So let’s talk about Serge Lutens La Vierge de Fer. Ever go back and sniff something again that you really thought was weak, thinking you just didn’t understand it or missed something? Of course you have. Serge Lutens La Vierge de Fer is one that I just thought was weak sauce when I first sniffed it. It had other good reviews, and I kept thinking I must not be getting something about it. It’s been about 9 months since I first smelled it, I’ve tried it again. And?
Nope, not happening. I still don’t get it, and I still smell soap and, well, nothing much else.
Then I went back and resniffed Serge Lutens de Profundis, even though I wear it periodically – more in winter than spring/summer – to re-evaluate how I felt about it. I fell deeper in love with it than I already was. I adored it when I first smelled it, and the longer I have it and wear it, the more spectacular and complex it becomes. I ran out one time and just found myself yearning for it. Parfums DelRae Wit falls in the same category, as does Hermes Eau des Merveilles.
What perfume is the biggest turn-around for you or nonturn-around? And which do you find are more you than ever the longer you have it?
Yes, of course it’s my summer perfume ennui time. Heat is bad mojo for me on perfume. The one thing I’m doing more of, now that I have it, is spraying Frederic Malle Un Gardenia La Nuit room spray everywhere in the heat. White florals bloom, and this is just magic for me every time I smell it. I’m wearing less perfume and feel like my perfume radar is off in the heat, but I’m enjoying my other scents more, like incense and room sprays. I think it’s a way for me to enjoy smells but not have to have them on me a second longer than I have to.
Shalimar remains my major non-turnaround. I have tried it in every available form including vintage parfum, and some smell better than others but they all smell a lot like disposable diapers. On the other hand, Mona’s Vanille is a beauty in all moments and seasons. Ever changing, ever true.
When I was new to fragrance I read about Mitsouko and expected I should love it the first time I tried it. Nope. Tried again after about six months and it made sense and I like it. Still waiting for a turn around on Shalimar. Maybe trying vintage would do the trick!
Lolita Lempicka was a big turn-around for me. The first time I tried it, all I smelled was a big honking violet monster, and at the time I hated violet, so LL was a no-go. Second time, I had gotten over my violet issues and could smell the other notes, but I still thought it was too sweet. Third time was the charm, and now I have a bottle.
I should revisit De Profundis. Carnation scents can go a bit bubble-gum-ish on me (I’m looking at you, Heure Convoitee), and I remember thinking of Juicy Fruit gum when I tried DP. I’m curious to see if I’ll get more out of it a second time around.
Dzhonka didn’t even smell like a perfume the first time I smelled it, just some strange noxious odor. Then after a few tries, I got it and fell in love. La Vierge de Fer I loved from the first sniff… Just wish it lasted longer on me!
An odd one for me – Annick Goutal’s Eau d’Hadrian. A friend was in love with it, and I couldn’t see why, but found some sample packs of moisturizer and shower gel for her on e-Bay. I kept a couple, tried the moisturizer while at a conference in the heat of a Florida June, and fell in love. Men seemed to like it too, which is all I’ll say about THAT conference…
I REALLY disliked Bas de Soie when I first tried it. I waited a few months, tried again and it was just love, very odd! Unfortunately, relatively soon after I lost my decant..just my damn luck! On the other side of the coin, I loved the Unicorn Spell when I first tried it, bought a full bottle and wore it for months. It fell off the radar for quite a while and when I sprayed some on the other day it was instant headache all the way. It’s funny how much your feelings and reactions to fragrance can change.
Pretty sure it was Mitsy for me, too. I think what helped me “get” her was Femme, which I loved immediately. I remember it smelled vaguely familiar to me, and after a few wearings, I realized it reminded me of Misty. Ordered another sample of her, and it clicked! Has to be the EdT for me, though. I find that to be true of most Guerlains for me.
I pretty much live in Bvlgari Au The Vert all summer, though I am not opposed to things I consider dry. (Crisp is probably a more accurate term) I love Y this time of year.
Howdy, Tammy! I just sampled Y recently for the first time and loved it — it really is great, isn’t it?
I remember smelling Paco Rabanne’s La Nuit when it was launched in 1985 and hating it with an unmatched intensity: it became my nothing-can-be-worse benchmark for commercial scents. Twenty-some years later I got a sampler pack from The Perfumed Court that had a vial of La Nuit in it but ignored it: eventually (a few years later) I tried it on a whim, and it was WONDERFUL. Astonishing. Glorious. Obviously it hadn’t changed much, which meant I had.
Hey there Patty,
I loved your story but can’t think of any fragrance that I have changed on 180 degrees. There must be a few…..
Portia xx
Hi, Patty! My most monumental turnaround was with vintage Mitsouko parfum. I had gone round and round over the years with various iterations of the EDT and EDP, all to no avail. But a little vial of the vintage parfum turned me around right quick. And though I know I won’t be wearing it too often, it is so nice to finally be able to find love with one of the perfume greats. Shalimar still hates me, though! 🙁
P.S. Glad you’re loving the Malle room spray. How does it compare, scentwise, with the candle? I know the room spray will be more diffusive, etc., but was wondering if there was much difference? Thanks!
Probably the biggest turnaround for me was the one that kick-started my descent down the perfume rabbit hole. A very generous Basenoter sent me an unwanted bottle of Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau. At first sniff I was repulsed by its weirdness (since then I have of course discovered that JdP barely registers on the weirdness scale, but back then my nose was only really accustomed to department store florals, which JdP is most definitely not!). But I found myself having to constantly re-sniff it just to check how weird it really was….and by the end of the week I was hooked on JdP, and started down the road of perfume obsession