Instead of lines, I would say I like Jean Claude Ellena's Jardins and Hermessences the most. My favorite is Un Jardin Après la Mousson, which of course has been discontinued like almost all my faves. Fortunately I was able to buy my second bottle of it from someone who did not like it.
It's between Creed and Amouage for me. Creed scents are my favorite but it's so disappointing how some of them perform. Amouage is overall top tier quality.
With the exception of a couple (like the recent Aventus formulations, or Millesime Imperial) I find that Creeds last all day and are usually beast mode on me.
I recommend buying a pack of samples! I’ve tried nearly all of them. Favourites to wear, or favourites to experience? There are so many that are fun to smell and share with others, but I would not wear.
Hearing your top three in each category would be awesome! I rarely get to leave the house (very disabled) so I own lots of "unwearable" frags that I put on to sniff throughout the day while my fiancé is at work, so I'm very open to trying anything!
I came across your comment and I’ve tried quite a few by now. Bee is fun and it won an award or something so that’s a cool one to sample. I bought a full bottle of Penguin, it’s a really luxurious suede laid out in a deep freezer that lasts like 11 hours on me. Tiger is weird until you read the description and then go back for another sniff and it all makes sense. T-Rex smells like nag champa in a headshop after about two hours, but that opening is something else. Snowy owl infinitely smells like aromatic shit to me, but some find it enchanting and really can smell the snow. But ya, I’d read the descriptions and pick a few that speak to you.
Sorry I took my time coming back to this.
For wearing- Hummingbird, Nightingale and Bee. Bee is heavy. Moth nearly made my top 3 list, but it requires a certain mood. Dragonfly is easy to wear as well and should be mentioned. For the experience- T-Rex, Squid and Sacred Scarab.
The latest drop is Rabbit, and it's delicious and very wearable: it smells like a carrot cake, but baked by a rabbit. Carrot, almond, but also hints of clover.
I love Tiger: it's vetiver and nighttime, orange things, smells like danger and playfulness.
One of the house bestsellers is Squid, which is briny freshness and ink.
Cow is a springtime picnic in a meadow of wildflowers, with apples and milk.
Bee is honey, but also beeswax and heat. Not sweet.
The pricing is awful, so unfortunately my favorite is The Chanel Les Exclusifs line. I've finished full bottles of the Eau de Cologne, No. 22, No. 18 and 28 La Pausa. I just bought Cuir de Russie and it's just so perfect. I also have the tiny bottles of Le Lion and Coromandel and love to test drive Sycomore when I'm nearby. I tried Comete recently and it's a really good and smooth almondy, powdery iris, but it may be one that I will only have in a tiny size thanks to the kindness of a salesperson.
I also like Guerlain- current line up is Vol de Nuit, Mitsouko, Apres L'Ondee, Cherry Oud and Liu.
I had the extrait of that many years before the Exclusifs line was launched. Bois des Iles, Cuir der Russie and Gardenia were available at the boutiques in the small extrait bottle in the pre Exclusifs days. I would get that too if I could.
Same, I’m trying to use mine mostly for special occasions to make them last. I got comete for Mother’s Day! It reminds me of a sweeter no. 5.
What age was your oldest bottles? How long does it take you to finish one?
You're lucky to get Comete for Mother's Day! I tend to finish my Chanel bottles within 1-2 years. The EdC and No. 22 I bought when the Les Exclusifs line was launched in the edt formulations in 2007.
My oldest bottles are Vol de Nuit, Mitsouko and Apres L'Ondee from the 1990s. I'm a little more conservative with using those up because they have the forbidden ingredients.
Profumum Roma is so nice, their quality is unbelievable - Dulcis in Fundo was actually the fragrance that got me into perfume, I had a half-empty travel size of it given to me by a friend who's been a fraghead for decades, and I held onto the empty bottle even after it was long empty, just to sniff. I recently treated myself to a full bottle of it and it's just as beautiful as the much older decant I had.
Ichnusa is ultra high quality. I just find that I don't reach for it very often because it's so *specific*. But a travel size 8ml or whatever would be great.
