis is Rising...intoxicating.

I don't, because Asians do not have body odor. Only feminine Asians wear perfume.

Do you think people wear fragrance only to mask unpleasant body odor? Teen boys, maybe.

Damm DL kweens know everything!

[quote]I don't, because Asians do not have body odor.

No, they just reek of grease and stir fry.

FF R83. A perfectly pleasant and superficial thread. Now this.

It seems like we may be receiving a bit of snow overnight here in Ohio, so I dabbed on some Nuit de Noel parfum for its warm, luxurious quality. I managed to get an unopened 1/4 oz bottle on Etsy to replace my now empty 1 oz bottle. I believe it's no longer in production (although I hope I'm wrong).

Currently own 2 full-size flankers, one which is a decade old and sadly nearly empty (an Issey given to me by my Dad, the only nice thoughtful present he’s ever got me), and the other which is only 18 months old and still 3/4 full (a Floris given for Xmas, that is expensive/high quality and that I really craved at the time but in hindsight don’t really like or use as much as I anticipated).

Until recently, I loved testing small samples & decants (1-5ml), just for the variety and to learn about the art of perfumery. I still own a few dozen little phials and minis with droplets of weird niche scents in. If you get bored easily with scent or like experimenting with your style then this is the best method to enjoy fragrance imo. Technically though it isn’t very cost effective if you’re paying for samples...

In recent months, though, I’ve just been olfactorily put off by smelling any aroma stronger than a light herbal deodorant, or a cup of morning coffee, or a breeze through a window with a floral tinge. Actually putting or uncapping perfume/cologne just turns my stomach atm. I really hope this effect is temporary or hormonal, because scent is something I really did like to explore as a hobby for many years, and I’d hate to give it up or lose interest totally😟I was gearing myself up to get a new spring/summer scent too, guess that’s out the window for now (am still taking recommendations though, if anyone knows of a superlight sheer non-nauseating natural skin scent..)

None.

I'm very sensitive to fragrance and everything I use is fragrance free.

I seriously think Febreeze could kill me.

If I ever receive dire news at the doctor's office I shall stop at Target on my way home and get some Febreeze and end it all when I get home for under $5.00. No chemo, no surgery, no hospice, just a couple of bucks spent on that nasty spray.

Just one: Cher!

OK dear but Cher has 2 frags.

The Eau de Couture, of course, R89!

I am regularly gifted cologne for birthdays and holidays because all the heteros in my life think the gays bathe in it.

As Marilyn said when interviewed about posing nude for that red velvet photo before she became a superstar and it was discovered it was her

interviewer: "did you have anything on"?

Marilyn: yes, the radio!

lol!...

Can anyone with a large contemporary collection recommend a new fresh casual androgynous but still sexy and warm non-aquatic scent for the summer?

My go-to for ages has been a lovely sweet green aromatic EdT freshie I’ve had forever, but while it’s great for cooling and freshening it’s a bit linear and bubblegum and asexual tbh. I just turned 30 and I’m looking for something a bit less cutesy and fluttery and basic, yet I don’t want to go skanky or mature/heavy/vintage just yet (that’s for my 50s+ if I get there!)

Something up-to-date and breezy but a little different with a touch of depth would be ideal.

R93- I think you would dig Aventus.

Adventus is a big dick in a power suit. It isn't uni.

to me Aventus is LDE cosplaying like it’s BDE😒

R93- You should at least smell Bottega Veneta - the original- Its a woman's cologne that I still cannot believe is a woman's cologne. Its really great. Even the bottle looks like a Man's cologne. You may dig it

R93 - Try Gucci Guilty cologne. Its reasonably priced and by Alberto Morillas who has created many successful and well liked fragrances. He has a nose for what people like to smell on themselves and on others. At least its modern and not a clone. And its the color and smell you are looking for.

Try some Baldessarini clear colognes - price can be ok.

Dior Homme COLOGNE - it's almost clear liquid - does not smell like Dior Homme at all. It's bergamot and grapefruit. Often on sale.

Try Sisley classic called Eau De Campagne - delicious light but a bit pricey if you can't find it at a discounter don't buy it.

R98- I have been wanting to try Eau De Campagne for years. Is that the one with Tomato Leaf in it?

Also go into Zara and smell whatever they offer for summer. They usually have 1 good one and everything they make is completely contemporary and inexpensive.

