Hello, darlings! As you know, there are some fragrances of which one whiff is enough to make you want to vomit (EldO’s Secretions Magnifique springs immediately to mind.) There are other fragrances that are, in some way, reminiscent of actual vomit. (Oh, look, it must be March posting today…) For me, as many of you know, one such fragrance is the ubiquitous Angel, which is redolent of the smell of upchuck after your kid’s eaten a little too much of the Easter Basket. I think that choco-vanilla-patch combo is one of the most disgusting smells ever concocted by a legit perfumer, and Angel’s vast popularity continues to baffle me. (Angel lovers, don’t bother flaming me. Look, I love Light Blue. And Dior Addict. Obviously I have no taste at all.)
Another category of sick-making fragrances is typified by the spice-market scents, and I happen to be quite fond of those. Those of you who aren’t fond of them really, really hate them – they are, I suppose, The Souk Threw Up On Me. Get Melissa started on Laura Mercier’s fall LE, Minuit Enchante, which she found anything but enchanting. She couldn’t get that thing off her fast enough, although, unfortunately, Minuit Enchante isn’t in any hurry to leave. It would be a fantastic/terrible scrubber. I bought a bottle. I looooove eeeeet. I love that screechy agarwood at the bottom, and all those yummy spices at the top. Everyone stayed far, far away from it at my perfume party. Melissa probably begged them not to touch it.
Daphne, the new fragrance by Daphne Guinness (who I am pretty sure is an heir to the Guinness fortune, yes?) was done by Antoine Lie for Comme des Garcons. Notes are bitter orange, incense, saffron, Centifolia rose, Tunisian jasmine, tuberose, iris, patchouli, aoud, amber and vanilla. It is decidedly in the spice-market category, where there is no such thing as Too Much (and correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s sort of the impression I get of ol’ Daphne.) At $150 for 50 ml it is expensive-ish, but since you’re not talking about real money any more until you hit $250, I guess it’s not ridiculously priced. Also, is it just me, or does reading someone described as a “muse” make your eyes roll back in your head reflexively?
Melissa gave me her sample vial, with her blessings and strict orders never to spray it anywhere near her again.
Two sprays of Daphne is probably one spray too much, this thing is huge. And for the first thirty minutes, it’s nothing but love – it reminded me quite a bit of Bal a Versailles, the parfum, overlayed with something containing even more candied sweetness. I thought it was kind of a riot, although – WARNING – then I went through a ten-minute phase in there of almost total anosmia, but it’s there, people! Please, for the love of God and other humans, don’t reapply! I was in touch with Daphne then, I was digging her, I was feeling her hippy-dippy Morocco vibe. I was sort of channeling that other heiress who used to swan around Marrakesh all the time in her fabulous caftans … Talitha Getty?
And then things started to come apart, and then turn ugly, in a way that was fascinating but I can’t quite bear to repeat. Daphne got bigger and bigger and bigger, like a Macy’s parade float, while at the same time it stretched and stretched until all the interesting bits – the candied part, the bitter orange, a great leather-glove note, the white florals that gave it some lift – fell away, and I was left being slowly strangled by this web of terrible, bedizened bitterness – saffrochouloud, I guess, all sour and raspy and hateful and strange. It was expensive and awful, like those evening dresses at Neiman Marcus that look like they’ve been attacked by a psychopath armed with a BeDazzler. Daphne combines the subtlety of Liberace with the warmth of Darth Vader. It is oversized and grim and have I mentioned bitter?
Which is weird, because I swear, hasn’t everyone been complaining about how the sweetness was killing them? Like the unbearable gagging sweetness of those giant faux party-balloon dog sculptures by (crazy-like-a-fox) Jeff Koons? Man, I hate those things. And those sliced up cows and sharks in formaldehyde by that other wanker – and good luck unloading those pieces of dreck in the current art market, suckas! But where was I? (Sorry, we switched over to the modern art screed channel briefly).
So. Good news: I killed off all the sweetness in Daphne. Bad news: I was left with the blanket of bitter tears of saffron, patch and oud that forced me to come home, scrub my arms with Liquid Dawn and change my sweater while trying not to breathe through my nose. After which I applied a healing, head-clearing balm of Annick Goutal Mandragore. (And later: Gucci Rush, my adorable new mini! It dribbles just the right amount, no overspray. See, I told you I had no taste!)
