Do You Wear Perfume?

[Lorelei]

I'm tempted to try every single kind mentioned here!

Can somebody recommend something I can try this summer? My favorites are Marc Jacobs Rain, Thierry Mugler Cologne, Giorgio Armani Aqua di Gio, and Chanel Bleu.

A few suggestions off the top of my head working from the ones you mention.

Try Hermes, Caleche, Eau de Merveilles and Kelly Caleche.

Diorella by Christian Dior also Dune and Eau Sauvage ( meant for men but quite unisex).

Chanel Cristalle

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche ( LTD edition only available seasonally).

Guerlain Vetiver.

Sisley Eau de Soir.

 

[Lorelei]

Fendi is my newest one, Tresor, Attraction and during the winter Amarige. I don't wear much just a couple of drops. Too much of a good thing makes my head ache and sicky.

I wear Fendi Extreme on occasion, I love that scent, floral leather, just gorgeous.

 

[Sakuracherry]

Lorelei,

Thank you! As you have probably guessed, I tend to like perfume for men. I am going to a department store and try everything you recommended next weekend. I'll be sure to report back!

 

[ruby59]

I do like a light scent and will wear it occassionally. However, imo, women need to be careful especially when you know you will be in tight quarters.

An example is yesterday at the college graduation of my middle child. We had to literally switch seats because the perfume of the woman near us was so overwhelming.

 

[Lorelei]

Lorelei,

Thank you! As you have probably guessed, I tend to like perfume for men. I am going to a department store and try everything you recommended next weekend. I'll be sure to report back!

You are most welcome and yes, I did notice that and threw in a couple of men's just in case! Elle Macpherson wears Guerlain Vetiver out of interest.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I do even though I think I am not suppose to. (I work in a hospital). I do the spray and walk in technique so I think it is pretty subtle. I went years without wearing it but recently got back into it. I went to a department store and smelled a million until I found one I liked. Recently I switched to Clinique "Happy." It works with my body chemistry. I suggest when you narrow it down wearing it for a few hours before you buy anything. It is crazy how some scents smell so differently on different people.

 

[miraclesrule]

Oh man, I just love fragrance. I do, however, hate walking by Abercrombie as well. It's disgusting. Although my granddaughters usually stop and start dancing to their music, I need to move them along because I feel like I am being bombed with some human form of Raid. Ugh.

Having said that, I love to have a signature scent. Due to body chemistry, humidity, weather, seasons....it's very important to get samples before purchasing.

No matter how many bad (or good) romances evoked by my Opium Perfumed Body Cream, it will probably always remain one of my all-time fall/winter scents. I seldom purchase the EDT or EDP because it doesn't smell the same after the 2009 reformulation. I am still on the look out for some vintage leftovers though....in case one of you has an old bottle lying around.

I also use, and this is so random, a home infusing essential oil from Agraria. it's intended for the home, but I loved it so much that I rubbed a tiny bit of the oil on my body and DANG!! That stuff was so strong. The longevity and sillage was ridiculous....I had to wash it off so I didn't overwhelm other people. Now I use it so sparingly that I can carry it in a very small sample vial. Every one asks me about that scent. It's very interesting.

My signature spring/summer scent is "If" by Apothia. It's like being in Hawaii, but not in a Hawaiian Tropic kind of way. In fact, I found it in Hawaii and I am now hooked. I also love this random cream that a former boss brought each of us from his trip to Japan. It is so light and subtle. I'm fortunate that my company has presence there and was able to photocopy and enlarge the bottom of the mini-jar and to send to them to see if they could identify it. Now, I get a special delivery every year with a whole bag full of the mini jars so I always have it on hand. I couldn't tell you what it's called though.

I've just gotten back into finding some new scents and stumbled on to Surrender to Chance. It's one of many websites that can provide you with a sample of pretty much anything. I just received nine samples last week. A $400 bottle of Tom Ford Orchid. Oh good gawd am I glad I got the sample first. I waited all day for that to turn into something decent on my body, but it didn't.

I'm sort of loving Frederic Malle Carnal Flower. I love tuberose. it's a little too much straight up tuberose for my tastes, but I just ordered a sample of the body butter to see if I prefer it in that form. I find that oils and creams work better with my skin chemistry than liquid. I don't like sprayers. I like to dab. L'Artisan has some nice scents too, but most of them are unisex and the florals can be too florally.