Yes Sisley Eau de Campagne includes tomato leaf. Many men's freshies do. Its not NEW though, its a masterpiece from Jean-Claude Ellena and the 1970s so compare to Eau Sauvage, etc. The thing is, they kept it in good shape through the reformulations. So it smells contemporary because thats the molecules that must be used nowadays.

I suspect its wildly overpriced in USA. As it is here in Europe but infrequently you find it here on the grey market for 1/3 retail price so 40 bucks for 100ml. I will buy 2 bottles keep one and give the other away. Everyone likes it.

Adidas UEFA Victory Edition is a tomato leaf fragrance that is cute, androgenous and pleasant, in the spring and summer (evening) and costs under 10 bucks. Created by real noses and you can get the shower gel and aftershave in a cardboard gift set like you're a teen boy. A guilty pleasure.

R93, you truly can’t go wrong with the OG uni fragrance, CK One.

R103 my Frau mother wears ckOne still

True, but CK One isn't "contemporary" - doesn't smell "new". Any of the Summer editions that come out every year might be the ticket though.

CK Everyone Eau de Parfum (EDP not EDT or cologne) is new this year and claims to be "green". I think CK Everyone EDT is nice but its aquatic not green.

Green seems to be trending again.

Emeraude by Coty, Manhattan by Estee Lauder and endorsed by Lizsha, Canoe by Dana

R65, I believe your post was for me at r64. Here are my top favorites, and I have many resources you might enjoy, the top two are Fragrantica and then the Perfume Court.

I think the best parfum house overall is Guerlain. No one else can touch them. I loooove Santa Maria Novella, but those are colognes so they dry down too quickly for my taste. If you want a green scent, try SMN “Hay”. Another classic green is Chanel 19.

Gucci by Gucci

Shalimar by Guerlain

Samsara by Guerlain

Robe d’un Soir by Carven

Van Cleef by Van Cleef & Arpels

French Can Can by Caron

Must by Cartier

Portrait of a Lady by Frederic Malle

Acqua di Gioia by Giorgio Armani

Black Orchid by Tom Ford

Velvet Orchid by Tom Ford

Tolú by Ormonde Jayne

CK One by Calvin Klein

L’Heure Bleue by Guerlain

Vol de Nuit by Guerlain

Kalispera by Jean Dessés

Coco by Chanel

Parfum Sacre by Caron

Eau de Rhubarbe Escarlate by Hermés

Narciso by Narcisco Rodriguez

Nina Ricci, can’t remember name, it’s an apple

Habit Rouge by Guerlain

Indiscret by Lucian Lelong Lucian

There is a book out there, author last name is Turin, it’s the top 100 fragrances of all time. I worked my way through many of those by purchasing little samples from the Perfume Court. This hobby brings me great great joy!

Nice list. Thanks for taking the time to do that. Yes I love fragrances too. Guerlain of course. But many others.

I hope you have a vintage Coco. My, that was something, wasn't it. I keep trying to like the newest Coco - EDP and EDT. I can't smell very much at all of the Coco EDT currently in the shops. The EDP is nice but such a shadow. Guerlain has done a better job keeping old scents in shape. But Chanel can do well. My new 19 sucked for the first year after I bought it, and I was pissed. Then it finally developed and is good, I'd say. No 5 EDT is still great. EDP, not so much.

I own Portrait Of A Lady above. Its one I forgot about! I spray it around in the room and do not wear it.

Its pretty cool and I have never smelled anything like it! Its like an odd rose/berry/dark scent.

I love the book and film. lol.

R109, I totally forgot to add Coco, yes I loooove it. One time in San Francisco, I bought a little 5 bottle set at the conservatory, those were produced by Inoke and are amazing, but that was limited. I didn’t bother to list all of the modern houses I’ve tried because most of them just don’t cut it, they’re like scented water to me.

One other thing. Early 2000’s is when Europe outlawed use of key ingredients such as oak moss due to the supply being finite. So I generally really only enjoy scents that were created before that (with a few exceptions). One company that I know of refuses to cooperate with the European ban, he’s in CA, it’s called Rogue Perfumery. I don’t looooove the scents but they really lean much more masculine than neutral or fem — if you want to smell things like real oak moss, I highly recommend Rogue. The founder is a true artist, he was a chef, he got into perfumes as a hobby and was growing his own ingredients too.

There are a couple of other indie houses like Rogue that are doing great work, just jump onto Etsy, I’ve found some that felt more like Inoke in quality. I still haven’t tried Comme de Garçon, I’m dying to smell that.

