By Ann
(our guest-poster you previously met for tea!)
“I wouldn’t touch (insert brand name here) fragrances with a 10-foot pole.” How many of us, as perfume fanatics, have thought that about one line or another? Maybe we think its scents are cheaply made, over-hyped to the heavens, too commercial/mainstream for our highly developed tastes or some other reason. Some less charitable souls might call it a kind of scent snobbery.
But whatever it is, I’m guilty of it, too, in a few instances. But recently I got a little attitude adjustment that sent me reeling.
I was aimlessly wandering around the fragrance area of my local high-end store, chatting with one or two of the SAs that I know, not really looking for anything in particular.
“Well, hello there,” said a familiar voice. It turned out to be a very nice woman I knew from another line, and whom I hadn’t seen in a while. And as we caught up, I looked over at her hand and saw that she was holding an amber bottle with a fancy gold cap. I remember thinking, “That kind of looks like … oh, it can’t be … nooo, it’s not Clive Christian!” My first instinct was to mumble a few feeble excuses, back away quickly and make a dash for the door.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking the brand. It’s a classy line, beautifully presented and all, but it is waaay expensive and has a sort of uber-exclusivity surrounding it (“world’s most expensive perfume”) that bugs me a little. Not to mention that one or two of their scents that I tried ages ago were not so great on me, so I wasn’t eager to tangle with it again. But my wish not to offend her overcame my urge to flee and I gamely held out my wrist when she asked to spray me. We chatted a few minutes more and I walked off, hoping I wouldn’t have to make a beeline for the bathroom and wash it off.
I headed over to another store, and promptly forgot all about it. A while later as I was browsing a clothes rack, something wonderful wafted up to me. Mmmm … that’s nice. What is that luscious, rich scent? Oh my. Oh my! OH MY!! It’s just so yummy GOOD on me! I wracked my brain trying to remember what I had put on before I left the house. And then, it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was that Clive Christian “C” for women that the lady had spritzed on me. The more I sniffed, the more I loved it, and the more I wanted it. The only thing that kept me from sprinting back and buying a bottle was that whopping $375 price tag.
I’ve since gotten my mitts on a small amount of it and am using it sparingly, but oh, so lovingly. For me, the moral of this story is: “Never judge a scent by its name (or older siblings).”
So please jump in and share your “wow” moment. I’d love to know what, if any, fragrances have knocked you back like an unexpected left hook. Was it love at first sniff or did it take a few dates before you were hopelessly smitten?
Amouage Lyric. Don’t. Like. Rose. Love this fragrance.
Hi Gina, so glad you posted. I’m not a rose fangirl either, so I have steered clear of this scent, despite hearing raves about it. Now I definitely will have to give it a whirl. The only rose-centered perfume I do like is By Kilian’s Liaisons Dangereuses, a lovely, jammy rose.
Hi Mariekel, isn’t it nice to find love in the unlikeliest places? And it’s great that you like both the old and the new. Happy hunting!
My recent surprise was Coty L’Origan. By all rights this vintage cheapie should be something I loathe (amber? musk??) and yet I cannot get enough of it: my ultimate comfort scent.
I do, however, detect a difference in the version a very generous swapper sent me, which must be relatively recent, with a vintage EDC whose age I do not know. The newer one has a strange sort of burnt rubber note in it in the middle and lacks a bit of the rich smoothness of the other. Though I still like it with its rougher edges. I am now obsessed with hunting down earlier versions..
Oh, yes. There have been the knock me off my high horse loves, the never say never or you’ll eat your words revelations…and then there’s the guilt…
…pssst, come closer; not sure everyone should hear…
You know of skank? And castoreum? And being naughty? I understood it. I embraced friends who wore it, because it smelled good on them…or just because I tend to let folks have their thang, even if I don’t buy into it…combine that with my bleedinghearttalkstotheanimals self, and well…I wasn’t going to go there.
Two Bottles: Soivohle “Love Speaks Primeval” and FMK “Absolue Pour le Soir.” The first was no contest from the first application. Melt. The second was a “dear heavens, that is nearly foul with skank” on not one not two but three trials. On the fourth? I’m considering getting a bottle. Who knew?
Obviously, not me.
Shoot…forgot to say welcome back. Came for tea, stayed for perfume? :)
Oooh, yes!
What Shelley Said!!!
