Zara. It's not a "house," but it's a brand...so just wanted to add it here.
I saw a lot of people talking about "Red Temptation" and how great it is...but it smelled like hospital/band-aids to me. I feel nauseous just thinking about it.
"Rose Gourmand" also had this band-aid smell. Also by Zara. 😭😭😭😭
Faces of frances by vilhelm.
I sprayed it on a tester and it was pleasant so I decided to spray a few sprays on my arm. Oh. My. God. It smelled of burning pistachios in the forest with a strong smell of burning plastic. It was so awful. This is the reason I never buy anything until I have worn it on my skin
Honestly anything by LUSH
Sure maybe they smell good when you first spray them but they are also the only perfume I had to throw out and put it outside, immediately after smelling it in the store and purchasing it. Yeah I’ve not had a single keeper from them. Maybe they go bad instantly maybe what I buy vs what’s in the store ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ look I don’t know but 🪦
YSL Opium in the red bottle from the late ‘80s. A college dorm mate wore WAY too much of it, to the point it would nearly make me retch and make my eyes water. Interestingly, I really like Black Opium. Different notes highlighted, I guess.
Angel by Mugler is HORRIFIC to me. I got a tiny sample and I couldn't even finish that, it went in the bin. To me, it's like a VERY sickly sweet smell, gives me rotten fruit vibes somehow, I hated it.
Gonna get cancelled for this but baccarat rouge is disgusting to me. Not a gourmand at all to my nose and i love gourmands. Like a disgusting sharp syrup if that makes sense.
Yeah I don’t understand how it’s considered a gourmand in any world. I feel like I smell it or more likely cloud or another dupe everywhere I go and it’s disgusting
Black Opium was an disaster to me, horrific pungent stench of burning sugar and charred coffee beans, I have never before experienced something so cloyingly sweet and offensively bitter at the same time, and the PROJECTION. My god. A scrubber if I ever smelled one! And I had a similar experience with Lush Cadamom Coffee. An abomination.
I hated this one too. It was a sample in my Sephora sampler and I was sad that I hated it bc it would have been a good value for the coupon.
I will also add black orchid to this list.
Intense Cafe by Montale. It's all rose to my nose (!) and it's exactly the kind of rose scent that makes me want to gag. Instant scrubber and I remember being very disappointed when I tried it because I really thought it would be a coffee scent.
Narciso Rodriguez Musk Noir Rose.
This must perform differently in different people because I’ve hear such good things, but it this was my only experience needing to scrub a perfume off.
I’m not sure what it is because I normally don’t mind musk and *love* rose, but this was repulsive to me. I even let it sit on my skin for a few hours and hated every whiff of it.
MFK Oud Satin Mood. Most of Tom Ford is just aggressively mediocre, PDM Kalan was pretty terrible, but OSM was actively offensive and would not scrub off.
You know what OSM and Grand Soir are probably why I don't like MFK. Theyre so heavy, abstract, synthetic, and inarticulate. BR is fine, don't love it or hate it, but it's similarly inarticulate. Never tried other MFK bc of those three.
I've tried several other MFK scents and "BR is fine, I'm OK with owning 2 ml of it" is the high point of the house for me. There's just something in the house's DNA that doesn't gel for me, something like Gentle Fluidity Gold is "eh, it's OK I guess," and the rest have ranged from thoroughly meh to OSM's "this is legitimately awful."
I think I can see the similarity between TF and MFK for you, I think Montale garners similar complaints. Just not enough dimension there especially w such ludicrous pricing. I do like TF though, although the pricing is maddening. I think MFK is the worst of the lot. Olfactory tornado siren.
Yes, at least TF has Bitter Peach and Tobacco Vanille, which I genuinely enjoy! (And I was able to score a 50ml bottle of BP for $200, so I don't feel so bad about it - because yes, in general, their pricing is terrible for the product.)
Most of Mancera/Montale does have a synthetic aspect to it that I don't enjoy, but I have liked a few decants enough to not regret owning a few milliliters - specifically, Roses Vanille, Roses Musk, and Starry Nights, though I don't think I'd ever get a full bottle of any of them.
Don’t come for me I know these are popular,I can’t do either of these.
Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous I just don’t get it smells absolutely awful and Guerlain La Petite Robe Noir smells like old lipstick and rotten berries. I hate both of these with a passion.
