Perfume Chat Thread

[chowlover2]

Hello my sweet-smelling friends.

Does anyone know where I can get reliable vintage fragrances that aren't priced too crazily (besides E-b-a-y)? Must be UK friendly.

I need to buy Valentino Uomo/Homme EDP (2014-18) in the original bottle for a man who's run out.

2019 they (L'oreal) changed the formula and later the bottle too and apparently he 100% won't entertain the reformulated version.

All the sites I look at have the original bottle shown, but are selling the new stuff. It's made more difficult because if I write to ask about the formulation, of course they say it's the original - but I'm not so sure. I've given-up hoping for Monday but 'sometime soon' would be fine.

I found several on Ebay, which I know is not your first choice. I did check fragrantica and it has the correct bottle and 2016 formulation. I have bought and sold perfumes on Ebay for 20 yrs with no problems. This listing is for the large 3.4 oz bottle, and is new in box. It's $100, but there are sellers selling the smaller bottle for the same size. The seller is perfumeexpoco, is a long time seller with a 97.9 rating. It doesn't get much better than that!

 

[papertiger]

I found several on Ebay, which I know is not your first choice. I did check fragrantica and it has the correct bottle and 2016 formulation. I have bought and sold perfumes on Ebay for 20 yrs with no problems. This listing is for the large 3.4 oz bottle, and is new in box. It's $100, but there are sellers selling the smaller bottle for the same size. The seller is perfumeexpoco, is a long time seller with a 97.9 rating. It doesn't get much better than that!

Thank you so much, I will check them out

 

[Chanbal]

I would like to identify my favorite rose fragrance, and it has been a tough job. This week's victim is Byredo-Rose of No Man's land. It's a little sweet but quite an interesting fragrance. It brings me memories of my time in Europe, it evokes a certain nostalgia. It may not be my favorite, but I love it. For the ones that have tried this fragrance, what is your opinion of it?

 

[Purses & Perfumes]

I would like to identify my favorite rose fragrance, and it has been a tough job. This week's victim is Byredo-Rose of No Man's land. It's a little sweet but quite an interesting fragrance. It brings me memories of my time in Europe, it evokes a certain nostalgia. It may not be my favorite, but I love it. For the ones that have tried this fragrance, what is your opinion of it?

I haven't explored this house at all. Sometimes I feel like a broken record when I say that. However, there are so many fragrance houses out there and I've come to accept that there will be many that I will never try and that's okay. Too many perfumes, too little time.

Identifying a favorite rose fragrance is hard -- I don't know if I can pinpoint one specific fragrance. And then, there are different kinds of rose fragrances. We have soliflore roses, and then there are roses in blended compositions, notably rose patchouli, rose oud and maybe some others I am missing. Dark roses, jammy sweet roses, roses and violets; so many varieties. I wonder if any of the perfume blog writers like Bois de Jasmin have done a write-up on the notable rose scents out there. Must check it out sometime.

 

[ultravisitor]

I haven't explored this house at all. Sometimes I feel like a broken record when I say that. However, there are so many fragrance houses out there and I've come to accept that there will be many that I will never try and that's okay. Too many perfumes, too little time.

I find Byredo to be pretty overrated for the most part.

And you're right: there are just too many perfume houses. I used to be a lot more interested in exploring them than I am now because I find that the more I try, the less impressed I am. I'd much rather continually come back to houses and fragrances that I know I like than waste time trying out a bunch of mediocrities.

 

[Purses & Perfumes]

And you're right: there are just too many perfume houses. I used to be a lot more interested in exploring them than I am now because I find that the more I try, the less impressed I am. I'd much rather continually come back to houses and fragrances that I know I like than waste time trying out a bunch of mediocrities.

Exactly! And the thing is, I already have so many beautiful scents in my collection, and even they don't get enough use on account of having a larger collection. I am actually at a point where I am the happiest I have ever been with my collection. There is all the variety I enjoy, as well as several masterpieces (in my mind) of perfumery. I want to enjoy these beauties instead of having them just sit in my closet while I go exploring endlessly. And like you said, coming back to the houses that you love and that work for you rather than wasting time on unmemorable releases.

Of course, this doesn't mean to say I will never try new fragrances. I will probably be curious about new (and older) fragrances that pique my interest, but I will sample at a much slower rate than before. And I'm fine with bypassing several houses -- to be honest, I tune out many of them. It does seem like the market is overcrowded with all these perfume houses and you have to wonder how many will even make it in the long run.

 

[Tasha1]

And you're right: there are just too many perfume houses. I used to be a lot more interested in exploring them than I am now because I find that the more I try, the less impressed I am. I'd much rather continually come back to houses and fragrances that I know I like than waste time trying out a bunch of mediocrities.