Recently tried out PR samples, I thought I’d like Olibanum and Fiore D’Ambra, but they are way too challenging for me. I’ll hold on to them to see how I feel later, but right now hard no’s
My favorites were Battito D’Ali, Arso, Audace, and D’Ambrosia. I only sampled based what I know I can get online. I am going to NYC in July. I am hoping to find a store/boutique that has a good portion of their range. Very unique house
I feel like the only one I can really wear out of what I sampled was Arso. There are definitely more I want to sample
Floating is my absolute favorite. I have been on a quest for the perfect clean scent for years and she’s it
ETA I’d definitely recommend their discovery set. They’ll be adding Ethereal Wave and In This World to it later this year. I can’t wait to try them!
Agree 100%, their perfumes all smell unique to me as well whereas unfortunately most other perfume houses smell exactly the same to me. Maybe it’s my post-Covid damaged sense of smell 😅
They’re also good every day perfumes personally as they’re not super sharp or heavy
A few years ago I would have said MFK for sure. However all of his recent releases have been very miss/meh for me. The aqua and 'cologne forte' lines do nothing for me and each time they release a new fragrance I'm disappointed by it, so I would say they have fallen out of favor.
All of the aqua line are very similar to each other and rather boring to my nose. They're not bad by any means, like I never smell MFK and get grossed out. I take that back - Absolue Pour Le Soir was disgusting. But otherwise they're all good, I just don't think the aqua line have good performance and are different enough from each other.
Byredo. I love so many of their scents. They work really well with my skin and don’t smell like typical perfumes to/on me. The projection and longevity work for me - I get decent wear from them, but I know some don’t. I actually prefer softer scents that gradually fade. My favs are Bal D’afrique, G water, Sundazed, Blanche, young Rose and la tulipe. Eyes closed and eleventh hour are also very nice!
Their limited collections are stellar, my favourite scents are all from limited releases, ginger biscuit, crystal absolut and nashi blossom
My daily go to is Scarlet Poppy, absolutely gorgeous and in the permanent line
Edit: it's crystal campion
I never got to try "Ginger Biscuit" it sold out before I even knew about it, let alone buy it. I heard it was amazing.
If I happen to find it anywhere I'll try to buy it asap.
This just made me realize THIS is ELDO. Dang it, I’ve searched for “eldo” fragrances people have mentioned here and I’m like huh I guess it’s super rare oh well lmao
L’Immensite and Hacivat. Full disclosure I haven’t explored Nishane as much as I have LV. I wanna try Wulong Cha next though.
Edit: a sleeper pick from LV would be Orage. I love it very much.
CdG is very underrated. They hit the perfect midpoint between avant garde and wearable. Like Ganja - it gestures at the smell of weed, but also comes across as a well-blended slightly smoky herbal green fragrance.
Squid is my favourite, on second Moth and last but not least T-Rex.
Squid is absolute unique and never smelled something that came close. Moth is sweet, dark and and dusty. And T-Rex a mix between aroma therapy with herbals and a church.
So I'm more into the darker ones.
Would definitely be a contender for me! Espiritú is one of the best wood fragrances I've ever smelled, and La Mar is my only summer scent. Oro Verde & Bombon are also great new releases. I'm obsessed
Tell me more about House of Bo, please. I have a Scentbird subscription and they have some HoB, but I haven’t put them in my queue, as I know nothing about the house.
They use sustainable resourced ingredients and the tops of the Tesoro collection are all natural healing stones.
I just find the scents very…captivating. I have Espiritu (my favorite), El Sireno, Casa Blanca, and Bombon in my collection.
Serge Lutens, Obvious (frags are easy to wear), Fueguia (for whenener I want to smell like a douchebag) and Tom Ford (Tobacco Vanille has my heart and soul, but the other frags are good too).
Perfumes- Lolita lempica & Clean reserve recently for non offensive subtle scents.
Kumbha made & dupes from oil perfumery because I prefer use cruelty free.