Any of the rest of you tried this thing? How do you feel about spice-heavy scents? Isn’t Malle’s Noir Epices the most fabulous thing you ever smelled? (hehehe) Go ahead, ’tis the season, hate on it. Or tell me your favorites, what if I’ve missed one? I love DSH’s a lot, by the way — Cimabue, Mahjoun, Sienna…
image: Daphne Guinness, British Vogue, March 2008
Oh March, “The Souk Threw Up on Me” describes my perfume preferences to a T! Thank you for shining this light on my Eddie Spaghetti fragrance collection. I now know who I am: the Queen of Sheba.
I loved reading your visceral reaction to Daphne. And I’d like to step out from this anti-Daphne mob you’ve whipped up to declare that I think it smells absolutely beautiful on me – and for all the reasons you hate it. Yes, it is inconsistent, and big, and bitter, but I think the bitterness gives it mystique and rescues it from being too sweet.
The bigness works in the dry desert climate I live in, but the inconsistency does give me a little trouble. On me, Daphne goes through a phase where the florals smell stale and frumpy. But the incense rallies me ’round, and I’m on board the crazy train once again.
When I reviewed Daphne last month, I was conflicted, but I love it more every time I try it. I don’t wear Fracas, so it kind of fills that candied-tuberose Fracas hole for me!
And thanks for chiming in! There are other Daphne-lovers out there, and I’ll be honest, from me it’s probably a bit of sour grapes — I really wanted it to work and I was sure it would.
And it’s not like I don’t like bold fragrances. I’m the original lover of things like Poison, and Addict.
I am a little slow I guess – i just realized last night that I have samples of BOTH Daphne and LM Minuit Enchante – a very good friend included them in a recent swap. So I slapped both of ’em on to see what happened.
1. LOVE Minuit Enchante – very soft and woody on me, not too heavy at all. Will wear again soon!
2. Daphne – ARGH! Okay, it goes on smelling very expensive and luxe, and I think I like it, and then, in a few minutes – I am wearing this high-end perfume but I am ALSO sitting in the back of a filthy taxicab that has a fake pine tree air freshener dangling from the rear view mirror, and somebody did a poor job of cleaning up the barf that some drunk guy deposited on the cheap vinyl seat the night before. So here I am, wearing perfectly lovely perfume, and HOLDING MY NOSE SHUT. That’s Daphne for me! 😮
Well, and there you go. I’m glad you like the Minuit Enchante (I was part of a relatively small fan club) and it sounds like you found a whole new way to hate Daphne. :)>-
Ah, how I love spicy ‘fumes! But I must admit that my adoration is not shared by some of my friends, one of whom nearly ousted me from her car when I wore Noir Epices last.
My absolute fave in this category is the uniquely fabulous Nuit au Desert by Victorie Gobin-Daude (when IS she making that comeback, dammit??). But i will definitely go for anything containing black pepper, saffron, coriander or ginger. And i LOVE oud. DG has been on my must try list for a while now…
On a side note, I went to university in England with a Guinness heiress. She was actually boringly normal. Maybe the madness skips the occasional scion.
You are never allowed again to mutter the words Nuit au Desert on this blog again ::sobs:: . I had, like, six drops of it. I thought it was astonishing.
Definitely try Daphne and let me know what you think! I guess I’m not that surprised by how few people love Noir Epices.
Enough about the perfume, I want more modern art kvetching.
Fwiw I loathe Koons more than Hirst, but they’re both languishing in one of my inner circles of hell.
And I like Noir Epices but it goes to plastic on me.
Arabie is in my top 3 of all time forever and ever amen.
But it’s Patchouli 24 that I’m wearing all the time right now and it ain’t even spicy.
Kisses at you, to you and with you,
Hirst is disgusting (see above) and Koons is a clown.
Hey, sweetums! Have a great vacation. Hm… plastic, eh? That’s a new one. Everyone else said rotten fish. 🙂
“I was left with the blanket of bitter tears of saffron, patch and oud.”
OK, now I want to try it. As the girl who rocks Arabie in July and de-skanks Bal a Versailles, I feel it is my duty to give this a whirl. Perhaps D. Guiness has some crazy skinchemistry a la Estee Lauder and this IS what took to make something that smelled good on her. Or maybe it’s just the perfume version of ‘fashionable’ resurgence of harem pants….@-)
You should definitely try Daphne! Why not? Maybe it’ll smell awesome on you. There are definitely people who love it.
“The subtlety of Liberace with the warmth of Darth Vader.” It’s official…you’re my hero, March!!
Thanks! You don’t see that in a fragrance review every day!
Isn’t it interesting how we can talk about how some of us love stuff and others of us hate the same stuff and nobody goes all crazy like people responding to “Perfumes: the Guide” as though LT and TS said, “OMG, all your children look like troglodytes!”?:-?
Well, that’s the thing — I feel like anyone should be able to come on here and diss any perfume they want, and nobody should take it personally (that’s why I put in my Light Blue/Addict disclaimer — I mean, if you love Daphne, who cares what I think?