Exactly! And the thing is, I already have so many beautiful scents in my collection, and even they don't get enough use on account of having a larger collection. I am actually at a point where I am the happiest I have ever been with my collection. There is all the variety I enjoy, as well as several masterpieces (in my mind) of perfumery. I want to enjoy these beauties instead of having them just sit in my closet while I go exploring endlessly. And like you said, coming back to the houses that you love and that work for you rather than wasting time on unmemorable releases.

Of course, this doesn't mean to say I will never try new fragrances. I will probably be curious about new (and older) fragrances that pique my interest, but I will sample at a much slower rate than before. And I'm fine with bypassing several houses -- to be honest, I tune out many of them. It does seem like the market is overcrowded with all these perfume houses and you have to wonder how many will even make it in the long run.

Both of you expressed my thoughts

All these houses are growing mushrooms after the rain. They use a famous nose to create a scent to attract attention and get nothing special. A lot of dupes have been brought on the market for last years.
And corrupted YT blogs? Asking for support and collecting your data?
I have a juicy story when I won a scent but I didn't get her. And it is a trustworthy blog, after that I call them as a bunch of scammers.

 

[ultravisitor]

Of course, this doesn't mean to say I will never try new fragrances. I will probably be curious about new (and older) fragrances that pique my interest, but I will sample at a much slower rate than before. And I'm fine with bypassing several houses -- to be honest, I tune out many of them. It does seem like the market is overcrowded with all these perfume houses and you have to wonder how many will even make it in the long run.

Right. I'm always going to check out fragrances. I'm not going to be sampling nearly as much, but I'll still be adding new bottles at (hopefully) a slower rate. I rarely ever pay to sample, and I'll be doing that even less frequently, as I'm tired of paying for samples of things that sound much more interesting than they actually are, and it's just too easy to accumulate piles of samples, which basically just end up as clutter. SAs are always very generous to me with samples, anyway, especially since the ones I work with at Saks and Neiman Marcus know I have a purchase history with them and am not just surfing for freebies, and then online stores like Luckyscent will always provide me with samples when I buy a new bottle.

Again, the more I've sampled, the more I've seen through a lot of the BS in the industry. Some houses make their fragrances seem very compelling through marketing copy--Zoologist, I'm looking at you--which sways a lot lot lot of people, but once I tuned out that noise or just ignored it, I found that most stuff out there really isn't that special at all.

Nowadays, I ignore the write ups brands have for their perfumes and only give the notes list a cursory glance, and I focus on the fragrance itself. If the fragrance is any good, it will stand alone without needing any marketing copy as a crutch.

 

[Purses & Perfumes]

Right. I'm always going to check out fragrances. I'm not going to be sampling nearly as much, but I'll still be adding new bottles at (hopefully) a slower rate. I rarely ever pay to sample, and I'll be doing that even less frequently, as I'm tired of paying for samples of things that sound much more interesting than they actually are, and it's just too easy to accumulate piles of samples, which basically just end up as clutter. SAs are always very generous to me with samples, anyway, especially since the ones I work with at Saks and Neiman Marcus know I have a purchase history with them and am not just surfing for freebies, and then online stores like Luckyscent will always provide me with samples when I buy a new bottle.

Again, the more I've sampled, the more I've seen through a lot of the BS in the industry. Some houses make their fragrances seem very compelling through marketing copy--Zoologist, I'm looking at you--which sways a lot lot lot of people, but once I tuned out that noise or just ignored it, I found that most stuff out there really isn't that special at all.

Nowadays, I ignore the write ups brands have for their perfumes and only give the notes list a cursory glance, and I focus on the fragrance itself. If the fragrance is any good, it will stand alone without needing any marketing copy as a crutch.

I never got into Zoologist, mostly because I wasn't sure if a lot of their fragrances were too adventurous for me, but maybe it was just their marketing that made it seem that way. In my case, it actually worked as a deterrent to trying them.
It's a good plan to focus on the fragrance and ignore the marketing buzz. As you say, the really good fragrances will stand out eventually, and stand the test of time.

As for samples, I've gone back and forth on buying them or not. If you don't live in a place where you have good access to testing a variety of scents, ordering samples is your only option when you're curious or want to try certain perfumes. However, they can add up, especially niche samples, and I can totally relate to having a pile of samples, and starting to feel like they're clutter after a while.
For those who are starting to explore perfumes, sampling a lot works, since they're still exploring the world of perfumes and figuring out their tastes, but once you've already gotten a good collection of favorites, sampling can definitely slow down and become more targeted.

And while I like variety, I sometimes wonder if there isn't also such a thing as too many options. I just recently put away a bunch of bottles out of sight and currently only have more of a "capsule" collection (for want of a better word) within easy access. It's still a very large capsule lol, but it will be interesting to see if I will seek those bottles that are out of sight, or just be happy to stay within the parameters of my large capsule collection.

 

[Purses & Perfumes]

Both of you expressed my thoughts

All these houses are growing mushrooms after the rain. They use a famous nose to create a scent to attract attention and get nothing special. A lot of dupes have been brought on the market for last years.
And corrupted YT blogs? Asking for support and collecting your data?
I have a juicy story when I won a scent but I didn't get her. And it is a trustworthy blog, after that I call them as a bunch of scammers.