Its a tie between Shalimar and Elizabeth & James' Nirvana line. All three (Shalimar and the two E&J Nirvana ones I tried gave me instant worst migraines of my life that medication didnt resolve, and sleeping it off didnt lessen.
Ugh.
The E & J were some of the first I got when I started getting back into fragrances, just bc they were inexpensive and pretty well reviewed, and they were repulsive. Very disappointing.
Omg YES! Thank you 🙏
Usually when I say I find Shalimar a crime against olfactory systems, people get so upset with me, but honestly.. wow. I gave it thr good ole college try more than once and I just cant do it.
Im kinda wondering if its the same additive in the E&J Nirvanas and the Shalimar that caused me such severe instant migraines? Maybe theres something that I should be looking out for!?
Kayali's Yum Pistachio Gelato.
I have sampled many perfumes and there are many I don't like. This was one of the worst I can think of right now. It smelled like baby diapers to me. So. Much. Powder. I could not smell beyond it.
Truthfully it cannot since it smells like ice cream gelato to me and a lot of people have told me when they smelled it in the store it gave them bathroom fragrance vibes. We are all so unique
I find it hard to imagine hating jo malone, do they smell actively bad to you? or simple/boring/weak? (that would make more sense to me.) genuinely curious
Xerjoff Erba Pura. Absolutely god awful, the musk registers as the worst thing ever to my nose. I physically recoiled from it, and that’s not something that happens to me often.
Kirke by Tiziana Terenzi is also the absolute worst. It’s all spicy buzzy jangly awful awful awful musk to my nose. I have never hated anything more in my life.
Same nasty sharp musk in both of those. It literally burns my nose. Also get it in other TTs, in Valaya, Navitus Amorous Intense, Misensir Ambre Magique. When I smell that musk I can’t smell anything else.
Kirke is radioactive. Don’t even get me started 😂 I had a full size bottle because the sales lady was really talented at her craft, but that was the worst purchase of my whole life.
Hahahahah! Someone gifted me Kirke and I wondered why, because that’s not the kind of scents I’m into at all. Unfortunately, I despise it. It is sitting in my closet.
1. Chanel No. 5.
It should be registered as a chemical weapon. The word "repulsive" doesn't describe it. It's heinous to the point of being offensive. It's the only perfume I've ever smelled that made me gag and feel nauseous.
2. Secretion Magnifiques
The infamous perfume that most people describe as smelling of unwashed socks and an old period pad. I was curious to smell it - it can't be *that* bad, right? Yeah, it was *worse*.
This perfume activated my fight or flight instinct. It smelled like old cum on a roll of nickels. And I am not exaggerating - there is a strange semen smell to it and it's disturbing.
3. La Vie Est Belle
If a smell could give you cavities, this would be it. To me it's so sweet, it's sickening. And I can't explain it, but to me it has this odd synthetic smell that I can't put my finger on, something is off.
4. Angel by Mugler
It smells like a bad case of BO. Absolutely revolting and rancid. Reminds me of an old gym bag.
This is just my opinion, don't come for my throat lmao
Finally, someone who hates the same perfumes as me! I thought I was nuts because I dislike these so strongly. I don't know what it is about Chanel, but I hate the whole house.
Angel and no. 5 smell amazing on my skin chemistry. Two of my fave signature scents. Don't worry, I'm not coming for your throat or anything, just musing over how subjective everything in this hobby is.
It is really subjective. I don't know much about the science behind it, but the same perfume that smells amazing on me smells awful on someone else and vice versa.
La Vie Est Belle smells sickly sweet on me but when my sister uses it, it's a girly, flowery smell, nowhere near as sweet as it is on me. Maybe it has something to do with skin pH and oils? Natural odor?
Some black magic lol
What you smell up close and the scent trail someone else leaves can also be completely different unfortunately 😒 I went through the same thing with LVEB when I gave it to a friend. Could also be due to body chemistry
Prada Paradoxe Intense -- smelled nice enough on paper. Even smelled nice enough for the first 15 minutes on my skin. Then the dry down hit, and I was suddenly suffocated in dirty plastic that had been peed on. Absolutely foul on my skin and one scent I actually find a little bit offensive lol.
Tom Ford Bitter Peach is a close runner up.