>:d< xo >-)
Thanks, you guys are so sweet! I’ve not tried the Love Speaks Primeval, but (bows to Shelley) the MFK Absolue Pour le Soir was another one of those surprise hits for me, too. I’m no fan of cumin so I was a little leery of this. But since I liked the original, I figured a little dab wouldn’t hurt me. Well, it did in a way, ’cause it knocked me onto my keister. Don’t know how they did it, but it’s wonderful stuff, deep and rich and lush. BTW, what did you think of it, Musette?
I LOVE Absolue Pur le Soir! and have been wanting to try that Zorn…
I feel that way about the Bonds too – for many reasons. Though every time I go to Harrods I have to smell Success is a Job in New York because I like it contrary to all my better judgments. And then they don’t give me a sample and I get cross again. I totally agree with you about Clive Christian as a line as well. Unfortunately I really love No. 1 for Women and would get it in a heartbeat if it weren’t for the price.
Hi, London! Success is one of my favorite Bonds as well, and I’m also partial to Little Italy and Silver Factory. Wish I could just toss you a sample across the Pond.
I have not tried the X but am a little afraid to now, because if I get too near that C bottle, who knows what I might do? :)
Lucky you, being able to shop at Harrod’s — would love to hit the Roja Dove boutique as well.
Oops — I meant No. 1 above; sorry!
Narciso Rodriguez for Her–I had determined not to try it because of the pink bottle. But my local brave and sweet discounter had a bottle out, and the orange blossom,musk and roses won my heart. Perfect for the hazy sweet end of winter, not quite spring weather.:)>-
Hi Mary, I like that one, too. And it’s extra-nice to find a love that’s fairly accessible and won’t break the bank either.
Hi Ann! The two perfumes that were total “wow’s” at first sniff were Carnal Flower back in 2005 (which I’m still crazy in love with) and Puredistance ANTONIA in 2010. Yep, you know how much I love the latter. ;-) I just bought a bottle and it arrived today. I’m in heaven!!!
When I first got into perfume sniffing, I never imagined dropping so much money on a single bottle. But you know, some perfumes are so incredibly beautiful you can’t help but say, Cost be damned! Life’s too short, I’m havin’ me some.
You go, girl! I love that “I’m havin’ me some” (and I’ve done that too much in my lifetime, though, I’m afraid), but you’re so right.
And I’m very glad your bottle of Antonia is safe with you now and you’re grooving on that — I plan to try it this evening.
As for the other, well, it was one of those delayed “wow!” moments for me. I may be very late to the station, but I’m now rolling full-steam on the Carnal Flower love train! First time I tried it, I thought, “Hmmm, nice, but tubereuse isn’t my thing” and moved on. But sampled it again not too long ago and something just clicked and I GOT it!
“Cost be damned! Life’s too short, I’m havin’ me some”
I am so having a T-shirt made with this on it, thank you!
Yessss!! Count me in, too, Tammy!
So true!
There is no reason I should love Kiss Me Tender as much as I do and yet I fell blindly in love with it almost immediately. It’s totally not my thing – I’m a big spicy incense/big sweaty white flowers girl and yet – this delicate pale pink thing makes me swoon.
I’m a snob about the Bonds. Haven’t sniffed one in ages, don’t plan on it. Just won’t go there.
Style Spy, I feel that way about Creed and I have no idea why.
Suzy and Style Spy, I hear you both on the Bonds and the Creeds. I wonder if part of the problem is that both lines have so darned many scents. I get a little overwhelmed just looking at all those bottles on the counter. But there are a few treasures in there, I’ve found.
Hi Style Spy, I wonder if a scent just scratches an itch we didn’t even know we had. Just as sometimes you might get a craving for a certain food that you rarely eat, and you think, “where did that come from?”
I have not tried Kiss Me Tender yet but a kind scent buddy has some put away for me, so I hope I feel the love, too.
After finding out what we all know about the Bond No. 9 “business plan” I might try them, but I will never buy one.
Flora, I know what you mean. There are several other lines that rub me the wrong way, too, such as Le Labo and their city exclusivity business and Kilian’s must-buy-before-you-can-get-refills policy. But there are scents in all of them that I can’t help loving anyway.
Completely agree with you about the Bonds and the Creeds. the former I think it is just plain old crap, sold with with a lousy attitude. I have smleled most of their stuff (there’s a shop around the corner from my Mom in NYC)and have not been remotely impressed by a single one.
Creed is just dull and overpriced in my book.