Anyway, that was a crazy long post. I need to go back and read the rest of the thread for cool inside information that you all provided.

 

[miraclesrule]

SHARON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello my darling, it's fantastic to find you, I was keeping my eyes peeled lol!!! You knew where to find me that's for sure, you know the word ' perfume' is like crack to me! Hehe!

Where do I store all my bottles....Everywhere! Hubby keeps complaining as he finds them everywhere, I have stashes all over the house! He got me a purpose built cupboard but I soon outgrew that of course.

I had a bottle of vintage Habanita by Molinard arrive this morning from France, I can tell you, I uncorked that particular genie and that stuff is just incredible, it's positively EVIL! Thick pungent tobacco, powder and vanilla, the juice has aged and darkened into a rich ruby red, just fabulous!

I am so glad to see you! xoxoxoxo

OMG!! Lorelei! I sure have missed you...
I have been a raging crazy women with fragrance these days. I spent days reading reviews and ordering samples and choosing new scents. It is highly addictive. I want to have signature scents that will evoke memories for my grandkids, now that I have three of them. My Mom used to wear Estee Lauder Beautiful up until she could no longer tolerate scents of any kind. I still think of her when I smell it and wish that she could still wear perfume. She can't even smell mine...and that might actually be a good thing.

I'm also going through a phase that has me on the hunt for vintage bottles before the horrid reformulations took place. Please keep sharing as I am writing all of these down so that I can line up more samples!!

 

[miraclesrule]

I love KAI perfume. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it.

Gypsy,

I tried to like Kai, but it is just too strong on me. I still have it, and used it on occasion until I discovered "if" by Apothia. I found it on the counter of a boutique in Paia. It's a lot like Kai, but it has more jasmine and tuberose. I think you would love it. It has the same consistency and rolls on...

Last weekend I layered them together and it was white flower heaven.

 

[Stephny691]

Oh this thread sounds dangerous

Maybe we should have ScentScope too...????

After the lovely stuff recommended in this thread we just might!

 

[Monnyjay]

Sakuraberry, I never leave home without it! I have a collection of about 30 bottles at the moment (my other obsession next to diamonds )

My latest additions are (Jour de Hermes) and Coromandel by Chanel and Kelly Calache (Hermes).

The perfume I get the most comments on is Micheal Kors - only need a small spray it can be very overpowering.

I also love Vetiver (my DH has his own collection - his favourite is Terre de Hermes).

 

[Lorelei]

OMG!! Lorelei! I sure have missed you...
I have been a raging crazy women with fragrance these days. I spent days reading reviews and ordering samples and choosing new scents. It is highly addictive. I want to have signature scents that will evoke memories for my grandkids, now that I have three of them. My Mom used to wear Estee Lauder Beautiful up until she could no longer tolerate scents of any kind. I still think of her when I smell it and wish that she could still wear perfume. She can't even smell mine...and that might actually be a good thing.

I'm also going through a phase that has me on the hunt for vintage bottles before the horrid reformulations took place. Please keep sharing as I am writing all of these down so that I can line up more samples!!

There she is, HI MIRACLES!!! FANTASTIC to see you too my dear, I missed you too!!!! Ha - glad you have caught the scent bug too, it's addictive for sure. I wish I could have a signature scent but I am far too fickle, always looking for the next fix...I used to love EL Beautiful back in the day, I haven't tried it for years, or many older ones come to that due to the reformulation issues.... I would definitely try vintage Miss Dior, look for the houndstooth bottles from the sixties and seventies, I have bought a few recently and they all kept very well, some I find the top notes are a bit wonky but the dry down glorious. I recommend the EDT or parfum, the cologne is lovely but sharp and quite animalic.

Vol de Nuit by Guerlain is another vintage that I find keeps quite well, stick to parfum on that one as the EDT is a little fleeting.

I am sure I will think of many more....

 

[shimmer]

I just wanted to give a quick update as I received Trish's no 9 today and....

It is amazing! A pure blackberry scent (sorry, I'm not accustomed to describing perfumes!) with a hint of vanilla and the musk is hidden and very subtle. This is exactly, no, more than I hoped for!