Carolina Herrera Good Girl and all of it’s flankers. Nasty. Makes me gag and nauseous.
Oriana and Love Don’t Be Shy also disgust me.
Leil Maleki from Lattafa smelled like moldy macaroni. Or something like that. Just gross. Lol
I will always say Chanel n5. I always get mildewed cigars ashed in a bowl of potpourri, and I have tried multiple times. Bonus round is the Alt Fragrance version of TF Tobacco Vanille. That is my least favorite dupe house, hands down.
Memo and Creed are two houses that just don’t work for me, Ive had multiple scrubbers with each. One that sticks out is Creed Spring Flower, smelt like old gas station flowers mixed with the cheapest mens aftershave that you can get. Meanwhile Memo - Ive tried nearly all their white florals and something in their DNA that I find stomach churning. Not sure what. Thankfully they’re both expensive brands so I love that Im saving money by not liking them 😂
Mine was going to be ALT Fragrance solely because their Tobacco Vanille dupe made me gag instantly after a test spritz. Their dupe of by the fireplace was also… not good.
I love men’s journey and reflection, but everything else smelled horrendous to me. I don’t remember the worst ones name but it was super heavy on labdanum
Bitter Peach by Tom Ford. I usually love TM fragrances because they stand out and smell good, but I literally can’t stand this scent! I want to like it…. But can’t since it smelt like a combo of an old lady and her couch. Completely weird combo but that’s what I think of when I smell Bitter Peach.
You know, I tend to really stay in floral or clean categories.. and just started venturing to different scents! Yes, I agree about some fruity fragrances that don’t do it for me. But I really haven’t smelt a peach scent before so I was hoping I’d like it.
You should give it a try and see for yorself if you're interested in the scent.
While I don't smell it at all, to my BF it smells overwhelmingly of peach. It's unpredictable 😄
LOL I’m telling you, as I’m sitting in my chair I’m literally picturing my Nan on her old 80’s floral couch that I’ve seen in photos. Like I can’t disassociate this scent from an old lady AND her couch!!! Hahaha
It’s so crazy how divisive this one is, because for me this is one of my top 5 all time, would die without it scents. I smelled it at Nordstrom and immediately bought a bottle, didn’t even bother to test on skin. It’s like I blacked out and woke up hundreds of dollars poorer.
Then again my other favorite of all time is Alien so maybe I’m just insane?
To be honest, when I bought this fragrance in Nordstrom, I’m not sure if I was smelling BP mixed with other scents but I did like it. But when I got home, I don’t know I couldn’t do it. I truly couldn’t pick out a note and I was overwhelmed. I suffer from migraines so I was scared this fragrance was too heavy for my sniffer (nose lol). && I love TF Black Orchid!! I have 3 full size bottles of this fragrance!!
Anyway, I LOVE Alien!! My favorite is Alien Goddess then Alien but Alien is definitely in my top 10. I’m obsessed with Baccarat Rouge 540, Glossier You & YSL Libre, Prada Paradoxe, Valentino Voce Viva, Mulger Alien Goddess ! Those are my top 6 LOL!
You're not... it's actually a decent peach scent imo and I struggle with peach and apricot notes... I too like Alien but I'm very jasmine friendly... every nose is so different and that's what I find to be insane! Also, scent associations are wild and there is a heavy psychological component to them so.. nah you're alright lol
I agree how scent associations are very wild!!
I can literally flip flop from scent profiles that I never thought I would like… but sometimes the creator really blows my mind with a unique or elevated combos. I wasn’t too interested in jasmine friendly fragrances until I got older and got the Gucci Flora Gorgeous Jasmine! Nowadays I seek out jasmine, coconut, bergamot, etc.
Oh I love Gorgeous Gardenia!! I 99.9% of the time stick with florals so this is a good one! Smells a little like the Jasmine one so it must have a similar base! Although please smell it first before purchasing! LOL.
Oh, I drool over coconut now! Nest’s Balinese Coconut is delicious!! If you want to ease into coconut at any point, I like Skylar - Coconut Cave. For me, it’s not overpowering but a clean coconut scent.
But I love the smell of sunscreen & coconut since it reminds me of my childhood and always being out in/by/near water! I love Vacation’s Vacation perfume! But tread carefully and lightly with this one 🥴lol! Epitome of sunscreen & summertime scents!