I'm sorry to hear you won a scent but never received it! I usually watch perfume collection videos when I'm doing other stuff like folding clothes or walking on the treadmill, but I don't participate or post comments. In fact, I'm not on Instagram or other social media sites. Sometimes I've wondered if I'm missing out, but perhaps I'm not really missing anything much after all.

 

[ultravisitor]

I just recently put away a bunch of bottles out of sight and currently only have more of a "capsule" collection (for want of a better word) within easy access. It's still a very large capsule lol, but it will be interesting to see if I will seek those bottles that are out of sight, or just be happy to stay within the parameters of my large capsule collection.

I've started doing something similar: keeping a smaller seasonal rotation on my nightstand along with a few things that I'll reach for regardless of season. It helps a lot to keep me focused on my collection, and it's really good for me to rotate things in and out because it helps keep my collection feeling somewhat fresh.

For instance, there are some fragrances that I really only want to wear in the summer, so does it need to be on my nightstand all the time? Not really, so why not keep those in the closet until I'm ready to start wearing them regularly? When I take them out for the season, it's a bit more exciting and like I've got some things to explore and rediscover.

 

[Chanbal]

I haven't explored this house at all. Sometimes I feel like a broken record when I say that. However, there are so many fragrance houses out there and I've come to accept that there will be many that I will never try and that's okay. Too many perfumes, too little time.

Identifying a favorite rose fragrance is hard -- I don't know if I can pinpoint one specific fragrance. And then, there are different kinds of rose fragrances. We have soliflore roses, and then there are roses in blended compositions, notably rose patchouli, rose oud and maybe some others I am missing. Dark roses, jammy sweet roses, roses and violets; so many varieties. I wonder if any of the perfume blog writers like Bois de Jasmin have done a write-up on the notable rose scents out there. Must check it out sometime.

I always enjoy your posts. I believe the goal of identifying my favorite rose fragrance is unachievable, but it's a lot of fun. I asked DH for his opinion on Byredo-Rose Of No Man's Land, and his answer was quick: 'I don't like it.' He prefers MFK-A la Rose, but it may be because he can barely smell it.
In any event, I'm really enjoying Rose Of No Man's Land.

 

[Purses & Perfumes]

For instance, there are some fragrances that I really only want to wear in the summer, so does it need to be on my nightstand all the time? Not really, so why not keep those in the closet until I'm ready to start wearing them regularly? When I take them out for the season, it's a bit more exciting and like I've got some things to explore and rediscover.

Agree. I like following some form of seasonal rotation because some fragrances suit the mood/vibe of certain seasons, and also because it gives the chance to put away some perfumes for a while. It's so nice to rediscover them when the seasons change. Same thing with outfits.

Currently, my fresh, citrusy and floral fragrances like gardenia or neroli have been mostly put away, to be pulled out when it gets warmer. Likewise, my patchouli, amber and heavier fragrances get worn less in warmer months. This year, I have also been focusing on figuring out which of my fragrances can work year-round. I have a small number of perfumes in that group currently, and have been slowly adding to it. I like the idea of having a set of year-round fragrances, with the seasonal rotations adding excitement and variety to the mix.

 

[Purses & Perfumes]

I always enjoy your posts. I believe the goal of identifying my favorite rose fragrance is unachievable, but it's a lot of fun. I asked DH for his opinion on Byredo-Rose Of No Man's Land, and his answer was quick: 'I don't like it.' He prefers MFK-A la Rose, but it may be because he can barely smell it.
In any event, I'm really enjoying Rose Of No Man's Land.

Thank you for the kind words. Much appreciated. I've enjoyed talking with you as well. I agree that it's fun to try to identify favorites -- I've done this with other notes too like orange blossom, amber or patchouli for example. And sometimes, I end up with not one, but two or three perfumes that become favorites. Or sometimes, I feel like I'm still searching for whatever it is I have in my mind.

I'm not sure I have an absolute favorite rose fragrance yet, but there are a handful of rose perfumes I greatly enjoy wearing. But rose is definitely a note I will continue to explore in a leisurely fashion. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying Rose of No Man's Land. That's one of the main goals of wearing perfume -- to enjoy the beauty of the fragrance throughout the day.

 

[JenJBS]

I tried my sample of Zoologist - Camel. Not planning to try anything else from the brand. Still new enough to the world of perfume that I want to sample a bunch of stuff. And a few I really like were not ones I'd really expected to, but sampled anyway, so that makes me even more interested in testing a bunch of different perfumes. For my wallet's sake, I hope that in a couple years I will know my preferences better and buy only a couple samples a year. But for now I'm really enjoying the discovery part of my perfume experience.

Like a few of you have mentioned, I also tend to use some perfumes on a season basis.