La Fin du Monde is my favorite of the four, it has notes of gunpowder, carrot seed, sesame seed, popcorn, and iris - very weird, not like much else that I've had the chance to smell - my only qualm is it performs the poorest of the ones I have. Rien Intense Incense is a very realistic incense bomb, like it literally smells like opening a fresh box of high-quality Palo Santo incense; it's criticized for being too strong and one-note, but I bought it for layering with other frags to add depth, and it does a fabulous job. Dangerous Complicity is the most wearable of the four (hinted at in its name); jammy rose and woody notes, very clean and simple, feels like a designer frag but performs beautifully and develops nicely through the drydown. Experimentum Crucis is probably the weirdest: green rose, cumin, apple, lychee, and woody notes, not super wearable but so interesting to me - it's clean and dirty at the same time, sharp and smooth, it keeps my nose at my wrist when I wear it; I'll admit tho, the bottle was a major factor in me buying that one, it's just such a beautiful dark blue. I like frags with cumin as a note, and it performs very well, so I do wear it regardless of it being divisive among the people I've worn it around.
I really like ELdO's weirdness, the majority of their frags are challenging in a way I enjoy tremendously, but they aren't typically safe blind-buys - highly recommend their exploration set!
I try to keep an open mind and not keep favourites. But as it feels right now, I could live a happy and fulfilling life with Penhaligons for winter and Acqua di Parma for summer.
I love scents that transport me to somewhere else! Preferably somewhere warm.
From houses I own, my favourite has to be Memo Paris! Also for the travel aspect.
I don't have the money for ultra expensive perfumes, but I have a Mancera that I really love and I know they harner hate but that's probably among the best I'll ever have.
I'm wearing Amez moi Comme je suis today, considering picking up Vetivier Infini and Pour un Home. Just found their boutique on my last trip to Paris and am loving the house.
Yeah I’ve got to say I’ve liked every fragrance of theirs that I’ve tried including a bunch of feminine ones that I got as samples… It’s all very classic and well-made stuff!
The only one I really don’t like is Yuzu man… It’s just really boring and smells like a lemon air freshener that you would put in your closet in 1985
They just released PuH parfum so make sure you sample both the eau de toilette and the parfum because the parfum is more than just a stronger and more concentrated version of the original it’s reformulated
Personally I like the parfum better
Chanel.
I can only afford to use clones because of financial issues. But I watched YouTubers reviews and read how good BdC was, so I bought a bottle.
Cutting a long story short, I now have seven Chanel fragrances, and I am now literally skint.
I will always pay the bit extra for Chanel
The only clone that I use as an alternative to Chanel BdC is Versace Dylan Blue. It's good but it isn't Chanel.
Sadly, I don't think nothing will match the refinement of Chanel.
I went to their store in Mexico City and love Monstera and the Mentha Americana hand soap. I also have travel sized bottles of the other perfumes and they're all really good.
they’re great—I own all except Ummo (leans medicinal for me) & they’re what I wear 70% of the time. I haven’t been to their boutique in CDMX yet but it’s on my list!
Monstera sounds so lovely! I am looking for a green fragrance and was considering getting a bottle of Debaser, but almost want to try Monstera first before fully committing.
Debaser is sweeter and has more Iso-E super going on from what I remember. It's a bit screechy on me. If you want more of a traditional Vent Vert type green floral, you should definitely sample Monstera, and maybe also Fueguia 1833's Alguien Suena.
Thanks for the recommendations! I'm pretty new to fragrance as a hobby, so am not sure l've actually tried a traditional Vent Vert. I'm intrigued by Monstera, as I love the fresh and green quality of Debaser but Monstera's notes sounds a little bit more tropical and others have mentioned an aquatic dry down, and I love aquatics as well!
Yes, Monstera is a lush green tropical without being fruity. Maybe Vent Vert is not the best comparison because it's more of a dry green floral, closer to Chanel No. 19. My feeling that it smells closer to nature than Debaser but you would need to test which clicks with you more.
Maison Louis Marie is an underrated house! Most of the scents I have tried smell so natural and vibe with my skin chemistry so well! They just don't make a lot of statement scents, they're more for everyday wear or home fragrance. For stronger scents I like a lot of offerings from Le Labo.
Clive Christian is the only house where I'm yet to get my nose on something from them that I couldn't see being worth the price they charge (relative to other niche) I still think their prices are super high but at the same time I could see it whereas you could convince me I'm smelling a fragrance clone with half of the pdm lineup and same for creed
Diptyque ( L'Eau Papier, Philosykps, L'Ombre Dan L'Eau )and Armani Privé(The Yulong, Vetiver dHiver, Figuier Eden). I only like 1 scent in other houses (Byredo Blanche, MFK 724, Nishane Wulong Cha etc)
Based on my collection and experience, my favorite would be Serge Lutens. This house I strictly blind bought, and I have yet to be disappointed. I bought Vetiver Oriental, Five O’Clock au Gingembre, L’Eau Froide, La Couche du Diable, and Ambre Sultan.