I’m still snarky about ELd’O. It’s not that I find the ad angles offensive, I find them to be saying, “You must be hip to appreciate us – if you just want to smell nice, forget it, move along here, we don’t want any minivan-driving moms who sometimes vote Republican…”
Did test a few things from samples that a kind friend sent me, and darned if they aren’t pleasant. I didn’t fall in love with any, but I had to back up on my “Won’t Test ELdO’s” stance.
Mals, I know exactly what you mean as I kind of felt that way, too. But they do have some nice stuff, so we have to give the devil his due.
Hah, I figured Sécrétions Magnifique was definitely their revenge on this upstart redneck who drives a pick-up and almost always votes Republican!
I think the ad angles are fabulous, but Jasmin et Cigarette is really the only one I have cared much for, and even that is waaaaaaay down on my To Buy list.
Hi, Tammy, yes, that Jasmin is a good one, but not something that I can’t live without either.
I recently tried C for Women and fell in love with it. That doesn’t come much of a surprise to me, given that I am a tuberose lover. However, I kept sniffing and sniffing my wrist and scent strip the whole day and then came to a realization…C for Women is basically 95% Jardins de Bagatelle…thus not justifying the insane price of the Clive.
Oooh, good to know. I haven’t tried the Jardins in years, so will have to go sniff it out. Thanks, and also glad to see another “C” lover on here. I didn’t get a whole lot of tubey out of it; it just seems so smooth and well-blended on me that no one note really stood out on my skin.
I’ve wanted Clive Christian “X” for men forever, but refused to pay whatever absurd price it was. To me it smelled like a very nice incense, not sure what the notes are/were.
Anyway I’ve smelled it twice recently – two different testers at two different stores – and was horrified. It smells completely different to me, a generic man-woody like the new Chanel Bleu. I can’t quite say I regret not buying it earlier, but I do think it’s been gutted.
Oh, no! Hate to hear that. Especially since you’d mentioned it a while back, I was going to brave the CC counter again and try it. Maybe not now. Do you remember how long ago it was that it smelled good to you?
I tend to get really snippy about refomulations, especially of classics I adore….so imagine my surprise when I was hoist by Diorella! It is sooooo strange – and strangely beautiful. I’d been so >:p about it that I wouldn’t even test it (to be fair, the way my Saks counter is laid out, it was a miracle I could even find it! Pretty cram-jammed, there).
“It’ll NEBBER compare to the vintage [-( ”
uh…..:”>
xoxo >-)
Yay! So glad it worked for you — definitely a happy ending. At least now you won’t have to move heaven and earth to get it. I tried it not long ago and thought it was lovely as well.
BTW, what is up with that Saks? I seem to remember it being laid out a litle wonky, but maybe they’re confined by their space (aren’t they tucked into or beside a little mall area?). I seem to remember going out a side door into an enclosed space with other shops.
That store has always been a bit of a hot mess and the fragrance area, which should be a bit of a luxury haven, imo, always has the sense of being one step up from TJ Maxx, with all the perfumes just crammed together on the counter. And now…..that whole mall has been closed and is being converted into condos. The ‘front’ door is the only entrance….and it has this post-Apocalyptic feel about it. Just strange.
That mall always felt strange, with the wacky revolving door and the low energy feel – and the weirdest thing about it was the huge number of people who committed suicide there. Seriously. The Food Court was at the top of the mall (7 stories?) and several people jumped from there over the course of 10 years or so. It was just weird. And sad.
xo >-)
So sorry to hear this, it’s a shame. You’re right, though, that their cosmetics/fragrance area really should be plush and luxurious
(especially with NM right across the street)!
Diorella, well. I’ll have to quit walking past the Dior counter with my nose in the air. I thought it wasn’t even worth trying. Thanks for the heads up!
I agree, Suzy, and then also with their new collection, they seem to be showing back up on everyone’s radar.
Suzy,
While you’re there, try the new Diorama as well. Not as growly as the old but you know what? 😕 not too shabby. March gets Diorella in the drydown (says they are eerily similar) and she’s not totally wrong there – if I could only have one of those it would be Diorella but at $89/bottle it’s almost free!
xo >-)
Thanks, Musette! I will definitely give it a try. It’s almost free!
So glad Musette to hear your report on Diorella. I had been afraid to try the current formulation of my old favourite which I dearly miss. Will give it a chance now and Diorama too. Thanks for taking the risk.
Always happy to take one for the team!
:d
xo >-)
After testing a few of their classics, having read raving reviews, I dismissed Guerlain as not for me. Even spending a gorgeous half hour in their store at Champs Elysees didn’t convert me.
