perfume update

[some_stars]

i got distracted for a week or so but! i have worn more perfume!

1. It turns out I DO still like several of my BPAL imps--Druid, Half-Elf, and Cleric are all excellent, although too quiet for my taste. In fairness those are the ones I most thought I would like, so we'll see how Chaotic, Gnome, and Lust work out for me. Cleric in particular is INCREDIBLE, rose + incense + balsam and it smells exactly as described on the tin. Half-Elf was VERY weak and short-lived but nice while it lasted--I described it as "green and clean but in a shaggy way" and I find that very appealing.
2. I found another perfume that is strong and lasts forever on me; unfortunately my notes describe it as "mildly pleasant" but at least it's SOMETHING. (John Varvatos, JV X NJ) This is one of several scents that "warms up" on me in a way I'm not in love with--sometimes it's nice but i really like that Fresh scent so it's disappointing when it turns into golden woody spiciness.
3. I somehow ended up with an entire full size bottle of Elie Tahari, I think it was incredibly discounted on amazon or something? Anyway, good thing I like it. Not absolutely crazy about it but it's quite nice--my notes are "citrus, clean floral, clean light woodiness"
4. At the moment I'm wearing Acqua di Gioia and it's very nice. About a 3.5/5 I think, where a 3 is "I like this more than I dislike it." The first 30 seconds are VERY very sweet and I was Afraid but then it calms down.

also I bought 5 ml decants of Stella and Oud Ispahan but now I am scared to wear them lmao. definitely my favorites so far (except for Hermetica Darkoud which is tied w/the other oud, but not on decant sites). trying to convince myself that i SHOULD wear them bc they're only going to get more expensive and hard to obtain so i should make the most of it while i can reasonably get more. but. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

my giveaway list so far:

• Parfum d'Empire, Fougere Bengale EDP
• Gentlemen's Tonic, Junzi EDT
• Papillon, Spell 125
• West Third Brand, Leather Rose
• YSL, Black Opium
• Viktor & Rolf, Flowerbomb
• YSL, La Nuit de L'Homme EDT
• Carthusia, Numero Uno EDP
• Oriza Legrand, Scotch Lavender EDP
• Atelier Cologne, Rose Anonyme

i'm not gonna start mailing stuff until i've tried and disliked several more, UNLESS someone wants literally all of these in which case HMU. they all have at least a couple applications left in them and some have.......more than that. which may or may not be a threat. (rose anonyme is so goddamn BAD, y'all.)

Comments

[azurelunatic]

I am interested in everything but Oriza Legrand, Scotch Lavender EDP (my partner HATES lavender, and I overdosed my nose by leaving a bundle of fresh farmer's market lavender in the trunk of my car when I went off to Alaska for two weeks), but especially Atelier Cologne, Rose Anonyme, YSL, Black Opium, and Viktor & Rolf, Flowerbomb. Roses rarely go wrong on me, unless it's tuberose by itself or pretty high up there.

[some_stars]

If you’re in the continental US I can send them to you! I forget if DW has a PM function but my email is lcsbanana@gmail.com if you want to send me your address. Please let me know what you think of Rose Anonyme, I got it from someone who didn’t like it so I’m interested to see if it’s just bad or if it works on SOMEONE.

[naraht]

As a data point, I dislike Rose Anonyme but quite like Rose Anonyme Extrait - they're very different. It's not groundbreaking or avantgarde but I find it very pleasant and wearable.

[azurelunatic]

I have sent the email!

[katarik]

Azz, have you tried BPAL'S Rapture? It wound up not working for me and has lots of rose; would you want an imp next time I see Silver?

[azurelunatic]

It is not in my spreadsheet, but all the notes look harmonious for me. So yes, please do send an imp along with them!

[azurelunatic]

Also would you prefer to wait for a small handful or would you like Silver to convey you the Scotch Lavender?

[katarik]

I am happy to trade you the Rapture for the Scotch Lavender at your leisure, so that some_stars doesn't have to just hang on to it and can send it in the pack for you.

[katarik]

I am delighted you liked Druid! I wear those perfumes when I am playing those classes, because I get my amusement in these small ways.

My partner, unlike Azz', LOVES lavender, so I would be happy to take the Scotch Lavender off your hands if you don't get somebody else who wants it.

[some_stars]

I'm trying to avoid sending out a whole bunch of tiny packages frequently bc life is Hard Enough Already, but keep an eye on my rejects for the next while, if you find five more that you'd like i can send them along with the SL :) (fair warning, i got ZERO lavender off it either in the vial or on my skin)

[rydra_wong]

I am pondering weird and interesting things to rec you (once you are on for recs and it would not provide undue temptation to order new samples before you are allowed), so I had some questions (if it's interesting/amusing for you to answer them).

How do you feel about:

smoke/tar/petrol/burnt smells?
animalics (musky, “skanky”, and/or sweaty notes)?
florals other than white florals (e.g. lilac, violets, mimosa, iris)?

Also, you mentioned liking “grandma scents” — would that be chypres (I realize this is a term you may not have a mental reference for, but kind of 40s/50s vibe)? and/or powdery smells?

When you say “wicca store” — that'd be patchouli and incense type stuff, right?

[some_stars]

1. I kind of like the smell of gasoline, and I LOVE the way campfires smell, but smoke scents that aren’t woodsy enough are nasty to me.
2. I don’t think I would like these but I honestly can’t say!
3. I love lilac, don’t know what the other three smell like.
4. The description I looked up of chypre sounds great, I will have to consult my spreadsheet to see if I’ve tried one yet.
5. I usually like powderiness, depending what it’s powdering over.
6. Wicca store: incense, patchouli, sandalwood, actual wood, leather, apparently oud since that’s what gives me the biggest hit, old fabric, pewter, semi-precious stones, books. Like the patchouli and incense are the core but it’s the whole Aroma that makes me happy.

—also by grandma scents I mean more toiletries. Like the way grandma’s guest soap smells. Although grandma perfumes are good too!

[rydra_wong]

6. Wicca store: incense, patchouli, sandalwood, actual wood, leather, apparently oud since that’s what gives me the biggest hit, old fabric, pewter, semi-precious stones, books. Like the patchouli and incense are the core but it’s the whole Aroma that makes me happy.

Got it, cool.

Is "old book smell" of interest outside of that whole blend?

—also by grandma scents I mean more toiletries. Like the way grandma’s guest soap smells. Although grandma perfumes are good too!

Ah, right, so that kind of "soapy" florals and maybe sandalwood, that sort of thing?

[some_stars]

Old book smell on its own is not something I particularly care for, no. And yes exactly! Soapy florals are the best.

[rydra_wong]

Old book smell on its own is not something I particularly care for, no.

Makes sense -- it tends to be vanilla-y (for chemical reasons: lignin in wood-based paper is closely related to vanillin, so perfumes tend to lean into that when they're trying to replicate old book smell), so I was figured it might run into your dislike of sweet/gourmand scents, but wanted to check.

[rydra_wong]

Soapy florals are the best.

Could be worth keeping an eye out for "aldehydes" in perfume descriptions -- they can sometimes go in a very soapy direction.

Also, potentially useful discussion that might give you some perfume names to look into:

https://basenotes.com/threads/soapy-fragrances-anything-but-clean-discuss.246681/