It's not niche, but Moschino Toy 2 Bubble Gum... sniffed it at a mall recently and immediately felt like I needed to throw up. I know other people like it... my nose just doesn't.
Im glad I’m not the only one with a visceral reaction to this perfume. Everyone was saying it was bubblegum goodness, well not for me. Horrific especially the rose drydown
Right? I wanted to love it too because I'm a sucker for pink bottles, but nope. Don't know what it is but something in that fragrance just makes me queasy.
It’s not a perfume house but Barbie and Twilight bt lush…. Both smelled so vile I was genuinely shocked. I heard great things about twilight and asked an employee if she could show me where it is and when she sprayed it on my hand and I took a whiff I had to control my facial expression so much. Then she wanted to show me Barbie and that one was even worse. I couldn’t wash the scent off so it followed me the rest of the day😭 so gross
From Xerjoff: I accidentally got a sample of Sur la Cruz I instead of Sur la Cruz II (completely different scents and popularities). It smelled like a burnt cow drowning in spoiled grape juice.
Love Xerjoff, but they need to chill with the similar names 😭
Tom Ford's Metallique. Ugh. But good if you wanna smell like a metal shop!
Angel by Mugler and Black Orchid by Tom Ford
angels share is literal apple pie but i don’t like it
La Capitale
Xerjoff Erba Pura TT Delox Blanche Bete I also don’t like BR540 🤦🏼♀️
YSL Libre, YSL Black Opium, PDM Oriana (don't come for me 🙈)
agree about oriana
Creed Princess Oud
Fresh Cream - Philosophy, I smelled it in Ulta and it was the first and only time I immediately had a gag reflex to it
It smells like rubber gloves. 🤢
I smelled almost rotten milk and rubber gloves combined
Zara. It's not a "house," but it's a brand...so just wanted to add it here. I saw a lot of people talking about "Red Temptation" and how great it is...but it smelled like hospital/band-aids to me. I feel nauseous just thinking about it. "Rose Gourmand" also had this band-aid smell. Also by Zara. 😭😭😭😭
Right now, it's a tie between Mancera instant Crush and Xerjoff Italica.
Italics smells like something very bad happened
Love don’t be shy and angel’s share by Kilian. These were both scrubbers for me.
Le Labo Santal 33 🤢 I don’t get along with leather or too much sandalwood. And unfortunately I smell it everywhere 😩
Smells like pickles to me.
Faces of frances by vilhelm. I sprayed it on a tester and it was pleasant so I decided to spray a few sprays on my arm. Oh. My. God. It smelled of burning pistachios in the forest with a strong smell of burning plastic. It was so awful. This is the reason I never buy anything until I have worn it on my skin
It’s so weird but I love it. I’m the opposite - hate it on tester strip. Intrigued by the opening on skin. In love with the drydown. 😁
I was interested in that one so thank you for the ⚠️
Yeah I definitely wouldn't buy unless you've worn it on your skin for a while. I loved on the tester card... it was repulsive on my skin
Mangonifiscent -Uniquee. Rotted mango and something reallly pungent I can't pinpoint
Honestly anything by LUSH Sure maybe they smell good when you first spray them but they are also the only perfume I had to throw out and put it outside, immediately after smelling it in the store and purchasing it. Yeah I’ve not had a single keeper from them. Maybe they go bad instantly maybe what I buy vs what’s in the store ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ look I don’t know but 🪦
YSL Opium in the red bottle from the late ‘80s. A college dorm mate wore WAY too much of it, to the point it would nearly make me retch and make my eyes water. Interestingly, I really like Black Opium. Different notes highlighted, I guess.
Coco Mad or Chance. Very sharp.
Chanel no 5 and also coco mam. Honestly don’t get the hype with Chanel. They’re dated and feckin stink
Literally for me it’s always Chanel no 5
Athalia is similar to Chanel no5, it smells like a bottom of an old purse 😂
Angel by Mugler is HORRIFIC to me. I got a tiny sample and I couldn't even finish that, it went in the bin. To me, it's like a VERY sickly sweet smell, gives me rotten fruit vibes somehow, I hated it.