But thanks to March I gave the House another try with Chamade and voilà – had to have the extrait!:x
Well Gisela, it seems they have sold their soul to the great god mannah…now their name belongs to a corporate giant they are producing travesties of their artistic landmarks cheapened down to the lowest bottom dollar…try to get old 20’C versions of the famous ones…;
You’re right Winifreida, I tested a vintage Mitsouko extrait and the new one for a comparison once. As I’m not prepared for a potentially heartbreaking hunt I will let the classics rest in peace…
Hi Gisela, glad you found something to love at Guerlain. I think it happens that way sometimes — you try umpteen things and then, just when you’re about to give up altogether, you hit the jackpot. I haven’t had much luck either with most of the Guerlain big guns, but a few small victories here and there keep me hopeful.
I do need to try the older (and extrait) versions, though, as Winifrieda suggested.
Well I’m an old girl now, but I reckon (as we say Downunder), if the thing rocks your world, just buy it and revel in it… its so unusual not to get a huge let-down and disappointment if ‘the love at first sight’ thing turns all shallow and sour after an hour or two…
I started the (quite stressful) day as I hunted around for accommodation for my university student daughter, (Whaaa- leaving me!!!)with my newly in-love Nuit de Tuberose… was out all day and hosed down again when I got home (hot summer day down here…) (I LOVE it!)
But later, just now, sitting here in the somewhat cooler evening, I have put on vintage Mitsouko. It is sublime. It has the power to uplift, to transport, to time-travel, to make meaningful the endless quest that we are all on.
Well, I have had too much wine!
If only all these ‘fumes were Mitsouko, Diorissimo, or Tubereuse Criminalle…(or T d Nuit, it is stunning!) Are these Zerjeoffs as good???
OK CUT!!!
OOOOoooh gaaah half an hour later I am getting a sort of tuberose Mitsouko….ok put on the critique hat…is the rich musty earthy thing in Nuit de T actually referencing the rich musty thing in old Mitsouko and driving me insane….???
Ahh, erm, what’s your favorite note…arhmm, mould…yup, niiice…
Winifrieda, it sounds like you stumbled onto quite an unexpected combination. I would try it, too, as I love NdT, but Mitsouko does not play nice with my skin. Hope you found a place for your daughter and can de-stress a little.
I have some super-weird skin, so maybe that combo would be dynamite on me — as Musette would say, “You nebber know.” Crazier things have happened!
W –
That’s what you get for putting the Divine M alongside/near anything else – She gets really 8-x about it. The only perfume that has worked as a Mits combo companion is Liz Zorn’s Love Speaks Primeval – the peach softens the gas fumes in the current Mits and creates quite a beauty – but that’s it!
xo >-)
ps. glad to see you on here – I wonder and worry about you every time I hear about yet another flood down there!
Ah M, its all happening everywhere but the New South Wales mid-north coast…we typically get our big wet in March – April, often the tail end of a cyclone (hurricane/typhoon).
But as we farmers say – be careful what you wish for – Australia has been in a dry phase for about two decades now; the last ten years have generally been devastating widespread drought. No old ‘cockie’ (farmer) would complain about the floods really. But what happened around Brisbane has been pretty shocking in its severity that’s for sure…
My ‘wow’ is slightly different. Going to church as a child, there was a woman who generally sat in front of us who wore punishing amounts of perfume and smelled like a musty basement. I heard my mother and grandmother discussing it and saying it was YouthDew- I thought ‘Youth Pe-uw’. Fast forward 15 or so years and I am waiting for a friend to make a purchase at the EL counter so of course I am sniffing all the testers. I pick one up and think’ Ooh, quite nice, what is this? Holy fragrance it’s Youth Dew!’ Lesson learned that you can’t discount something because of how it smells on someone else- body chemistry is amazing. Also, not wearing enough to stun a rhino helps too! :d
Hi M, I’ve had very nearly that same experience with YD; I think perhaps the older ladies couldn’t smell it on themselves as much and so thought more is better. Glad you found the love for it (in small doses, of course). Thanks!
Youth Dew is also my “wow” perfume! I hadn’t smelled it in years, and didn’t think I needed to bother since I know it was my grandmother’s perfume, it’s so reasonably priced I didn’t think it could be that exciting, and I am generally not smitten with EL fragrances.
Well, my beautiful and hip daughter came home from college smelling of something *gorgeous,* something that had slightly nostalgic associations for me, and well, you know the rest of the story…
Hi Ruanne. Isn’t it funny how things sometimes come full circle like that? And that’s so cool about your daughter wearing it — I love that!