Pre-Covid, wore L'eau D'Issey every day. I stopped during the early Covid stay-at-home orders. Never went back. It's expensive and I love the smell, but I couldn't even smell it anymore (too inured to it).

This seller on Etsy has bar none the highest quality collection of vintage scents anywhere in the world (that I’m aware of). Her prices are so high because of: quality, condition, original crystal bottles, original boxes, unbroken seals, etc. She doesn’t play. But I love her site because you get yo read and learn more about the history too. Her most pricey scents (this is one of them) are almost impossible to acquire. I love it, I’m a nerd, yes I am!!

Last thought, one of my sons is really getting into scents, his favorites are all by Creed. I tend to lean toward Italian houses for men’s scents. He also lives SMN.

If you’re just getting into this, I encourage you to start by exploring scents that called “chypre”. There are a million iterations of it, think of it as the cooking equivalent to “soffrito” or “mise en place”. A chypreis almost like a chord, and it is the bones of a type of scent structure. Very very few houses produce these anymore because of the ingredient ban, so it’s a great way to learn.

Here is the book I referred to earlier, suggesting you peruse through and then buy a few teeny samples from the Perfume Court.

[quote] Manhattan by Estee Lauder and endorsed by Lizsha,

The one Liza hawked was actually called "Metropolis" by Estée Lauder, and it's been discontinued. You can buy old bottles of it on ebay but they are very expensive.

Intimate by David Beckham is a favourite of mine although I do normally have a range of about 5 or 6 although haven't bought as many recently as haven't gone out as much because of the pandemic in 2020 2021 so don't need to replenishing my supplies! There is an orange bottle from Calvin Klein that I really liked. Think it was called Happy.

[quote] If you’re just getting into this, I encourage you to start by exploring scents that called “chypre”. There are a million iterations of it, think of it as the cooking equivalent to “soffrito” or “mise en place”. A chypreis almost like a chord, and it is the bones of a type of scent structure. Very very few houses produce these anymore because of the ingredient ban, so it’s a great way to learn.

I agree that trying the chypre is a wonderful way to learn about perfumes--that's how I started. My own frame of reference is mostly literary (I'm an English professor), and I always compare the chypre to the sonnet or the villanelle in poetry. You have a very basic structure (in the case of the chypre: bergamot on top, labdanum at the heart, and oakmoss at the base), but you can add all sorts of other ingredients to make an infinite number of variations on the basic theme.

Although it is true that oakmoss in large concentrations has been banned, I disagree that "very very few houses" make them anymore: you can still buy all sorts of chypres, although many of the more famous ones have been discontinued because of the ban. But many, many excellent ones are still being produced, either which have used superior replacements to oakmoss which are non-allergenic, such as Aramis's 900 and Devin--both of which are highly affordable for less than $30 on the Internet, btw--, or Dior's classic Eau Sauvage; or which just ignore the IFRA ban altogether (since it is a voluntary ban and IFRA has no legal authority to enforce the ban for sale in the US) such as Rogue Perfumery's beautiful chypres made with tons of natural oakmoss, like their Chypre-Siam or Tabac Vert, or Hacivat's gorgeous Nishane.

Then there's the so-called "new chypre," where chypre fragrances have been made using vetiver or patchouli (or a combination thereof) where the oakmoss used to be, like the newer formulation of Stetson by Cody (also available for less than $30 on the Internet or at a local drugstore, and which smells beautiful), or Chanel's Paris-Deauville.

R111 the ingredients were not outlawed because they were "limited" or "scarce".

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT POINT TO UNDERSTAND!!

IFRA is regulating agency and they progressively determined many natural ingredients and then traditional synthetic ones too, to be "allergens". This means 1 person in 10,000 can be allergic so it can't be in a product. It's total BULLSHIT. But it has a stranglehold on the industry. Needless to say, through back doors, the IFRA is very closely associated to the monopolistic fragrance molecule companies that produce and sell the new syndics. Oakmoss is NOT "limited" or endangered. It was declared an allergen and entered categories of fragrance had to reformulate with synthetic "allergy safe" "oak moss". Since repeat for hundreds of other fragrance ingredients.

One of few ingredients that did become scarce is SANDALWOOD and real OUD and certain cedars of the Middle East.

The new * synthetics - spellcheck

Slightly good news is that the molecule companies continue their research and they are always developing better synthetics. The fake oak moss of 2021 is better than the fake oak moss of 2011.