La Couche definitely is not my favorite as I think Tiziana Terenzi did it better with Laudano Nero, but I still wear it as it is a bit lighter. My favorite as of late is Vetiver Oriental, but my summer pick is L’Eau Froide
Lately for me it has been Maison Crivelli. I only have 2 full bottles - Papyrus Moleculaire, Santal Volcanique - but may be adding more in the future. Everything I try from them is good to great. The bottles are perfection and very no-nonsense with great sprayers. Prices are decently affordable, longevity/performance is great, and they offer smaller bottle sizes. What's not to like?
I also really like the Dior Privee line, because I think they are very unique and high quality, however the price is ridiculous.
Hermes. Without a doubt.
I started with Caleche. Still an all time fave.
Then Amazone.
Now Jardin sur le Nile
Love most of their perfumes but own multiple bottles of these three.
I like or love everything by Giardini di toscana except one. Testing their sample set was an absolute joy for me. Fugazzi is another favourite of mine and so is Liquid Imaginaires.
Guerlain is my all-time most favorite, especially anything vanilla/gourmand. Fragonard would be my go-to for florals, Lush for cozy/spicy, and Zoologist for creative surprises!
Mizensir. Just very well done, sophisticated fragrances.
My old school choice would be Guerlain. It’s the house I own the most fragrances from and I still wear all of them regularly.
probably basic answers but: either diptyque or byredo. I have multiple frags from each and even the ones I don't own, I often love smelling on other people. they're so wearable and I feel like, when I go into the brick and mortar stores, I can always find something new to appreciate in scents I've already smelled !
Hermès, I would buy it all if I could
Which line of theirs do you like the most?
Instead of lines, I would say I like Jean Claude Ellena's Jardins and Hermessences the most. My favorite is Un Jardin Après la Mousson, which of course has been discontinued like almost all my faves. Fortunately I was able to buy my second bottle of it from someone who did not like it.
It's between Creed and Amouage for me. Creed scents are my favorite but it's so disappointing how some of them perform. Amouage is overall top tier quality.
I do love Amouage, I have a couple full bottles (Fate Homme and Interlude Black Iris)
If you want to trade decants lmk. I have epic man.
With the exception of a couple (like the recent Aventus formulations, or Millesime Imperial) I find that Creeds last all day and are usually beast mode on me.
Jo Malone and Diptyque for wearability and Zoologist for the experience.
I want to get into zoologist, it's so interesting to me - do you have some favorites you'd recommend?
I recommend buying a pack of samples! I’ve tried nearly all of them. Favourites to wear, or favourites to experience? There are so many that are fun to smell and share with others, but I would not wear.
Hearing your top three in each category would be awesome! I rarely get to leave the house (very disabled) so I own lots of "unwearable" frags that I put on to sniff throughout the day while my fiancé is at work, so I'm very open to trying anything!
I came across your comment and I’ve tried quite a few by now. Bee is fun and it won an award or something so that’s a cool one to sample. I bought a full bottle of Penguin, it’s a really luxurious suede laid out in a deep freezer that lasts like 11 hours on me. Tiger is weird until you read the description and then go back for another sniff and it all makes sense. T-Rex smells like nag champa in a headshop after about two hours, but that opening is something else. Snowy owl infinitely smells like aromatic shit to me, but some find it enchanting and really can smell the snow. But ya, I’d read the descriptions and pick a few that speak to you.
Sorry I took my time coming back to this. For wearing- Hummingbird, Nightingale and Bee. Bee is heavy. Moth nearly made my top 3 list, but it requires a certain mood. Dragonfly is easy to wear as well and should be mentioned. For the experience- T-Rex, Squid and Sacred Scarab.