But I wish folks could get themselves to feel the same way about LT/TS. The Guide is OPINION. Informed opinion, but still. It pleases me when they like something I do, but when they don’t — I just shrug.
I’m running off to meet Mistress Shelley @ Barn’s. Well have to try this, just for giggles – but maybe just on a strip?
My latest 😮 was Delrae Mythique. At first spritz it was LOVELOVELOVE! Then something really jam-ooky started….then it got really schweeeeeet. Then I got sick.
Worse yet to come: in a hurry, grabbed the wrong decant, thinking it was Cartier VI. It wasn’t.
I was stuck with Mythique all day long. And like so many Haters, it stayed for dinner.
xoxoox >-)
ps. HEEE-LARIOUS review!
Oh G’WAN! Spray it on ALL OVER! 😉 😮
Hey, some people really like it.
I hate it when I grab the wrong perfume, even if it’s something I really like. 🙁
Shelley will have to tell you about it. We got there, looked it up, Bradley sprayed it TWICE….but I wasn’t going anywhere near it beyond a quick sniff (you know I don’t have much in the way of working nose as it is and I wanted to ogle the StephenJones). Anyway, S and B had a great time reliving the club dayswith this one. I couldn’t focus on it long enough to get the Bal reference. Perhaps it’s just as well.
xoxoxo >-)
We did have fun, yammering about how Bradley totally got late ’70’s/early ’80’s out of it, how he placed it as a disco into clubbing era kind of something, the kind of thing you spray in a cloud, and as I sniffed I was also remembering all of the women who would pass by as I worked retail in the ’80’s (Giorgio!) and he talked about some woman who always sprayed a cloud of Fracas at the door just before exiting so that she would walk through it on her way out into the world, and and and….
Basically, he liked it, I thought it was kind of a fun trip to pay a visit if you were in the mood. Like running into a friend from a while back who, given the time and the distance, is fun for an hour, but afterward you mostly remember how she was CRAZY. B liked it, but he’s got an open mind and is the kind of person who, after some mad blotter dousing and huffing, could go and spritz MKK on himself and smell good. Seriously. So, there’s Mr. I Can Carry a Big ’80’s Scent and Tame MKK while standing on one leg, talking to me, who was fondling a bottle of L’Eau d’Hiver. Anyway, that should help illustrate how we were a kind of Mutt and Jeff having a meeting of the minds.
It’s always fun to get Musette to slip from bemusement to simply being agog. I can be such a :o) when I try to get the >-) to @-) , though she generally just 8-| . 😉
I’ve worn Daphne, nobody ran. When the bitter orange blast wears off, I get a lot of iris. Then it goes all warm. Keeping in mind, when I wear Miel de Bois, everyone wants a sniff, so go figure. I am a strange one, this is clear…
I want a bottle of Miel de Bois so bad it hurts. There, I said it. It took me two years, but I came around. To me, though, it’s definitely a dabber.
nearly. fell. off. my. chair.
fantastic review. I will probably skip Daphne, unless I come across it randomly and vaguely sniff the bottle.
Noir de Epices. Well, I loved it, and it didn’t love me. My chemistry turns it into something like a cold sweat smell. Ew.
🙁
Re Noir Epices — you and a bunch of others, apparently. :)>-
“Daphne combines the subtlety of Liberace with the warmth of Darth Vader.”
Perfect sound bite. 😉
Thanks! I think Daph herself shares those characteristics.
“And those sliced up cows and sharks in formaldehyde by that other wanker – and good luck unloading those pieces of dreck in the current art market, suckas”
Blowing you a kiss, March–He/that art IS such a wanker.
I haven’t tested Daphne. The price alone… But you’ve reminded me how very much I’d like to have a sample of Malle’s Noire Epices again. For some reason, I think I’m finally about to like it.
I don’t know why, but Damien Hirst gets my goat in some sort of major, major way. Of course if he HAD my goat he’d pickle the damn thing and sell it for $20 million to some dummass.
I need to dig up my Noir Epices. Maybe I need a decant?
Damien Hirst makes me sick. I saw a piece of his in New Haven where he had beautiful butterflies stuck onto a canvas with red paint, and a table full of dirty ashtrays filled with cigarette butts in front of it. And I know butterflies have only a teeny life span,but I thought, butterflies died for this shit?
Let’s encase Damien Hirst in plexiglas so he can’t make any more art… there’s some movie coming out, set in New York (of course it’s probably already come and gone in NYC) spoofing the art scene, if I’m understanding the previews correctly.