Also these regulations did force the fragrance houses and their noses all kinds of new creativity based on synthetics. So there are thoroughly modern synthetic masterpieces that smell to the new young consumers as "contemporary" - something they want to wear. Take an example of AMBROX bombs, such as Dior Sauvage (not "eau savage"). A completely contemporary smell that millions fell in love with.

Civet you can make arguments on animal cruelty.

But, plenty of traditional and delicious fragrance ingredients were phased out because of a wildly overblown claim they are "allergens" and because certain of them just became prohibitively expensive.

No house could make Patou Joy the way it was once made and sell it at any price yet sell enough bottles to make a profit.

While it's true that oakmoss was banned in substantive qunatity because of the (exeptionally rare) chance of allergy to it, oud, it has actually been limited because of actual scarcity. There are so few available rotted agarwood trees (which is the source of oud) that if you use a fragrance with "oud" listed in the ingredients there's something like a 99.999999% chance you're using artificial synthesized oud. However, they've been able to synthesize it so beautifully that you really can't tell the difference between actual oud and the synthesized kind.

The same is true for animalic ingredients they have banned in their natural form for cruelty reasons, like civet, musk, castoreum, and ambergris: those can be easily and beautifully synthesized.

I said oud was taken out because it is rare, at r118, did I not? Rare and prohibitively expensive.

LEBANESE CEDAR - rare. Was way over harvested.

I know two sites where one cans till buy tinctures and distillations of many of the natural ingredients - at astronomical prices. including civet, ambergris, aged sandalwood. etc.

Natural ambrette is 300 for 10ml. Mysore Sandalwood can cost the same.

Since the weather’s so warm, I decided to crack out some old summer samples for a retest. I tend to keep any scent that I’m ambivalent or meh about for a year or so to see if I change my mind about them, see if they (or indeed I) develop and mature.

Today’s retest was Sundrunk from Imaginary Authors. When I got it 18 months ago, I thought it vile—like out-of-date Sunny D juice drink, tipped into a cheap teen girl bodyspray/shampoo or orange-scented dish soap, then shaken up and squirted over a pile of dollheads and dead flowers from a lei. It was an instant dislike, and I put it away after just two attempts to wear a tiny spritz, expecting to chuck it or give it to my sister later.

Now, however, I’m getting gourmand and mineral notes that I hadn’t before, and rather than recoiling from plasticky soapiness (that I think comes from the neroli, a note I abhor), I’m instead enjoying smelling delicious aromas shimmer around me; marmalade cake with ice-cream soda, sour lotion or butter spread on beachy skin, with an additional curious-weird-attractive note of deliriously hot asphalt.

This scent is thought of as a poor sketchy cousin to Byredo Sundazed, but on reflection and with hindsight I do think Sundrunk has certain cheery, sweet (literally) and photorealistic charms. It definitely smells summery and a bit tipsy, somehow, without actually having solar or booze notes. An odd, vivacious and bright warm-weather choice, though not terribly versatile or sophisticated.

Some of todays fragrances (not all by any means, but some of the more quality ones for sure), manufactured now, smell crappy for at least 6 months after manufacture. These new molecules need to macerate.

Also sometimes you sniff something and its too new for your brain but the brain keeps working on it and you can come back to it much later and have a totally different reaction because its no longer new and an affront.

Also, its possible sundrunk is not actually a summer fragrance for you.

I love this thread title. I've got over 15. Probably over 20. Problem is I don't wear much fragrance anymore. I have quite a bit of vintage Paco Rabanne, which I never wore when it was all the rage in the 70's/80's. I guess my chemistry has changed because I love it now. Judging from people's reactions , the best fragrance on me is Anick Goutal's Duel. I also love most of the Hermes classic scents.

I wear scent to bed. It gives me sweet dreams.