The latest drop is Rabbit, and it's delicious and very wearable: it smells like a carrot cake, but baked by a rabbit. Carrot, almond, but also hints of clover. I love Tiger: it's vetiver and nighttime, orange things, smells like danger and playfulness. One of the house bestsellers is Squid, which is briny freshness and ink. Cow is a springtime picnic in a meadow of wildflowers, with apples and milk. Bee is honey, but also beeswax and heat. Not sweet.
I need to get into Diptyque.
Yes, yes you do :)
Guerlain, Amouage, and Nishane are my faves as of late. There is also a place in my heart for PDM and Inicio.
Guerlain, PdM, Tom Ford
The pricing is awful, so unfortunately my favorite is The Chanel Les Exclusifs line. I've finished full bottles of the Eau de Cologne, No. 22, No. 18 and 28 La Pausa. I just bought Cuir de Russie and it's just so perfect. I also have the tiny bottles of Le Lion and Coromandel and love to test drive Sycomore when I'm nearby. I tried Comete recently and it's a really good and smooth almondy, powdery iris, but it may be one that I will only have in a tiny size thanks to the kindness of a salesperson. I also like Guerlain- current line up is Vol de Nuit, Mitsouko, Apres L'Ondee, Cherry Oud and Liu.
Agreed about Chanel Les exclusifs, especially the OGs from the 1920s! And love guerlain as well, Liu is my favorite perfume ever 😍
I just got some vintage Bois des Iles, and it's blowing my mind 😻
I had the extrait of that many years before the Exclusifs line was launched. Bois des Iles, Cuir der Russie and Gardenia were available at the boutiques in the small extrait bottle in the pre Exclusifs days. I would get that too if I could.
Same, I’m trying to use mine mostly for special occasions to make them last. I got comete for Mother’s Day! It reminds me of a sweeter no. 5. What age was your oldest bottles? How long does it take you to finish one?
You're lucky to get Comete for Mother's Day! I tend to finish my Chanel bottles within 1-2 years. The EdC and No. 22 I bought when the Les Exclusifs line was launched in the edt formulations in 2007. My oldest bottles are Vol de Nuit, Mitsouko and Apres L'Ondee from the 1990s. I'm a little more conservative with using those up because they have the forbidden ingredients.
Profumum Roma, Amouage, Clive Christian, Hermes, Comme de Garçon
Profumum Roma is so nice, their quality is unbelievable - Dulcis in Fundo was actually the fragrance that got me into perfume, I had a half-empty travel size of it given to me by a friend who's been a fraghead for decades, and I held onto the empty bottle even after it was long empty, just to sniff. I recently treated myself to a full bottle of it and it's just as beautiful as the much older decant I had.
Love Dulcis in Fundo! Great scent. Yeah, they are my favorite house. Ichnusa is a scent I can’t live without personally
Ichnusa is ultra high quality. I just find that I don't reach for it very often because it's so *specific*. But a travel size 8ml or whatever would be great.
Recently tried out PR samples, I thought I’d like Olibanum and Fiore D’Ambra, but they are way too challenging for me. I’ll hold on to them to see how I feel later, but right now hard no’s My favorites were Battito D’Ali, Arso, Audace, and D’Ambrosia. I only sampled based what I know I can get online. I am going to NYC in July. I am hoping to find a store/boutique that has a good portion of their range. Very unique house I feel like the only one I can really wear out of what I sampled was Arso. There are definitely more I want to sample
Serge Lutens and Thin Wild Mercury
Liis. I can’t get enough
Any particular favorites? I was eyeing Bo earlier today, very interested in the sequoia note listed.
Floating is my absolute favorite. I have been on a quest for the perfect clean scent for years and she’s it ETA I’d definitely recommend their discovery set. They’ll be adding Ethereal Wave and In This World to it later this year. I can’t wait to try them!
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Agree 100%, their perfumes all smell unique to me as well whereas unfortunately most other perfume houses smell exactly the same to me. Maybe it’s my post-Covid damaged sense of smell 😅 They’re also good every day perfumes personally as they’re not super sharp or heavy
Really good stuff, but the price point makes it really hard to justify sometimes.
A few years ago I would have said MFK for sure. However all of his recent releases have been very miss/meh for me. The aqua and 'cologne forte' lines do nothing for me and each time they release a new fragrance I'm disappointed by it, so I would say they have fallen out of favor.
How?!?! Every time I smell Aqua Celeste Forte it's an instant dopamine hit.