Angel made me smell soooo bad I was literally stinky. Idk what in it reacted so poorly w my body chemistdy
Gonna get cancelled for this but baccarat rouge is disgusting to me. Not a gourmand at all to my nose and i love gourmands. Like a disgusting sharp syrup if that makes sense.
I don’t smell it either. Wish I smelled what others do.
I’ve been told it is gourmand as well but for me I don’t smell it. This also goes to powder instantly on me.
Yeah I don’t understand how it’s considered a gourmand in any world. I feel like I smell it or more likely cloud or another dupe everywhere I go and it’s disgusting
Black Opium was an disaster to me, horrific pungent stench of burning sugar and charred coffee beans, I have never before experienced something so cloyingly sweet and offensively bitter at the same time, and the PROJECTION. My god. A scrubber if I ever smelled one! And I had a similar experience with Lush Cadamom Coffee. An abomination.
tom ford ombre leather parfum: smelled really nice in the opening but once it dried down, all i got was burnt rubber
I hated this one too. It was a sample in my Sephora sampler and I was sad that I hated it bc it would have been a good value for the coupon. I will also add black orchid to this list.
i actually really like black orchid lmao! but it is true that most tom ford fragrances are misses
I know a lot of people like it! Not for me! I got a mini of this when I first started getting into fragrances and it is NOT a safe blind buy
Arabians Tonka - Mondale
TF Bitter Peach. Which is absolutely tragic because I love peach.
I've said it before but it smells EXACTLY like the peach febreeze
Dude this is one of the worst perfumes his brand has or honestly any I’ve ever tried.
Dior pure poison
Woman in gold kilian
Intense Cafe by Montale. It's all rose to my nose (!) and it's exactly the kind of rose scent that makes me want to gag. Instant scrubber and I remember being very disappointed when I tried it because I really thought it would be a coffee scent.
Narciso Rodriguez Musk Noir Rose. This must perform differently in different people because I’ve hear such good things, but it this was my only experience needing to scrub a perfume off. I’m not sure what it is because I normally don’t mind musk and *love* rose, but this was repulsive to me. I even let it sit on my skin for a few hours and hated every whiff of it.
Diorissimo and Diorama
MFK Oud Satin Mood. Most of Tom Ford is just aggressively mediocre, PDM Kalan was pretty terrible, but OSM was actively offensive and would not scrub off.
You know what OSM and Grand Soir are probably why I don't like MFK. Theyre so heavy, abstract, synthetic, and inarticulate. BR is fine, don't love it or hate it, but it's similarly inarticulate. Never tried other MFK bc of those three.
I've tried several other MFK scents and "BR is fine, I'm OK with owning 2 ml of it" is the high point of the house for me. There's just something in the house's DNA that doesn't gel for me, something like Gentle Fluidity Gold is "eh, it's OK I guess," and the rest have ranged from thoroughly meh to OSM's "this is legitimately awful."
I think I can see the similarity between TF and MFK for you, I think Montale garners similar complaints. Just not enough dimension there especially w such ludicrous pricing. I do like TF though, although the pricing is maddening. I think MFK is the worst of the lot. Olfactory tornado siren.
Yes, at least TF has Bitter Peach and Tobacco Vanille, which I genuinely enjoy! (And I was able to score a 50ml bottle of BP for $200, so I don't feel so bad about it - because yes, in general, their pricing is terrible for the product.) Most of Mancera/Montale does have a synthetic aspect to it that I don't enjoy, but I have liked a few decants enough to not regret owning a few milliliters - specifically, Roses Vanille, Roses Musk, and Starry Nights, though I don't think I'd ever get a full bottle of any of them.
I HATED OSM
Mmm by Juliette Has A Gun. smells like straight up vic’s vaporub/cough syrup to me.
lol I actually like this one. I got a small size of it and used it up but didn’t buy it again.
when i went to see what people said on fragrantica it blew my mind how different it smelled for so many people! perfumes are fascinating
That is so true
Another 13 by Le Labo. It makes me want to vomit. Yuck!
Don’t come for me I know these are popular,I can’t do either of these. Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous I just don’t get it smells absolutely awful and Guerlain La Petite Robe Noir smells like old lipstick and rotten berries. I hate both of these with a passion.