Since puberty, I've had a fetish for Men's fragrances. In the early 1980s, I was rushing to the subway en route to a job interview. I was maybe 20 or 21 and was wearing my first suit that I bought at JC Penny's with my first credit card. But I did not know how to tie the tie. I was riding the escalator behind a stereotypical good looking businessman who smelled amazing. Down on the platform, he caught me looking at him and smiled. I followed him (that smell!) and said "excuse me Sir, I have a job interview but don't know how to tie this thing". He puts the tie around his neck and ties it, then puts it around my neck under my collar, adjusts some of my shirt buttons, then runs his fingers through my 1980's gelled haircut. I am inhaling his scent like a drug, looking up at him, realizing that he's handsome and that I'm probably, most likely definitely probably gay. I'm carrying a leather binder with a notepad and copies of my resume because I was told that's what you're supposed to do. On the train I learn that he's a divorced stockbroker and he asks for a copy of my resume in case he "knows someone" and wishes me good luck and shakes my hand (for a long time) as he gets off on his stop downtown. The train car is still filled with the smell of him. The air feels charged. A few days after I started that job, and then this guy shows up at the door to my apartment building with a bottle of champagne. It's the guy who tied my tie. I didn't recognize him because he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but his cologne was familiar. One of my asshole straight flatmates told me "your Dad smells rich!". I ended up effectively living with "Dad" (22 years my senior) and his African gray parrot during my last year in college. He turned out to be a fucked up ex-Mormon with major issues. He was by no means a sugar daddy, but the sex was intense. You can now get Gray Flannel online for $8.99.

Ambergris is not a "cruelty" ingredient. It’s sperm whale waste that washes up on beaches. But it’s rare and expensive and mostly replaced by the chemical ambroxan. I think the animalic ingredient ban has less to do with cruelty and more to do with allergies.

yeah ambergris is revolting and magical.

I’m the one who posted that the ban was because of scarcity, both the posters who brought up allergens are correct. My memory is going plus I’m buzzed lolol. I remember the allergens issue now, and I agree, it is indeed total bull shit. I don’t agree that the synthetics cut it with *some* of these notes — but you are correct in that synthetics have opened new doors of creativity which is awesome.

Here is an example of a modern fragrance I fucking love love love! But I stopped buying because the dry down is too fast. It’s got an opening note of cardamom. If you ever find a scent with a strong cardamom note, you will know you’re meant for scents like Samsara. These fragrances are considered “oriental chypre” I believe, but someone correct me if I’m wrong. I can’t remember the categories for scents, anyone care to make a stab at the list?

did you forget to post something?

Sorry here it is

I got a shit ton of early 2000 Guerlain including Samasa about a year or two ago when Guerlain abandoned their golden atomizers. All the refills bottles were on the grey market and at wildly uneven prices. Alas, no Jicky. I broke down a bought a bee bottle EDT of Jicky (I think its the last EDT they will make of it) and its surprisingly good. I have old Jicky parfum and 1 old EDP.

Black Jade is categorized as Floral-Spicy by Parfumo and as a floral chypre by Fragrantica.

R136 the catalogue of Basenotes always seems to contradict Fragrantica’s, as well.

Basenotes has better "deep and knowledgeable" reviewers but I like the popular touch on Fragrantica. If you to know about a 10 dollar cheapie it's best to read reviews by the customers who love or hate the fragrance without a lot of pretentious gobbledygook.

Also Fragrantica has a couple of Crystal Allens and gay perfume counter bottoms who've been selling fragrances for years and they have very good and pithy straightforward information to share.

R36, I got my sample of Avignon from Lucky Scent, and it's SO GOOD. It fulfills my churchy/book-stacks need and is surprisingly light for an incense scent. Thank you! I also ordered Kyoto but haven't tried it yet.

Which frags pair well with persimmon? My new favourite soap is shibugaki-scented, and it has a soft and sweet but puckishly strong and astringent tannin/fruit smell, like a cross between apricots and oranges and sour plums. It’s also blended with a hint grassy fresh sencha tea leaf and rosemary.

The soap doesn’t project or amp really, but if you hug me or smell my clothes it’s quite apparent. So I’m looking for a light warm weather spritz that will complement and not clash with the soap.

R140- That Is awesome!! I wear it in the winter at night when I run/walk-

Amy Sedaris also loves this fragrance by the way- She sprays it like a room spray!

Its very evocative-

I tend to like fresh/fruity/light scents but this year I have started to appreciate darker scents.

You MIGHT like Bowmakers by Durga- I really dig this one and its similar. It smells like the inside of a piano to me. (Its supposed to smell like the inside of a violin case)

Oh, wow, sounds great. Metallic, wood, rosin? I'll have to look it up.

Actually, I just read about it on Basenotes, and I'm afraid I don't really like cedar, which it sounds like this has a lot of. I do like wood smells, but cedar is harsh.

L'Heure Bleue tonight.

Layering tips for updating and rejuvenating an old-school style barbershop sandalwood?

The cologne I have (a gifted new bottle from last Xmas) smells super high quality and elegant, and uses a combo of notes that I adore in a pleasant airy and almost bright peppy way, but it’s so stuffy and formal and dated that I don’t feel comfortable wearing it.