Did you ever hear about the installation he did in a gallery window, made from trash, and the janitor thought it was real trash and cleaned it up? True story.
To his credit, though, Hirst thought it was funny.
Ah, the barf note. I thought it was just me. It seems like it’s in almost every new perfume being released..’course that part really could be just me…if it has ‘vanilla’ or ‘musk’..on me it’s barf. I don’t recall patchouli or oud as being bitter…in fact patchouli has a tendency to go sweet on me. Thank God something does! But you’ve got me scared with the big bitter weirdness. Saffron? And what about the screechy oud? I my experience Oud can be a lot of things..big, loud, penetrating…but screechy…in what way? I get screechy from just about every floral that can make it past the first 5 minutes on my skin. I have to admit you have piqued my curiosity but, I should probably stay away from this one. Now the Minuit Enchante, hmmm…that one might work…providing the flowers deon’t stage a nasty revolt.:-\”
See, I think I’m the opposite. With a couple exceptions, I am the sweet-killer. So some things that are sugary nightmares on others are fine on me.
Oud … maybe screechy isn’t the right word. It’s not the loud, unbearable screams from the florals. It’s a roughness, a raspiness. If it’s one iota too much, I feel like I’m smothering, like when you stand too close to the campfire? It’s overwhelming. That probably made no sense.
Harvey Fierstein..with a bullhorn then, eh?
Snort! That was perfect.
Only March would combine Liberace, Vader, vomit, and Macy’s parade floats in one post, and I say that with admiration.
I am the ORIGINAL Opium-and-all-its-nasty-little-clones hater, but it’s not the spices in there that bug me, it’s the resin. I tried Minuit Enchantee a few weeks ago, and thought it was lovely. I don’t need a full bottle, since it’s so potent and long-lasting, and also since I bought Alahine for my Christmas present from The CEO :d , but I’d love a decant. (I was visiting my brother that day, and he jerked his head away from my wrist as if I’d slapped him, and asked what I’d done “to tick off the sales assistant.”)
I think Daphne’d suffocate me. Haven’t sniffed Noir Epices yet, but am hoping to scare up a sample sometime soon. (Oh, Joe… Joe, you on here?) Mahjoun was tooooo sweeeeet. Love Organza Indecence and Mauboussin, and wish that SSS Sienna Musk had just a bit more spice.
Hi Mals!
Email me (you have it don’t you?) and I can send you the Noir Epices in the original FM package. I got more floral than spice from it if I remember correctly. Anyway… didn’t work for me.
Oooh, srsly? Will email. Did you like Minuit Enchante?
AND A BeDAZZLER. Don’t forget that. :-w 😉
Alahiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!!!!!! I love it so much. When I’m needing some va-va-voom it’s the one for me. So good for you.
I like Opium in parfum, but I’m more a Cinnabar gal.
I see that Daphne and its kitchen sink philosophy rubbed off on your post writing…:-?
Seriously, I’m not worthy!
Dang, hit Post too soon… Alahine smells like those Madrigal Dinner concerts we put on at college to me; it’s Happiness in a Bottle. I posted a review of it on Ma Leetle Blog last week. Love it so much – especially since I was expecting to love Oha instead, and got surprised by the beauty of Alahine.
Isn’t there a book titled Surprised by Joy? The phrase keeps coming to mind.
Anyway, more Cinnabar for you, none for me, thanks.
Something about this one had me at first sight – I’m a huge CdG fan (have bottles of CdG 2, Vettiveru and Stephen Jones) and an even huger Daphne Guinness fan. So, when I finally got the chance to try it at the party, I was in loooove. Contemplating buying a FB love. It’s a little out of my price range, sadly, but I still want it. 😉
Also I 100% agree with you that Angel is the most foul stench that has ever crossed my… nosebuds? LOL. 😉
BTW I saw a party pic of you, you looked GORGEOUS. And I still have the DKNY, when the post office settles down I’ll send it. And I’m glad you loved Daphne!
OK, babies-
This is Dab City, not Spritz City.
It is a kitchen sink scent.
I love it, it sings blithely for me…but I’d never have guessed that, in a million years .
I love Dawn’s stuff;this is far less subtle [DUH ! D’OH !]:d
BTW, I’ve missed you all-
Sometimes, the sheer numbers of comments COW me 😮
I agree it’s probably meant to be a dabber, although I probably won’t try anytime soon. :d It’s lovely to see you!
That’s why I try to read early in the morning! for some reason, once I’ve said anything, if I have anything to say, I can go through all the rest of the comments with no problem. But if I look at, say 2 pm and there are 150 comments already, I sort of freak and feel like I can’t deal with all of them.:o
I probably won’t like it, but I masochistically want to try this, if nothing for my education. Thankfully I doubt it will be as ubiquitous as horrid Angel. I will be thinking of your hilarious review as I sniff !