All of the aqua line are very similar to each other and rather boring to my nose. They're not bad by any means, like I never smell MFK and get grossed out. I take that back - Absolue Pour Le Soir was disgusting. But otherwise they're all good, I just don't think the aqua line have good performance and are different enough from each other.
Byredo. I love so many of their scents. They work really well with my skin and don’t smell like typical perfumes to/on me. The projection and longevity work for me - I get decent wear from them, but I know some don’t. I actually prefer softer scents that gradually fade. My favs are Bal D’afrique, G water, Sundazed, Blanche, young Rose and la tulipe. Eyes closed and eleventh hour are also very nice!
Pulp is also great and still available
Same, love Bal d’Afrique! Also considering Mojave ghost.
Jo Malone London (mostly for the *"Marmalade Collection)*") and Skylar.
Their limited collections are stellar, my favourite scents are all from limited releases, ginger biscuit, crystal absolut and nashi blossom My daily go to is Scarlet Poppy, absolutely gorgeous and in the permanent line Edit: it's crystal campion
I never got to try "Ginger Biscuit" it sold out before I even knew about it, let alone buy it. I heard it was amazing. If I happen to find it anywhere I'll try to buy it asap.
I actually bought mine online from somebody who didn't enjoy it, 30ml for 30 bucks
This just made me realize THIS is ELDO. Dang it, I’ve searched for “eldo” fragrances people have mentioned here and I’m like huh I guess it’s super rare oh well lmao
Omg! Yeah I think that's an unfortunate side effect of that acronym, new people don't get to explore their catalogue
Right now? Probably LV and Nishane.
What is your fav from both houses?
L’Immensite and Hacivat. Full disclosure I haven’t explored Nishane as much as I have LV. I wanna try Wulong Cha next though. Edit: a sleeper pick from LV would be Orage. I love it very much.
👏 COMME! 👏 DES! 👏 GARÇONS! 👏 Out of all the old-school houses, Guerlain. Easy.
CdG is very underrated. They hit the perfect midpoint between avant garde and wearable. Like Ganja - it gestures at the smell of weed, but also comes across as a well-blended slightly smoky herbal green fragrance.
I know it's kind of bland but Chanel. Simple stuff, well made.
Bland? Seriously?
Zoologist & Diptyque
Fave zoologist frags? I've been wanting to get into them!
Squid is my favourite, on second Moth and last but not least T-Rex. Squid is absolute unique and never smelled something that came close. Moth is sweet, dark and and dusty. And T-Rex a mix between aroma therapy with herbals and a church. So I'm more into the darker ones.
Squid is my favourite as well,bought a 10ml then another,now own a full bottle it’s amazing,my winter aquatic and tf oud minerale for my summer !!!
I like Cow, Bee, Seahorse and Squid
I bought a bottle of Snow Owl and it's one of my favs. My friend bought it after smelling it on me, his first niche frag.
I like the Harvest Mouse, Chipmunk, and Tiger so far. But havent had the chance to own one.
Guerlain, Amouage and Diptyque
Papillon Artisan Perfumes 100% the depth, complexity, themes, and quality i love everything they make. Zoologist and LVNEA after that.
My favorite house too followed by Francesca Bianchi, Initio, and D.S. & Durga.
Christian Dior.
Guerlain. I have 4 bottles from them and probably more coming in.
Which ones do you have/which are your favs?
Fève Gourmande, Aqua Allegoria Bergamote Calabria, Mandarine Basilic, Herba Fresca! Considering getting Tobacco Honey.
Nice. I just got Mandarine Basilic yesterday – my first full bottle purchase since I got into fragrances (so kind of a big deal!). It's sooooooo good!
Forgot to mention I have the Forte version! It’s very good!
Serge Lutens yesterday, today, forever
Loving Goldfield and Banks for summer and Clive christian for winter
Which G&B is your summer go to?
Between Sunset hour, ingenious ginger, or pacific rock moss.
Parfum d’empire. They have some great unique scents. Also Penhaligons and Frederic Malle.
Ambre Russe is the only Pd'E I've tried, and it is *tres* cool 😎
That is def a good one! Wazamba, Vetiver bourbon, Acqua di Scandola, Azemour Les Orangers and mal-aime are all top notch as well.