And, I just realized I have Philosophy's Loveswept, not Falling in Love so I can't do the comparison!! I am so sorry, Lizzyann, but I highly recommend Trish McEvoys no 9!!!

 

[OreoRosies86]

Van Cleef & Arpels Bois d"Iris. I love iris!

 

[miraclesrule]

OMG!! Lorelei! I sure have missed you...
I have been a raging crazy women with fragrance these days. I spent days reading reviews and ordering samples and choosing new scents. It is highly addictive. I want to have signature scents that will evoke memories for my grandkids, now that I have three of them. My Mom used to wear Estee Lauder Beautiful up until she could no longer tolerate scents of any kind. I still think of her when I smell it and wish that she could still wear perfume. She can't even smell mine...and that might actually be a good thing.

I'm also going through a phase that has me on the hunt for vintage bottles before the horrid reformulations took place. Please keep sharing as I am writing all of these down so that I can line up more samples!!

There she is, HI MIRACLES!!! FANTASTIC to see you too my dear, I missed you too!!!! Ha - glad you have caught the scent bug too, it's addictive for sure. I wish I could have a signature scent but I am far too fickle, always looking for the next fix...I used to love EL Beautiful back in the day, I haven't tried it for years, or many older ones come to that due to the reformulation issues.... I would definitely try vintage Miss Dior, look for the houndstooth bottles from the sixties and seventies, I have bought a few recently and they all kept very well, some I find the top notes are a bit wonky but the dry down glorious. I recommend the EDT or parfum, the cologne is lovely but sharp and quite animalic.

Vol de Nuit by Guerlain is another vintage that I find keeps quite well, stick to parfum on that one as the EDT is a little fleeting.

I am sure I will think of many more....

I'll have to add those to my list.

I arrived at my daughter's house last night for my birthday dinner with the granddkids and my 4-yr old (going on 24), says to me "Happy Birthday, Grandma! Get on over here and get your hug!!" So I put my purse down and went to the sofa to get my hug and she proclaims "Grandma, you smell so good!! What perfume are you wearing?" And so it begins.... She also said to me "Grandma, where did you get those shoes, they are very pretty? (My daily black pumps) I tell her that I stock up on them at DSW. She says "They match your purse"!

Oh boy....this one is gonna be trouble.

I was wearing Carnal Flower.

 

[Lorelei]

I arrived at my daughter's house last night for my birthday dinner with the granddkids and my 4-yr old (going on 24), says to me "Happy Birthday, Grandma! Get on over here and get your hug!!" So I put my purse down and went to the sofa to get my hug and she proclaims "Grandma, you smell so good!! What perfume are you wearing?" And so it begins.... She also said to me "Grandma, where did you get those shoes, they are very pretty? (My daily black pumps) I tell her that I stock up on them at DSW. She says "They match your purse"!

Oh boy....this one is gonna be trouble.

I was wearing Carnal Flower.

LOL! For sure she is, what fantastic taste in a 4 year old loving Carnal Flower, I am impressed! I own and love some of the Malle range, but CF didn't smell that great on me, I wanted it to though. I own and love Lipstick Rose, Musc Ravageur, Iris Poudre, Dries van Noten and I am debating whether to get L'eau D'Hiver, but I might wait for winter for that one as I do rotate seasonally.

I just ordered Daim Blond by Serge Lutens today.

 

[miraclesrule]

Yummmy! You really do have some amazing taste (smell) in perfume. I mean who tastes their perfume?

I rotate mine seasonally too, but I still find myself using my favorite fall/winter scent in the evening year round.

So, I have discovered recently that I am drawn to balsamic accords. Do you have any suggestions that I can try?

Dries Van Noten seems like it might be a contender.

 

[allysssa]

edited for double posting!

 

[allysssa]

I appreciate the art and beauty of perfumery but unfortunately my body has decided I can't tolerate anything scented. Including any household cleaner, laundry detergent, body product (shampoo, etc). It's very hard to find products with no fragrance (including essential oils) - even trash bags, toilet paper, and other products come scented without always disclosing.

If you work in the public - or rather closely with the public - please be careful with your fragrances. I've had to tell a nurse in the ER to step away from me due to her perfume, when I was there due to respiratory distress. And it doesn't matter if you only put on a little - it only helps so much.