My mother wore YSL’s Rive Gauche and I never cared for it for years, but I tried it again recently and kind of like it (of course, it’s a reformulation, but it works).
STUN A RHINO!! You’re exactly right, that’s how older ladies used to wear it when I was growing up too.. Gah. I can’t get past it.
A huge surprise for me was “Si Lolita” by Lolita Lempicka. I’m usually not a huge fan of LL fragrances since I find most of them to be sweet cupcake confections. But “Si Lolita” just FLOORED me. I remember spraying it at the perfume counter and walking off, and then having these woodsy, carnal puffs of fragrance waft up at me. At first, like you, I was completely confused as to where it was coming from. And then I remembered I had spritzed some perfume from this ridiculously girly little bottle that had a polka dot ribbon around it. “Si Lolita” is no polka dot girl… that’s one heck of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I love it!
Right you are, Daniela! Talk about not judging a scent by its bottle. I like this one, too, and love your comment about the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
I have a mini splash bottle of Si Lolita that I decanted into a spray bottle – I like it very much, but it has surprisingly little staying power on me for a floral oriental… It’s pretty, though.
Hi Mals, it is pretty; just sorry it doesn’t last longer for you. And the bottle is cute as all-get-out, isn’t it?
Oh, the one that really surprised me and still irks me to love is The Party in Manhattan. It did not sound like a brand or perfume I would like – again, it’s that vaunted exclusivity and lack of any (relatively) affordable option. I carry on this endless internal debate in which the devil on my left shoulder says just go ahead treat yourself – you deserve it! and the angel on my right shoulder reminds me to be realistic about the zero chances of ever using more than my large decant of this outrageous perfume. I would just buy it put myself out of my misery, but then I think the recriminations would begin. It is rather wearing. I’m usually far more decisive.
I LOVE The Party in Manhattan, but feel the same way you do. I have a large-ish decant and really really really want a bottle, but can’t seem to pull the trigger..
I have the same love/hate relationship with Kilian Pure Oud, but at least they have the 100 ml refill, which I have been pondering buying, but also have not been able to hit the “complete order” button on yet..
Tara, I also LOVE Pure Oud and managed to find a partial bottle, also a boxless bottle of Rose Oud. Luckyscent now offers Rose Oud limited edition travel set. Maybe next Christmas they will offer a Pure Oud travel set? If only TPiM was available as something like that, it would be mine.
Oh, no, not those little angels! I have them, too.
I have not yet tried PiM but it certainly has many fans. As for the Kilian, oud is not my thing but it gets a lot of love. I wonder if a three-day scent challenge would help you guys decide whether or not it’s really FBW?
That’s a good point, Anne, since it’s not just the price that’s holding me back, but my fear that I’d change my mind about if I got a larger bottle and used it more.
LOL! Like the difference between those fabulous ‘first dates’….and the long slog…
…. /:)
…oh, never mind…;))
xo >-)
Ha, ha – looking for perfume love in all the wrong places! :-)
Oh, mercy sakes, y’all get The Party already! You can sell me your leftovers, in the highly unlikely event you grow tired of it…..I have gone through almost an entire bottle in less than a year, and I have only grown to love it more. It’s my HG. (She whispers, covering her Carons so as not to give offense)
I scored an almost FB of Pure Oud with the complete presentation for half the regular price on evil bay, so keep your eyes out. (Thanks again, nozknoz!) I love it, but $400 was more than I was willing to pay. Or rather, $400 was more than I was able to convince the husband to pay, especially on the heels of TPIM!
Sheesh, you guys are sending the Party shooting up my to-sample list! Now covering my ears — la, la, la, la, I can’t hear you wicked enablers :)
Yikes, that didn’t come out right — I meant “shooting up to the top of my to-sample list”!
Lucky you!!!
I meant that for Tammy…:)
It’s an awesome score!
It arrived today, and I am positively giddy! The bottle is darn near full….and he sent me samples, too!
Being quite the bottle/presentation ho, I gotta say, had I seen this in person rather than online, I’d have paid full price and told Terrible Lies to the husband regarding said price. It’s pretty darn exquisite, though I know many find it way over-the-top.
Between this, finding a huge bottle of Feerie on Amazon for $29.99, (did I mention I’m a bottle ho?!) and the husband getting me my Poivre and Or et Noir for Christmas, I am feeling very blessed indeed!
Tammy, it sounds beyond wonderful!! Enjoy your treasure!