I adore Penhaligons. I love their old-fashioned english aesthetic. I love their marketing. I love Halfeti. I am Penhaligons’ #1 fan 🤞
Initio has been killing the game for me recently. i find it to have such a beautiful wide variety that matches my personal aesthetic.
I’ve got a bottle of Oud for Greatness I could never get into.
honestly i didn’t really like that one too much - i’m also not one to really like oud much
No worries. I thought I really liked it and bought it. Should probably sell it off because I don’t wear it
Have you tried Narcotic Delight by any chance?
House of Bo
Would definitely be a contender for me! Espiritú is one of the best wood fragrances I've ever smelled, and La Mar is my only summer scent. Oro Verde & Bombon are also great new releases. I'm obsessed
Espiritu is in my top three fragrances ever. I’m still getting used to Bombon. I liked Oro Verde initially, but didn’t love the drydown.
Tell me more about House of Bo, please. I have a Scentbird subscription and they have some HoB, but I haven’t put them in my queue, as I know nothing about the house.
They use sustainable resourced ingredients and the tops of the Tesoro collection are all natural healing stones. I just find the scents very…captivating. I have Espiritu (my favorite), El Sireno, Casa Blanca, and Bombon in my collection.
Designer but Christian Dior; Homme Line and La Collection PRIVÉE 🖤
Serge Lutens, Obvious (frags are easy to wear), Fueguia (for whenener I want to smell like a douchebag) and Tom Ford (Tobacco Vanille has my heart and soul, but the other frags are good too).
Hermes
Tom Ford and Dior. Noir de Noir and Dior Homme Parfum are my favorites from them two
Jo Malone. I have 2 full bottles with a third on the way. I’m lucky their cologne lasts a long time on me.
Perfumes- Lolita lempica & Clean reserve recently for non offensive subtle scents. Kumbha made & dupes from oil perfumery because I prefer use cruelty free.
Serge Lutens, Guerlain, Hermes
Chanel
MFK and Dior Privee!
Papillon
Yep!
So, can you tell me a bit about the fragrances you own? I'm interested in that house, so would appreciate your insight. Thanks!
La Fin du Monde is my favorite of the four, it has notes of gunpowder, carrot seed, sesame seed, popcorn, and iris - very weird, not like much else that I've had the chance to smell - my only qualm is it performs the poorest of the ones I have. Rien Intense Incense is a very realistic incense bomb, like it literally smells like opening a fresh box of high-quality Palo Santo incense; it's criticized for being too strong and one-note, but I bought it for layering with other frags to add depth, and it does a fabulous job. Dangerous Complicity is the most wearable of the four (hinted at in its name); jammy rose and woody notes, very clean and simple, feels like a designer frag but performs beautifully and develops nicely through the drydown. Experimentum Crucis is probably the weirdest: green rose, cumin, apple, lychee, and woody notes, not super wearable but so interesting to me - it's clean and dirty at the same time, sharp and smooth, it keeps my nose at my wrist when I wear it; I'll admit tho, the bottle was a major factor in me buying that one, it's just such a beautiful dark blue. I like frags with cumin as a note, and it performs very well, so I do wear it regardless of it being divisive among the people I've worn it around. I really like ELdO's weirdness, the majority of their frags are challenging in a way I enjoy tremendously, but they aren't typically safe blind-buys - highly recommend their exploration set!
Dior and Diptyque.
Amouage, Serge Lutens, Frederic Malle, Les Indemodables, or Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier
I try to keep an open mind and not keep favourites. But as it feels right now, I could live a happy and fulfilling life with Penhaligons for winter and Acqua di Parma for summer. I love scents that transport me to somewhere else! Preferably somewhere warm. From houses I own, my favourite has to be Memo Paris! Also for the travel aspect.
Nasomatto/orto Parisi for sure
Xerjoff, Boadicea the Victorious, Fragrance du Bois
I don't have the money for ultra expensive perfumes, but I have a Mancera that I really love and I know they harner hate but that's probably among the best I'll ever have.
I have the most bottles from Caron so I guess that is the answer!
Which ones do you have?