Also most people who wear perfumes should be aware that you lose sense of it if you layer on too much or too many fragrances - so if your house is perfumed and you are wearing several different versions of your favorite perfume becasue you love it, you're likely a little desensitized. That's how you end up with someone whose perfume cloud seems to trail 10 feet behind them. It can help to take a break to recalibrate your sense of smell. To me, no matter how much you wear you'll probably end up affecting me like a heavy smoker who stands next to me would (even if I like the smell!), but for most people who are less sensitive, cutting down a bit can mean it's your own private experience rather than one forced on the public.

And then there's AXE body spray - there's no amount of that that's safe for anyone!

 

[Lorelei]

I appreciate the art and beauty of perfumery but unfortunately my body has decided I can't tolerate anything scented. Including any household cleaner, laundry detergent, body product (shampoo, etc). It's very hard to find products with no fragrance (including essential oils) - even trash bags, toilet paper, and other products come scented without always disclosing.

If you work in the public - or rather closely with the public - please be careful with your fragrances. I've had to tell a nurse in the ER to step away from me due to her perfume, when I was there due to respiratory distress. And it doesn't matter if you only put on a little - it only helps so much.

Also most people who wear perfumes should be aware that you lose sense of it if you layer on too much or too many fragrances - so if your house is perfumed and you are wearing several different versions of your favorite perfume becasue you love it, you're likely a little desensitized. That's how you end up with someone whose perfume cloud seems to trail 10 feet behind them. It can help to take a break to recalibrate your sense of smell. To me, no matter how much you wear you'll probably end up affecting me like a heavy smoker who stands next to me would (even if I like the smell!), but for most people who are less sensitive, cutting down a bit can mean it's your own private experience rather than one forced on the public.

And then there's AXE body spray - there's no amount of that that's safe for anyone!

Hi ally,

You raise some good points and I do try to be careful that I don't cause anyone with allergies any problems or force my scent on others, it's worth mentioning for sure! What I do is this, when at home I use my heavy hitters with abandon, but when I am going out, I use something much lighter, or depending on my destination, I dab a little under my clothes so I am still scented but hopefully not offending or causing issues for anyone else. I try to be considerate and match the scent and amounts of it to the situation. I am sorry you suffer so much, that must be really miserable...

 

[allysssa]

Thanks for your kind words, Lorelei!

In terms of the types of perfume - it's not clear that lighter or heavier necessarily has a different effect on allergies, though it could. There are so many chemicals and there are certain sensitizers called "fragrance mix" - a bunch of chemicals many are or become allergic to and are potentially toxic (I wasn't always allergic, and I imagine that older perfumes didn't use some of these chemicals, too). I need to redo my allergy testing and see what I am reacting to, but I know anything scented at all bothers me including essential oils. I do notice a difference sometimes between cheaper and more expensive scents, but someone wearing something supposedly "natural" like patchouli oil can be the worst!

I do find that I have just as much trouble with cleaners, air fresheners, or scents being pumped into public places as I do with people. It can be particularly hard in other people's homes or in stores or restaurants depending on their cleaners, or in public places where there is scented soap in the restrooms (always)! Somehow the incidence of people using a lot of perfume seems to have lessened over the years. I think maybe it goes hand in hand with smoking being banned in side? Suddenly we can all smell things more!

 

[Lorelei]

Thanks for your kind words, Lorelei!

In terms of the types of perfume - it's not clear that lighter or heavier necessarily has a different effect on allergies, though it could. There are so many chemicals and there are certain sensitizers called "fragrance mix" - a bunch of chemicals many are or become allergic to and are potentially toxic (I wasn't always allergic, and I imagine that older perfumes didn't use some of these chemicals, too). I need to redo my allergy testing and see what I am reacting to, but I know anything scented at all bothers me including essential oils. I do notice a difference sometimes between cheaper and more expensive scents, but someone wearing something supposedly "natural" like patchouli oil can be the worst!

I do find that I have just as much trouble with cleaners, air fresheners, or scents being pumped into public places as I do with people. It can be particularly hard in other people's homes or in stores or restaurants depending on their cleaners, or in public places where there is scented soap in the restrooms (always)! Somehow the incidence of people using a lot of perfume seems to have lessened over the years. I think maybe it goes hand in hand with smoking being banned in side? Suddenly we can all smell things more!