The scent by itself is a soapy, powdery, grassy, clean-cut and very soft sandalwood, with hints of polite garden flowers and coffee-shop spice in the heart, drying down to a sweet but barely-there vanillin resinous musk. So quite domesticated and civil, good for smart-casual work events (one could describe me as casual but rarely smart...). It doesn’t really last on the skin or clothes, either.

So needs something subtle added to darken, sex it up, give it a kick, and make it seem less like something a grandpa or an old businessman in a suit would wear. But at the same time without beast mode-skanking everyone out of my vicinity😅

Honey it sounds like you simply need a few bottles of fragrance, not 1. If you want a sexy "date night" frag, try some and buy one. They are available at all price points.

R147 not all of us want to accumulate multiple different types of one item to cover hypothetical situations, when modifying an existing single item will do.

It’s about being frugal and creative, and making what you have work for you using adjustment, rather than blindly buying into an industry replete with a dearth of trashy products.

Well your point is valid but how can you blend if you don't have. a modest range of fragrances? If you want to economize you could tray mixing your own solo scent fragrances based on essential oils or distillations. You could add a light dusting to shade the few fragrances that you have.

Real men don't wear cologne, perfume, or any fragrances.

You want to go to Nordstrom’s or better yet, a Le Labo store and sample them. I’ve been a huge fan of the two founders since they created a fragrance called “Wet Mittens” in NYC’s Lower East Side.

Estée Lauder owns the company now, Santal 33 is my signature scent when a client wore it and I became OBSESSED.

It’s said that people that wear Le Labo can pick each other out of a crowd and I found this to be true.

[quote]Also Fragrantica has a couple of Crystal Allens and gay perfume counter bottoms who've been selling fragrances for years and they have very good and pithy straightforward information to share.

Fragrantica also has one weirdo who has multiple sockpuppet accounts with avatars stolen from social media profiles. Their reviews tend to be rambling, made-up stories about their "lives" versus concrete information about the scents themselves.

Courtney & Teddy at the YT review channel Baldassarre (yep, that's really the name) are knowledgeable, and have ASMR voices.

I know people love their fragrances and I have had boyfriends that have smelled amazing. With that said, please do not wear fragrances when hooking up. Be clean and wear deodorant, but some fragrances have a cloying smell that sticks to everything. I think it's actually more polite to not wear fragrance until you know somebody than to wear it.

Fragrances are the new cigarettes, for we are allergically sensitive, many, and have had about ENOUGH!

There is nothing better than the scent of a fresh, clean male. A dash of clean, natural scent is always welcome on my sheets.

You haven't had anything in. your sheets for so long, R156, you'd welcome anything.

I have a number of perfumes I mostly wear only at home for my own enjoyment. Tonight's bedtime scent is Jessica Simpson's Fancy Nights, kind of a drier Prada Amber with a dirtier patchouli and papyrus. I love it.

[quote] Tonight's bedtime scent is Jessica Simpson's Fancy Nights,

😬

^ I love Fancy Nights! Dirt cheap but smells like an expensive niche scent.

Right now I'm wearing Histoire d'Amour by Aubusson. Sounds floofy and girleen but it's a masculine-leaning chypre.

Not bottled expensive scent, but being that I’m an incorrigible goth at heart and I miss smoking, I’ve taken to flinging powdered clove in all my food and laundry and hair product. I probably smell like a musty Medieval church to most people, but I don’t care. Clove speaks to me as a scent, moreso than any other spice (I actually dislike many spice scents, especially cumin & cinnamon).

Actually, I’ve been looking for a vanillincensey, cypressy, sad and bittersweet and mysterious but also cosy and velvety fragrance to suit this mood. The closest I’ve found so far is Eaux de Baux from L’Occitane, only the pepper opening is so awful and lingering that it puts me off (am sensitive to pepper notes). Though at least it doesn’t contain ginger, fruit, vetiver or Oud—fragrances of this type tend to include these notes, which also puts me off. Yes, I am a picky bitch.

OP, isn't "eaux" the plural of "eau"? Wouldn't it be "eaux de toilette"?

I am not a fragrance person, but I HATE floral smells of any kind. Its makes me nauseous and my eyes burn. For men's frgrances, if I had to choose, it would be more spicy, leathery, ashy notes - just like I like men - spicy, leathery, and ashy - just kidding.