I LOVE 😡 spices: cumin, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, saffron… bring them on. My only request is that I don’t end up making me smell like I dipped my wrist in curry, like Santal de Mysore does. Love El Attarine, Epic, Kindgdom, Malabah, XII L’Heure Mysterieuse, Rose Kashmirie just to name a few spicy beauties.
Of COURSE you should try it! As I said above, my review is exactly the sort of thing that would make ME want to try it, just out of curiousity. Don’t get it on your clothes, it’s tenacious!
No, no curry. A little cumin is okay, like in the newish Femme, or the top of … dang, something I’ve forgotten. A touch of that sweaty smell. But not full-on curry.
Malabah. There’s one I like very much. And I should trot out my Mysterieuse, shouldn’t I.
Dior Dolce Vita. I want an old bottle of that. Very much.
I have some older stuff: a small 1oz bottle of edt, AND a teeny 5ml bottle of parfum, which is simply To Die For… paid $30 for it on ebay. Worth every penny.
However, FdB does this disappear-reappear thing on me, so I don’t have any of that.
March, even if I never wore perfume, your reviews would be great reading just for the snark and general hilarity! :d
Someone with more aroma-chemical knowledge than I can chime in, but I’m wondering if what makes scents blow up like Topsy (OY) is too much iso E super? Your description of what happens to this thing sounds just like what I’ve read about that chemical.
I’m hardly the expert nose. But I didn’t get Iso E Super, and I know the effect you’re speaking of. I got that Giant Oud thing, which is why I have to be so careful with it. My oud tolerance is shockingly low. Combined with the saffron and the general bitterness, ugh.
I like spices in theory (love Minuit!) but the ones I hate, I really really hate. Noir Epices is an all-time scrubber, as is Le Maroc pour Elle, the sample of which I am never touching again. I think I can give Daphne a miss. =)
Pour Elle doesn’t smell good on me either, although Marocain is excellent. Another Noir Epices hater … several of you today.
So, um, you didn’t like it??? 😮
On me, Daphne went on strong, then ran its paces quickly to the horrendous upchuck drydown. But I think it’s not a complicated proposition-the stuff simply reeks (sorry to any fans). I did feel it was either sloppily concocted, or a bad joke. Hey, you want another samp? =))
I am a total spice freak-remember, I wear Spezie de Medici in the summer? Souk Nocturne, CdG Original, AL Madeleine and Kretek, many DSH, and my fav cheapie, V’Tae Sacred fire. The more the merrier…but poor Daphe, she doesn’t even qualify to fit into this category.
BTW-Noir Epice is horrible on me-turns to a rotten flesh scent rather fast, and of course is tenacious as heck >:) Sad, because this one does seem well constructed.
Maybe I really meant Dapht? :-j
You’re right. I don’t think Daphne is a legitimate spice scent. Florals, spices, incense, patch, gourmandy sweet notes-all competing to make you sprint to the kitchen sink to grab the dishwashing liquid.
Noir Epice does the rotten meat trick on me too. I thought I liked it. For about 5 minutes. Until a vomitous odor arose from my arm.
Yikes, I wonder how many people I have offended with my rabid anti-Daphne/Noir Epice/Nuit Enchantee rantings today? Is this another one that we can blame on Louise? 8-|
Offend away! The rotten meat sounds terrible, no wonder you guys hate it. And the dishwashing liquid still didn’t quite do the trick, it’s tenacious. As you know.
Always, dear-Blame Me >:p
So that’s why you hate Noir Epices? Gah, that sounds horrible. Someone else on here had the same thing happen. I think it’s lovely on me, but I’ve never gotten more than a sample, it’s big as well.
Oh March what a great post!!!!! I tried Daphne last week and for a moment I got all nostalgic remembering Bal AV and what a stunner it was when I first discovered it years ago, but then Daphne dragged me back to the present day and took over the entire shopping mall that I was in. I had to run screaming home and remove a few layers of skin 😮 Yikes
I LOVED those Indian shops – one drop of Patch oil would last a decade or so.
So you got BaV too? So that wasn’t my imagination. That part was great (if a little derivative.) If I want BaV, I’ll wear it.
This is such a brilliantly hilarious review March! Thanks so much. Ms Guinness is indeed a member of the Guinness family and is also bonkers. She is Diana Mitford (Moseley)’s granddaughter so comes from a long line of bonkers people. Now, I have been given a sample of this decoction but have yet to try it. It is all taped up and it sounds like that might be the best way for it to stay…..but really, I have to try it, don’t I?