You are welcome sweetheart, it must be awful to suffer like that just from anything in the environment, respiratory problems can be so frightening as it is and to not know where you might encounter something that could trigger it must be terrible. It's good to know as well that it isn't necessarily a case of ' heavier' fragrances being worse than lighter ones, I think some of us ' Fume Heads' are under that impression, certainly I was anyway, so it's good to know that isn't always the case. I often think that cleaning products and so on are over scented, I hate the smell of laundry detergent. I had a really bad headache as a teenager and all I could smell was laundry detergent even though there wasn't any in the room or coming from my clothes, the smell of it was horrible. Probably my brain playing tricks on me but I never forgot it. I use a product and often wonder why it has to smell so strong and for the scent to be so long lasting, I think my sense of smell has sharpened or altered over the years as well as the possibility that manufacturers are adding more fragrance to some products.

I think people are a lot more aware of how their fragrance affects others nowadays and it could be due to the ban on smoking in public places, which as an ex smoker, I fully support. I remember years ago you could often get a surge of scent coming off a woman walking by, now when I do notice it I am surprised as it's rare, but I think overall people are more cognizant of how their choices can negatively impact others.

I am heavily influenced by my nose and nothing is nicer than the smell of the outdoors, I was enjoying the scent of one of my hawthorn bushes earlier, it has been stormy here and it smelt heavenly after the rain.

I hope things get easier for you Ally and thanks for bringing that up so we can endeavour to enjoy our fragrances without affecting others!

 

[ksinger]

Lorelei, first, good to see you back.

Second, since you are undoubtedly more "up" on this than I, I read just the tip of the iceberg about the latest IFRA reformulations.

I knew nothing about such things until just recently, when I tried on some Chanel No. 5 - a treasured favorite from my teenage years (oh how long I saved for that bottle!!) and nearly wept. It was ghastly. Flat, no depth, and just awful. Nothing like the glorious scent of my youth. I know noses change with age, but there is no way that perfume is the same as it was. And I see now that it really is NOT the same, and my memory for scent is not defective or "old".

Comments? I'd like to know your take on this topic, O Perfume Guru!

 

[Lorelei]

Lorelei, first, good to see you back.

Second, since you are undoubtedly more "up" on this than I, I read just the tip of the iceberg about the latest IFRA reformulations.

I knew nothing about such things until just recently, when I tried on some Chanel No. 5 - a treasured favorite from my teenage years (oh how long I saved for that bottle!!) and nearly wept. It was ghastly. Flat, no depth, and just awful. Nothing like the glorious scent of my youth. I know noses change with age, but there is no way that perfume is the same as it was. And I see now that it really is NOT the same, and my memory for scent is not defective or "old".

Comments? I'd like to know your take on this topic, O Perfume Guru!

Hello K, it's lovely to ' see' you, I hope life has been good to you my dear!

Do I ever feel your pain....That's why I either buy vintage or go with oldies that I feel are a reasonable interpretation of their former glorious selves, but that's like trying to find a needle in a haystack.... One that really made me want to weep was the current Chanel No 19, sorry to say, it smelt nothing like I remembered. Gone were the lovely galbanum top notes, the cracking leather drydown, it was a very sad day. Now I no longer bother with No 19, it's too painful.

It's not your nose, K, I think it is the effect of the reformulations, people aren't silly and they DO notice that their favourite scent is just not the same, no matter what the manufacturers say! I understand that people need to be protected from potentially unsafe ingredients, using animal extracts is not acceptable to most either, which is absolutely fine, also sources of rare natural ingredients should be protected or might be too expensive to use. But personally I believe a whole nursery full of babies are being thrown out with the bathwater as ingredients that have been used for many years, apparently safely, are being increasingly restricted or banned altogether, resulting in my opinion, in the deterioration of so many classic scents. Thankfully, some fragrance houses are working hard to find alternatives to bring some of their old classics back to life and to be IFRA compliant, I applaud their efforts and hope more follow suit.

I just wish that this whole business could be done with by labelling the bottles, then let the adult consumers make their own minds up. I don't see why this cannot be done with fragrances successfully, cigarettes and alcohol have safety warnings, household cleaners and appliances all have warnings in place, as do nuts and products that may contain traces of nuts, I feel that might be a reasonable solution.