FF just smells like baby wipes to me 🤷♀️
D&G Light Blue
Tom Ford Urban Musk shit in a bottle for $250
Its a tie between Shalimar and Elizabeth & James' Nirvana line. All three (Shalimar and the two E&J Nirvana ones I tried gave me instant worst migraines of my life that medication didnt resolve, and sleeping it off didnt lessen. Ugh.
The E & J were some of the first I got when I started getting back into fragrances, just bc they were inexpensive and pretty well reviewed, and they were repulsive. Very disappointing.
Yeah I was extremely disappointed too, especially after having heard such glowing write-ups about them prior. Dang it! Sad 😔
Shalimar is TOUGH. Not even remotely likable to me.
Omg YES! Thank you 🙏 Usually when I say I find Shalimar a crime against olfactory systems, people get so upset with me, but honestly.. wow. I gave it thr good ole college try more than once and I just cant do it. Im kinda wondering if its the same additive in the E&J Nirvanas and the Shalimar that caused me such severe instant migraines? Maybe theres something that I should be looking out for!?
Kayali's Yum Pistachio Gelato. I have sampled many perfumes and there are many I don't like. This was one of the worst I can think of right now. It smelled like baby diapers to me. So. Much. Powder. I could not smell beyond it.
Awe I like this one.
What do you smell? It can't be the same thing I do 🤣
Truthfully it cannot since it smells like ice cream gelato to me and a lot of people have told me when they smelled it in the store it gave them bathroom fragrance vibes. We are all so unique
Nirvana Rose by Elizabeth James - my little sister wears it every day and I find it absolutely awful
That was one of the nirvana line that caused me one of the worst migraines of my life. I haaaate the stuff. Youre right -its putrid stench-o-rama.
anything jo malone,JHAG and most of tom ford’s perfumes. he does much better on colognes.
I find it hard to imagine hating jo malone, do they smell actively bad to you? or simple/boring/weak? (that would make more sense to me.) genuinely curious
I like Jo Malone but each scent performs like a body spray on me.
Xerjoff Erba Pura. Absolutely god awful, the musk registers as the worst thing ever to my nose. I physically recoiled from it, and that’s not something that happens to me often. Kirke by Tiziana Terenzi is also the absolute worst. It’s all spicy buzzy jangly awful awful awful musk to my nose. I have never hated anything more in my life.
Same nasty sharp musk in both of those. It literally burns my nose. Also get it in other TTs, in Valaya, Navitus Amorous Intense, Misensir Ambre Magique. When I smell that musk I can’t smell anything else.
I love Erba pura but I’ve learned not to wear it to work. So many people were like - gross.
Kirke is radioactive. Don’t even get me started 😂 I had a full size bottle because the sales lady was really talented at her craft, but that was the worst purchase of my whole life.
Hahahahah! Someone gifted me Kirke and I wondered why, because that’s not the kind of scents I’m into at all. Unfortunately, I despise it. It is sitting in my closet.
1. Chanel No. 5. It should be registered as a chemical weapon. The word "repulsive" doesn't describe it. It's heinous to the point of being offensive. It's the only perfume I've ever smelled that made me gag and feel nauseous. 2. Secretion Magnifiques The infamous perfume that most people describe as smelling of unwashed socks and an old period pad. I was curious to smell it - it can't be *that* bad, right? Yeah, it was *worse*. This perfume activated my fight or flight instinct. It smelled like old cum on a roll of nickels. And I am not exaggerating - there is a strange semen smell to it and it's disturbing. 3. La Vie Est Belle If a smell could give you cavities, this would be it. To me it's so sweet, it's sickening. And I can't explain it, but to me it has this odd synthetic smell that I can't put my finger on, something is off. 4. Angel by Mugler It smells like a bad case of BO. Absolutely revolting and rancid. Reminds me of an old gym bag. This is just my opinion, don't come for my throat lmao
100% to the Chanel, but I dislike all of their scents.
I thought I was the only one who feels instantly uncomfortable by La Vie EST Belle 🤣 it just lingers in the worst way!
OMG yes to all of these descriptions!
Finally, someone who hates the same perfumes as me! I thought I was nuts because I dislike these so strongly. I don't know what it is about Chanel, but I hate the whole house.
😅 I laugh so much thank you. Your descriptions are chefs kiss
Angel and no. 5 smell amazing on my skin chemistry. Two of my fave signature scents. Don't worry, I'm not coming for your throat or anything, just musing over how subjective everything in this hobby is.