Angel is indeed horrific but I agree with air that l’Eau d’Issey (and all its calone-laden cronies) is the most disgusting scent imaginable. It makes me retch just to type it – ughhhhhh.
And hey, I remember Indian shops too – those bedspreads! The beads! The cheesecloth dresses!
Oho! And a Mitford! And she married someone (from the Emirates?) and got quite a handsome settlement for her troubles. You should definitely try it — I would after reading my review. But I’d go easy on the spray (mine was tiny, from a sample vial) and don’t get it on your clothes.
I love the smell of those clothes from the Indian shops. Pier One used to smell like that until they went Pottery Barn.
Yeeeessss! I remember those shops. And headshops. Never did find any incense that smelled that good. And Talitha Getty. Brian Jones. All those rich hippies lying around Morocco, and why they were there, too.
Dior Addict is a wonderfull chypre in my opinion, so no bad taste at all about that 😉
I am really curious for the Daphne perfume. Talking a out disgusting perfumes There isone more: Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey Whenever I detect it on someone I almost puke!!!!! The strage thing is that the ones wearing it disgust other better quality perfumes:-w I quess there is a misanderstanding in what is fresh or just sour……
Yes, the calone in Issey doesn’t do anything at all for me except make me hate it. But many people love it, obviously. And it’s nice to hear from another Addict fan.
Well soooo many people like L’Eau d Issey, I smell it so often and it really causes abnoxia to me:(( The day before I hugged hallo 2 friends wearing it. I felt it in my stomache but had to keep smiling….. I think they think it’s fresh.. What a misanderstanding. But greetings to you all, keeping the perfumemania alive!!!!:)
I think Amouage does spice nicely, and wow, they really know how to blend heavy notes into something just stunning. I’m thinking Epic! And Lyric is just gorgeous, not too heavy. And I’m jonesing for some Tribute!
The Amouages are lovely. Where I get in trouble with some of them is that rose/saffron combo, which is simply not my thing.
I am dying to try Daphne. I wasn’t before, but I am now. Bring it >:/
Oh god I love it and am ordering a bottle! Its so lushly old hippie/art school/mix up all your own oils from the health food shop perfumey over the top lush. Sorry, I also love Cuir Mauresque because it smells EXACTLY like the Indian sandal section of the head shop (we called them ‘Indian shops’ here in Oz), back then when the only imported stuff was from India – you know, the sarongs and cheesecloth…yeah yeah I know I’m older than all you young thangs on here!
However, getting back to being more coolly intellectual, maybe it signals a departure in style that I know we would all welcome…
And thanks for chiming in! There are indeed people who love it. And I’m hardly going to judge them. After all, Angel smells delicious on Louise.
>:)
For this one occasion only, Carter, I am glad you live at a distance….;)) But just this one time…:d
Next time I stumble upon a Daphne-type sample, I’m sending it your way! 😉
See that’s the response I’d expect. As I said above there somewhere I’d be exactly the same way — I HAVE to try this! ^:)^
Oh, Carter, you are so Butch!
Ha-ha re “Butch.” I am obstinate, perverse, contrary, difficult and downright ornery, plus I bluff a lot, but butch would be a stretch
@};-
Winifrieda–That’s exactly what I expect it to smell like and, like I said, bring it, baby! I want to smell like John and Yoko’s apartment in the Dakota. Rich hippie, indeed!
Yeah, me too. I was being ironic! I know we are both terminally girly!oooh, we need a batting eyelash girly emoticon!
NOW you’re being ironic 😉
Are any of us sure this scent isn’t supposed to be an artistic statement rather than a wearable scent, or some sort of incredibly cruel joke? Maybe someone was congested/somewhat anosmic/senile the day this was mixed or tested and wasn’t able to properly, fully smell the final product, only parts of it, and thought what he/she smelled was ok? Maybe an improper or bad ingredient was put into the final product by mistake? Maybe someone thought of a list of notes that sounded like they’d smell ok together but failed to test the product? I ask all of this because Daphne *sounds* ok, if a bit overdone, when reading the notes, but if the reality of it is that horrendous… *shudder* Look on the brights side, at least it doesn’t have pink pepper, melon, aquatic/ozone notes, “crystal musk”, or “sensual woods” 😉
Well, to be fair, some people have loved it. Maybe if you skin eats it more? And the first half hour or so was indeed lovely. I’m not surprised it’s over the top — I’d expect that from Daphne — but it’s too much for me.