I tend to buy niche fragrances today as I find the quality can be better. One I can recommend you to try K is Miriam by Andy Tauer as you are missing the old No 5, the first time I smelt it, it reminded me of how No 5 used to be. Also Iris Poudre by Frederick Malle is very aldehydic and that might be a good alternative. A Chanel I wear and find beautiful is No 22, that's only available from Chanel boutiques or online, but I think it blows the socks off the current No 5 formulation. With No 5, you could try the EDP or the Elixir is pretty good, the extrait de parfum barely lasts an hour on me so I never bother with it now.

Caleche Soie de Parfum is also a bit ' No 5- ish' but it's quite soapy, it's beautiful though.

I really hope a solution to the reformulation issue is found soon that is acceptable to everyone concerned.

 

[ksinger]

Lorelei, first, good to see you back.

Second, since you are undoubtedly more "up" on this than I, I read just the tip of the iceberg about the latest IFRA reformulations.

I knew nothing about such things until just recently, when I tried on some Chanel No. 5 - a treasured favorite from my teenage years (oh how long I saved for that bottle!!) and nearly wept. It was ghastly. Flat, no depth, and just awful. Nothing like the glorious scent of my youth. I know noses change with age, but there is no way that perfume is the same as it was. And I see now that it really is NOT the same, and my memory for scent is not defective or "old".

Comments? I'd like to know your take on this topic, O Perfume Guru!

Hello K, it's lovely to ' see' you, I hope life has been good to you my dear!

Do I ever feel your pain....That's why I either buy vintage or go with oldies that I feel are a reasonable interpretation of their former glorious selves, but that's like trying to find a needle in a haystack.... One that really made me want to weep was the current Chanel No 19, sorry to say, it smelt nothing like I remembered. Gone were the lovely galbanum top notes, the cracking leather drydown, it was a very sad day. Now I no longer bother with No 19, it's too painful.

It's not your nose, K, I think it is the effect of the reformulations, people aren't silly and they DO notice that their favourite scent is just not the same, no matter what the manufacturers say! I understand that people need to be protected from potentially unsafe ingredients, using animal extracts is not acceptable to most either, which is absolutely fine, also sources of rare natural ingredients should be protected or might be too expensive to use. But personally I believe a whole nursery full of babies are being thrown out with the bathwater as ingredients that have been used for many years, apparently safely, are being increasingly restricted or banned altogether, resulting in my opinion, in the deterioration of so many classic scents. Thankfully, some fragrance houses are working hard to find alternatives to bring some of their old classics back to life and to be IFRA compliant, I applaud their efforts and hope more follow suit.

I just wish that this whole business could be done with by labelling the bottles, then let the adult consumers make their own minds up. I don't see why this cannot be done with fragrances successfully, cigarettes and alcohol have safety warnings, household cleaners and appliances all have warnings in place, as do nuts and products that may contain traces of nuts, I feel that might be a reasonable solution.

I tend to buy niche fragrances today as I find the quality can be better. One I can recommend you to try K is Miriam by Andy Tauer as you are missing the old No 5, the first time I smelt it, it reminded me of how No 5 used to be. Also Iris Poudre by Frederick Malle is very aldehydic and that might be a good alternative. A Chanel I wear and find beautiful is No 22, that's only available from Chanel boutiques or online, but I think it blows the socks off the current No 5 formulation. With No 5, you could try the EDP or the Elixir is pretty good, the extrait de parfum barely lasts an hour on me so I never bother with it now.

Caleche Soie de Parfum is also a bit ' No 5- ish' but it's quite soapy, it's beautiful though.

I really hope a solution to the reformulation issue is found soon that is acceptable to everyone concerned.

Thanks so much for your thoughts on the issue, and your suggestions. I shall definitely look into them. I actually haven't used No. 5 in ages. And No. 22 is only available through boutiques or online? Odd, but then now that you mention it, I do never see it anywhere, and I remember when it used to be widely available, although at my age that begins to include some serious decades. "Well that was just a few years ago, as I recall." Yeah, if 30 is "a few years". LOL! Anyway, I guess since I didn't wear it in addition to No. 5, (I seem to recall liking it, but liked No. 5 better - remember I was a teenager/young adult with VERY limited funds for such things) so I guess I never missed when it slipped away to "hard to get" land.