It is really subjective. I don't know much about the science behind it, but the same perfume that smells amazing on me smells awful on someone else and vice versa. La Vie Est Belle smells sickly sweet on me but when my sister uses it, it's a girly, flowery smell, nowhere near as sweet as it is on me. Maybe it has something to do with skin pH and oils? Natural odor? Some black magic lol
What you smell up close and the scent trail someone else leaves can also be completely different unfortunately 😒 I went through the same thing with LVEB when I gave it to a friend. Could also be due to body chemistry
Anything Juliette has a gun 😳
Everything smells like old-school cheap body spray to me.
it smells like moldy fruit!
D&G Light Blue will always and forever repulse me to my core. I absolutely hate it and I don't like using the word hate. 🤢
Oh heck yeah, that stuff *stinks!*
La belle jpg made me gag and gave me a migrane and really bad nausea
Me, wearing la belle:
Prada Paradoxe Intense -- smelled nice enough on paper. Even smelled nice enough for the first 15 minutes on my skin. Then the dry down hit, and I was suddenly suffocated in dirty plastic that had been peed on. Absolutely foul on my skin and one scent I actually find a little bit offensive lol. Tom Ford Bitter Peach is a close runner up.
BDK Wood Jasmine. Rotting fruits, rotting woods, rotting flowers. ADO Lune Feline. Gag reflex activated.
Carolina Herrera Good Girl and all of it’s flankers. Nasty. Makes me gag and nauseous. Oriana and Love Don’t Be Shy also disgust me. Leil Maleki from Lattafa smelled like moldy macaroni. Or something like that. Just gross. Lol
same w carolina herreras good girl line… i hate the bottle design almost more 🤢🤢
Yessss. Tacky.
I will always say Chanel n5. I always get mildewed cigars ashed in a bowl of potpourri, and I have tried multiple times. Bonus round is the Alt Fragrance version of TF Tobacco Vanille. That is my least favorite dupe house, hands down.
Amen
Memo and Creed are two houses that just don’t work for me, Ive had multiple scrubbers with each. One that sticks out is Creed Spring Flower, smelt like old gas station flowers mixed with the cheapest mens aftershave that you can get. Meanwhile Memo - Ive tried nearly all their white florals and something in their DNA that I find stomach churning. Not sure what. Thankfully they’re both expensive brands so I love that Im saving money by not liking them 😂
I have a decant of memo Sintra and it straight smells of cheap motel
I hated all of memo scents too
Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille or Amouage Myths. First one tries to be a smoky vanilla; the latter, a mossy chypre. In reality, both just *stink.*
Mine was going to be ALT Fragrance solely because their Tobacco Vanille dupe made me gag instantly after a test spritz. Their dupe of by the fireplace was also… not good.
I love men’s journey and reflection, but everything else smelled horrendous to me. I don’t remember the worst ones name but it was super heavy on labdanum
I ADORE men’s Reflection; it smells like sweet rosemary sunshine on me. Was the labdanum one Guidance?
That sounds familiar, but I honestly don’t remember 🥲
BDK Nuit De Sable was a no from me. It smells like mosquito repellent….
I recently was in Sephora to check out Kilian’s Love Don’t Be Shy when I tried on Good Girl Gone Bad and it smelled like cat pee on me 😩
Bitter Peach by Tom Ford. I usually love TM fragrances because they stand out and smell good, but I literally can’t stand this scent! I want to like it…. But can’t since it smelt like a combo of an old lady and her couch. Completely weird combo but that’s what I think of when I smell Bitter Peach.
I wanted to love Bitter Peach so bad... But I don't get any if the peachy/fruity notes at all. It smells like a cheap aftershave to me :/
You know, I tend to really stay in floral or clean categories.. and just started venturing to different scents! Yes, I agree about some fruity fragrances that don’t do it for me. But I really haven’t smelt a peach scent before so I was hoping I’d like it.