I like some of those spicy scents, and I feel like I liked Noir Epices, but I also am not sure that’s what I’m thinking of. No, I tell a lie, I was given some and I like very much. Arabie was waay to much for me to wear, but I might like it on some fabulously sexy man who would sweep me off to the casbah. Oh, and “the souk threw up on me”? =)):)>- I think I may have just put too many emoticons in there, but what the heck, right ?
Oh, and what to wear to the departmental Christmas party tomorrow? Stick with the Idole de Lubin that’s been my best pal for the past couple of weeks ?
I like Noir Epices. Quite a lot.
Darling, The Party in Manhattan. You must >:) <:-p =p~
Second The Party. Perfect.
Boy, Idole sure is great isn’t it? I bought a bottle I think back around summer and haven’t worn it much, but then one night when the temperature was super low, I sprayed some on and walked outside to go to work. The smell that greeted me! Utterly fantastic and intoxicating. That perfume seems to radiate heat to me, and out in that winter cold, it was superb.
I may have to retry Noir Epices. I tried it with many others of the line at Barney’s a few months back and ended up with Dan Tes Bras instead. When I smelled Noir Epices it was ROSE! Now I want to try it on its own.
Idole is so freaking beautiful. I finally bought a bottle, having worked through two decants. And the bottle’s great too.
Noir Epices deserves a try on its own. Rose? Really? Wow. I get intense spices.
Yes, rose @};- http://tinyurl.com/ybpptl2
IMO the Lubin is too tame. Thirding the PIM. Go stand next to the Silver Fox.
Nah, this an extended lunchtime party with just the production and design departments of a couple of our imprints. The Silver Fox will be nowhere near.I think TPIM would have been too much for a daytime occasion populated mostly by people young enough to be my children. I’m going for a rather excessive application of 31 RC instead.
However, this Saturday I’m going to a party in the fabulous duplex of a friend who played “the mean judge” on a reality show about dog grooming and his lovely wife and his beautiful show dog. Irwin and I may be the oldest people at this party, and I think TPIM would be just perfect.
I stuck this up there elsewhere, but how about Bal?
Well, I love Bal, but I’m feeling very ironic, so I think I’m doing The Party. The DH really loves it and I bet the champion Malamute will be my best friend all night 🙂
I tried Daphne earlier this fall and it was a strange experience. There was that wonderful creamy, smoth, slightly spicy floral smell all covered with used frying oil. Is it absolutly sure that Daphne isn´t also the heir to the McDonald´s fortune?
Otherwise I usually like spicy-heavy…
Relaly?!? FRYER OIL? That’s hilarious.
Really, even my husband noticed that and he is usually content with thinking that perfumes smells good.
Spices=good. I do love Noir Epices and Ambre Sultan. I have a small decant of Mahjoun that I have sniffed but never wanted to spray on me because it scared me with its gourmandiness(?). Maybe I should try it before bed, which is the only time I ever can abide gourmand scents. Oh, and thanks for killing my Daphne curiosity, in a most entertaining and final way.
I think you should try the Mahjoun? I dunno, it wasn’t too edible on me. Yes, before bed seems like a good plan.
Honestly? If I read this review of Daphne, the first thing I’d do is try it. Because I’m a freak. =:)
If I can’t tell it’s March in the first three sentences, it’s not March writing. You and The Muse used to go smoke Marlboros behind the gym, didn’t you?
Daphne is a bad, bad girl. She is not a muse or even amusing. She is the bitch who puts tabasco on your toothbrush and lets it dry and then you brush your teeth. She is the one who hides Durian fruit in your car and another in your lunchbox.
My guilty pleasure? Arabie. All winter long.
You Arabie fiends, I tell ya. But it does smell lovely on certain other people, for sure.
I was wondering when you would get around to reviewing Daphne! All I had to do was touch the little sample wand to the back of my hand and I knew that I had to…. give it to you! Really, I don’t hate all spice scents. Serge does the spice market so beautifully, as does Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. But something about these powerhouse florientals with rose, jasmine, tuberose, incense, AMBER, <:-p VANILLA, <:-p and various woods or patchouli make me want to scrub my own skin off. One teensy dab of Daphne was enough for me and one spray of Minuit nearly got me banished from my father's house. The second it hit my skin at Nordstrom, I knew I was in trouble. I scrubbed with everything within reach (Mercier Cleansing Oil followed by nail polish remover and various other concoctions) then drove out to see dear dad. He greeted me with a look of sheer disgust and muttered/growled something about "horrible perfume". Not that he cares for many fragrances, but Minuit provoked one of his more dramatic reactions. :-l
Wow, this Daphne sounds like some scary s***. I am staying well away!