I wish I had your perfume vocabulary. Sadly I don't. All I can say is the somewhat neanderthal-ish "Perfume smell WRONG now!"
I can't identify what notes are missing, like you and some others are able. An enviable skill.

These days, I still wear Tresor, which still smells good to me after many years, but seems like something IS missing. It's subtle though, and as I mentioned, I couldn't put my finger on it for the life of me. My husband has been excellent at finding modern perfumes I like, which is astonishing since the boy has a VERY limited sense of smell. Or at least , it's astonishing until he reveals that he goes to a local boutique that is owned and operated by a perfume wizard of sorts - tell him what she already has and likes, (in Mr. Observant's case, that would be shape of bottle only), and Mike The Scent Wizard will pick another that she "might like". He's done this 4 times now based on Tresor alone. Pretty impressive. I can't even find ONE I like as often as not. He's gotten me Marc Jacobs, Daisy, Versace Crystal Noir, Dot, and one other I haven't really broken into yet. The Daisy and the Marc Jacobs would be the true faves in that list.

I guess I need to get out and go to the perfume boutique and just start seriously sniffing.

 

[Lorelei]

Lorelei, first, good to see you back.

Second, since you are undoubtedly more "up" on this than I, I read just the tip of the iceberg about the latest IFRA reformulations.

I knew nothing about such things until just recently, when I tried on some Chanel No. 5 - a treasured favorite from my teenage years (oh how long I saved for that bottle!!) and nearly wept. It was ghastly. Flat, no depth, and just awful. Nothing like the glorious scent of my youth. I know noses change with age, but there is no way that perfume is the same as it was. And I see now that it really is NOT the same, and my memory for scent is not defective or "old".

Comments? I'd like to know your take on this topic, O Perfume Guru!

Hello K, it's lovely to ' see' you, I hope life has been good to you my dear!

Do I ever feel your pain....That's why I either buy vintage or go with oldies that I feel are a reasonable interpretation of their former glorious selves, but that's like trying to find a needle in a haystack.... One that really made me want to weep was the current Chanel No 19, sorry to say, it smelt nothing like I remembered. Gone were the lovely galbanum top notes, the cracking leather drydown, it was a very sad day. Now I no longer bother with No 19, it's too painful.

It's not your nose, K, I think it is the effect of the reformulations, people aren't silly and they DO notice that their favourite scent is just not the same, no matter what the manufacturers say! I understand that people need to be protected from potentially unsafe ingredients, using animal extracts is not acceptable to most either, which is absolutely fine, also sources of rare natural ingredients should be protected or might be too expensive to use. But personally I believe a whole nursery full of babies are being thrown out with the bathwater as ingredients that have been used for many years, apparently safely, are being increasingly restricted or banned altogether, resulting in my opinion, in the deterioration of so many classic scents. Thankfully, some fragrance houses are working hard to find alternatives to bring some of their old classics back to life and to be IFRA compliant, I applaud their efforts and hope more follow suit.

I just wish that this whole business could be done with by labelling the bottles, then let the adult consumers make their own minds up. I don't see why this cannot be done with fragrances successfully, cigarettes and alcohol have safety warnings, household cleaners and appliances all have warnings in place, as do nuts and products that may contain traces of nuts, I feel that might be a reasonable solution.

I tend to buy niche fragrances today as I find the quality can be better. One I can recommend you to try K is Miriam by Andy Tauer as you are missing the old No 5, the first time I smelt it, it reminded me of how No 5 used to be. Also Iris Poudre by Frederick Malle is very aldehydic and that might be a good alternative. A Chanel I wear and find beautiful is No 22, that's only available from Chanel boutiques or online, but I think it blows the socks off the current No 5 formulation. With No 5, you could try the EDP or the Elixir is pretty good, the extrait de parfum barely lasts an hour on me so I never bother with it now.

Caleche Soie de Parfum is also a bit ' No 5- ish' but it's quite soapy, it's beautiful though.

I really hope a solution to the reformulation issue is found soon that is acceptable to everyone concerned.