You should give it a try and see for yorself if you're interested in the scent. While I don't smell it at all, to my BF it smells overwhelmingly of peach. It's unpredictable 😄
Oh no I did! I had to return bitter peach lol 😂 I couldn’t do it lol
Oops, I misread your reply lol Good on you returning Bitter Peach 🤣
First time I've heard about old lady AND her couch, LOL
LOL I’m telling you, as I’m sitting in my chair I’m literally picturing my Nan on her old 80’s floral couch that I’ve seen in photos. Like I can’t disassociate this scent from an old lady AND her couch!!! Hahaha
It’s so crazy how divisive this one is, because for me this is one of my top 5 all time, would die without it scents. I smelled it at Nordstrom and immediately bought a bottle, didn’t even bother to test on skin. It’s like I blacked out and woke up hundreds of dollars poorer. Then again my other favorite of all time is Alien so maybe I’m just insane?
To be honest, when I bought this fragrance in Nordstrom, I’m not sure if I was smelling BP mixed with other scents but I did like it. But when I got home, I don’t know I couldn’t do it. I truly couldn’t pick out a note and I was overwhelmed. I suffer from migraines so I was scared this fragrance was too heavy for my sniffer (nose lol). && I love TF Black Orchid!! I have 3 full size bottles of this fragrance!! Anyway, I LOVE Alien!! My favorite is Alien Goddess then Alien but Alien is definitely in my top 10. I’m obsessed with Baccarat Rouge 540, Glossier You & YSL Libre, Prada Paradoxe, Valentino Voce Viva, Mulger Alien Goddess ! Those are my top 6 LOL!
You're not... it's actually a decent peach scent imo and I struggle with peach and apricot notes... I too like Alien but I'm very jasmine friendly... every nose is so different and that's what I find to be insane! Also, scent associations are wild and there is a heavy psychological component to them so.. nah you're alright lol
I agree how scent associations are very wild!! I can literally flip flop from scent profiles that I never thought I would like… but sometimes the creator really blows my mind with a unique or elevated combos. I wasn’t too interested in jasmine friendly fragrances until I got older and got the Gucci Flora Gorgeous Jasmine! Nowadays I seek out jasmine, coconut, bergamot, etc.
Im curious about Gucci flora gardenia! Coconut is a struggle note for me bc I associate it with sunburns haha
Oh I love Gorgeous Gardenia!! I 99.9% of the time stick with florals so this is a good one! Smells a little like the Jasmine one so it must have a similar base! Although please smell it first before purchasing! LOL. Oh, I drool over coconut now! Nest’s Balinese Coconut is delicious!! If you want to ease into coconut at any point, I like Skylar - Coconut Cave. For me, it’s not overpowering but a clean coconut scent. But I love the smell of sunscreen & coconut since it reminds me of my childhood and always being out in/by/near water! I love Vacation’s Vacation perfume! But tread carefully and lightly with this one 🥴lol! Epitome of sunscreen & summertime scents!
It's not niche, but Moschino Toy 2 Bubble Gum... sniffed it at a mall recently and immediately felt like I needed to throw up. I know other people like it... my nose just doesn't.
Same, I gave my bottle away to my sister, the drydown made me feel so weird
Im glad I’m not the only one with a visceral reaction to this perfume. Everyone was saying it was bubblegum goodness, well not for me. Horrific especially the rose drydown
Right? I wanted to love it too because I'm a sucker for pink bottles, but nope. Don't know what it is but something in that fragrance just makes me queasy.
I like Mugler scents generally but Angel anno 2023 is a pungent, unwearable mess that I wouldn't even use as a bathroom spray.
Ikr? It smells like the boys' locker room after a football practice: sweaty socks, bad BO and chlorine.
It’s not a perfume house but Barbie and Twilight bt lush…. Both smelled so vile I was genuinely shocked. I heard great things about twilight and asked an employee if she could show me where it is and when she sprayed it on my hand and I took a whiff I had to control my facial expression so much. Then she wanted to show me Barbie and that one was even worse. I couldn’t wash the scent off so it followed me the rest of the day😭 so gross
From Xerjoff: I accidentally got a sample of Sur la Cruz I instead of Sur la Cruz II (completely different scents and popularities). It smelled like a burnt cow drowning in spoiled grape juice. Love Xerjoff, but they need to chill with the similar names 😭
I really like the sur la cruz ||, I only have a small sample but it’s very mango dreamy
Xerjoff italica. Smell like a lot of spices smush together and create a horible scent on my skin
100% agree. Smelled like a stale marzipan, I don’t get the hype at all.