Actually, the horror story she’s got right there is the Mercier. :d
That’s how it was in my parents’ house with garlic. If I came in after having had Italian food or whatever, my mother would say, “You’ve been eating GARLIC!” and I’d say , “Yeah, Ma, so what?” and she would say “You’re no daughter of mine.” We never even got to the “horrible perfume” stage.
I love garlic. But it doesn’t love me. I will spare you further details. Also, I’ve changed my mind. How about Bal a Versailles parfum for the party? You can’t go wrong with Bal.
Well, I had to work my courage up. I mean, I knew it was big, and I wanted to give it at least a full day’s ride. Which — honestly, I survived four hours. Any longer and I’d have had a migraine. It took, I think, three days for it to fade entirely from my skin, no lie.
Okay, this makes me feel better. I tried the Minuit twice. First cause everyone was raving about it (and I love spicy orientals) and there was this weird nasty note to it that baffled me. Then I tried it again a few weeks later (after reading more raves) just to make sure, and there it was again, this strange and horrible acrid note, and I walked away from the perfume counter muttering to myself, “What ARE they talking about?”
So is this a skin chemistry thing? Or an olfactory thing? (I’m just curious–one more fragrance I don’t need is not such a bad thing.)
I had a feeling this one would be exactly this way!
RE: DSH, I adore Mahjoun beyond words, and Cimabue in the oil is divine, and of course I love SL things like Arabie – but something tells me that too much stuff got thrown into Daphne that has no business being in a perfume. When I read the notes,all I could think of was wretched excess, heavy on the wretched. 🙁
See, the notes didn’t sound that ridiculous to me. And when I read Angela’s review at NST I thought it would be perfect. And … uh, no.
March you hit right! Daphne was a total scubber…I tried it at Barney’s and WOW it was bad, but not immediately. At first it was nice, but then everytime I smelled my arm, I’d get this wonderful tuberose-ish smell, but then something really vile a second later. It was awful and huge..Really!! I was on the subway going home and was hoping that my fellow riders did not associate that vile smell with me. It was embarassing and disappointing because I usually enjoy CdG perfumes!
…. and how many days did it take to go away? I might have to get this sweater dry-cleaned or something.
It took FOREVER…I could still smell it (the icky part of course!) the next morning and I performed the Tide routine along with rubbing alcohol and nail polish remover…(I know that sounds excessive, but I just had to get that smell off my body!). Thank god it did not come in contact with my coat. That would have been a disaster. You definitely need to dry clean your sweater!
Ahahaha I love when I can tell by the 2nd line that oh look, it must be March posting!
Ditto re muse, although I’d love to have one of my own. Just saying.
I like spice, to a point. Must be cold out. Souk Nocturne, Poivre Piquant now & then (tho I hate the drydown), the reform of Organza Indecence has a cinnamon punch for the first half hour on me. Ambre Narguile when I’m in the mood. The one that does me in tho is Arabie. Once a year or so on the most bitter day in Feb it’s heaven, the rest of the time it’s a potpourri in an Indian spice shop …. trick is finding that one day & pouncing. A sample should last me through the next millennium.
AND HERE YOU ARE, all of you Arabie freaks de-lurking. :-ss It’s got to be on here five times already. It smells amazing on the people it works on, I grant you that. About AN I will say nothing…
On me Arabie smells like rancid butter mixed with the 5-year old spices I finally got around to replacing recently. On me, y’all. Just sayin’.
BeDazzler? I had no idea anyone could ever work that into a post about perfume. You are the master, my friend.
No, no Daphne for me. Everything I read about it terrifies me in a way that only Lola has until now.
Have you smelled that bitch? I double dog dare ya. <):)
What a hilarious review. Luckily I put down my hot cocoa before I scalded myself!
Certainly appreciate the warning – don’t think Daphne and I will be sharing space any time soon.
To be fair, Angela at Now Smell This wrote a quite favorable review.
Um, two sprays of Daphne is two sprays too much. A little dab’ll do ya, in fact, it really seems to me it ought to be sold with a calibrated dropper instead of a spray nozzle. Angie loves it though!
I know! And we both loved Minuit Enchante. I was sure this would be love too. And oh lord, it was terrible.
It’s big, it’s loud, it’s sweet and powdery–but I do love it! I knew, though, it would be a polarizing fragrance. Too bad it was such a scrubber on you!
Angela, and I know you’re a big girl and didn’t take offense, and I really wanted this to work, because you and I like these same sorts of fragrances. I wish it had stayed in its Bal/leather glove stage, that was awesome.
Are you kidding? I’m not taking a whit of offense. On the contrary–more Daphne for me!
We may not share the same taste in perfume, but I’m no fool — I’m not getting near that stuff. No, no, nuh-uh.
~:>
:d