Thanks so much for your thoughts on the issue, and your suggestions. I shall definitely look into them. I actually haven't used No. 5 in ages. And No. 22 is only available through boutiques or online? Odd, but then now that you mention it, I do never see it anywhere, and I remember when it used to be widely available, although at my age that begins to include some serious decades. "Well that was just a few years ago, as I recall." Yeah, if 30 is "a few years". LOL! Anyway, I guess since I didn't wear it in addition to No. 5, (I seem to recall liking it, but liked No. 5 better - remember I was a teenager/young adult with VERY limited funds for such things) so I guess I never missed when it slipped away to "hard to get" land.

I wish I had your perfume vocabulary. Sadly I don't. All I can say is the somewhat neanderthal-ish "Perfume smell WRONG now!"
I can't identify what notes are missing, like you and some others are able. An enviable skill.

These days, I still wear Tresor, which still smells good to me after many years, but seems like something IS missing. It's subtle though, and as I mentioned, I couldn't put my finger on it for the life of me. My husband has been excellent at finding modern perfumes I like, which is astonishing since the boy has a VERY limited sense of smell. Or at least , it's astonishing until he reveals that he goes to a local boutique that is owned and operated by a perfume wizard of sorts - tell him what she already has and likes, (in Mr. Observant's case, that would be shape of bottle only), and Mike The Scent Wizard will pick another that she "might like". He's done this 4 times now based on Tresor alone. Pretty impressive. I can't even find ONE I like as often as not. He's gotten me Marc Jacobs, Daisy, Versace Crystal Noir, Dot, and one other I haven't really broken into yet. The Daisy and the Marc Jacobs would be the true faves in that list.

I guess I need to get out and go to the perfume boutique and just start seriously sniffing.

No 22 was more widely available years ago but now it's part of Les Exclusifs de Chanel range, so only available as above.

That's really impressive with the Hubby, not many have that skill! Also, nothing wrong with your interpretation or thoughts how a scent smells, it's like having your favourite dinner at a restaurant for years, then all of a sudden they change the recipe without warning or informing the diners what's changed. We KNOW it tastes different, isn't as good perhaps but we don't know why. This could range from cheaper ingredients being substituted or the recipe changed altogether, it appears fragrances can be similarly affected. I am so fed up with being informed at fragrance counters that ' the product hasn't changed at all', sorry but my nose tells me otherwise and I am certainly not alone in this!

 

[Lorelei]

Fellow Fume Heads, I had an idea for a new thread.

What would you all think if we made a thread titled Scent of the Day or something like that, those of us that would like to participate can post each day, or any day they wish to, what fragrance they are wearing and tell us a little bit about it? That way for those looking to enlarge their collections or try the scent in question can get an idea of what it's like, fragrances it's similar to, how long it lasts on the skin and so forth. I thought it might be a good idea for us all to learn more and maybe get some new ideas of fragrances worth trying?

Let me know if you think that's a good idea.

 

[Sparklelu]

Well thank you for explaining what the heck happened to my beloved Chanel #5
When this thread first starred or because of it I decided to reintroduce what used to be my signature scent. Poor DH a man who is a sucker at perfume counters went for broke at Christmas... The Entire collection was boxed up under the tree. I got EDP, EDT,soap, powder, and body lotion. He was so thrilled. I was too until I opened the EDP and applied it! Ugh ghastly! I thought it was my nose or my body chemistry changed after chemo? Who knew?
Now all I have to do is figure out who likes it and gift them!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Well thank you for explaining what the heck happened to my beloved Chanel #5
When this thread first starred or because of it I decided to reintroduce what used to be my signature scent. Poor DH a man who is a sucker at perfume counters went for broke at Christmas... The Entire collection was boxed up under the tree. I got EDP, EDT,soap, powder, and body lotion. He was so thrilled. I was too until I opened the EDP and applied it! Ugh ghastly! I thought it was my nose or my body chemistry changed after chemo? Who knew?
Now all I have to do is figure out who likes it and gift them!!!

You are welcome Sparkle, I am so sorry you also found the iconic No 5 to not be quite as it was.... I would say though keep the powder and lotion as although they too aren't what they used to be, those are still great products. Also, I find the EDP and EDT do improve a bit with keeping, pop them away in a drawer for a couple of months then try again. That's great your chemo is completed and I hope you are doing well!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Yes, back from vacation and have several new products to report, when I learn of "their" success.

cheers--Sharon