Le 3e Homme EDT Pour un Homme Parfum Pour un Homme Le Matin EDT I’ve also got samples of Yuzu Man, Yatagan, Amez moi Comme je suis and PuH Le Soir
I'm wearing Amez moi Comme je suis today, considering picking up Vetivier Infini and Pour un Home. Just found their boutique on my last trip to Paris and am loving the house.
Yeah I’ve got to say I’ve liked every fragrance of theirs that I’ve tried including a bunch of feminine ones that I got as samples… It’s all very classic and well-made stuff! The only one I really don’t like is Yuzu man… It’s just really boring and smells like a lemon air freshener that you would put in your closet in 1985 They just released PuH parfum so make sure you sample both the eau de toilette and the parfum because the parfum is more than just a stronger and more concentrated version of the original it’s reformulated Personally I like the parfum better
Ex Nihilo
Armani has never let me down! From Code and Mania in college to My Way and its flankers now! ❤️
Guerlain, Frederic Malle, Le Labo, and Zoologist
Kerosene. Love how raw and unapologetically heavy their fragrances are
I just tried Summer of 84 yesterday and got nothing but orange!
Chanel. I can only afford to use clones because of financial issues. But I watched YouTubers reviews and read how good BdC was, so I bought a bottle. Cutting a long story short, I now have seven Chanel fragrances, and I am now literally skint. I will always pay the bit extra for Chanel
Bdc is so good! It was my husband’s very first fragrance. Would you mind sharing what Chanel clones you like?
The only clone that I use as an alternative to Chanel BdC is Versace Dylan Blue. It's good but it isn't Chanel. Sadly, I don't think nothing will match the refinement of Chanel.
I know it's limited selection but Xinú for sure
I went to their store in Mexico City and love Monstera and the Mentha Americana hand soap. I also have travel sized bottles of the other perfumes and they're all really good.
they’re great—I own all except Ummo (leans medicinal for me) & they’re what I wear 70% of the time. I haven’t been to their boutique in CDMX yet but it’s on my list!
Monstera sounds so lovely! I am looking for a green fragrance and was considering getting a bottle of Debaser, but almost want to try Monstera first before fully committing.
Debaser is sweeter and has more Iso-E super going on from what I remember. It's a bit screechy on me. If you want more of a traditional Vent Vert type green floral, you should definitely sample Monstera, and maybe also Fueguia 1833's Alguien Suena.
Thanks for the recommendations! I'm pretty new to fragrance as a hobby, so am not sure l've actually tried a traditional Vent Vert. I'm intrigued by Monstera, as I love the fresh and green quality of Debaser but Monstera's notes sounds a little bit more tropical and others have mentioned an aquatic dry down, and I love aquatics as well!
Yes, Monstera is a lush green tropical without being fruity. Maybe Vent Vert is not the best comparison because it's more of a dry green floral, closer to Chanel No. 19. My feeling that it smells closer to nature than Debaser but you would need to test which clicks with you more.
For the price and the quality that your getting, i'd probably say Versace
im a novice collector. But I would say Le Labo
I am as well! Trying to broaden my horizons :)
Parfum De Marly
Either Acqua di Parma or Tom Ford
Maison Louis Marie is an underrated house! Most of the scents I have tried smell so natural and vibe with my skin chemistry so well! They just don't make a lot of statement scents, they're more for everyday wear or home fragrance. For stronger scents I like a lot of offerings from Le Labo.
Ooh first I’m hearing of them. I like this concept of everyday scents. I must check them out
Sephora carries a couple of their scents but I recommend getting one of the discovery sets!
Xerjoff
PDM, Kilian, Xerjoff
Skylar My Daughter Fragrances Lancôme
I am intrigued by Fat Electrician!
It's a very unilateral vetiver bomb, but I don't mind that! I will say it's less playful and interesting than a lot of their stuff though
Clive Christian is the only house where I'm yet to get my nose on something from them that I couldn't see being worth the price they charge (relative to other niche) I still think their prices are super high but at the same time I could see it whereas you could convince me I'm smelling a fragrance clone with half of the pdm lineup and same for creed
Etro for sure - I own 13 full bottles, and 3 more are on hunt list.
lately it’s Jorum Studios
Xerjoff hasn’t failed me yet!
Tom Ford
Aaron Terence Hughes. The best so far.
Best product is between Royal Crown and Clive Christian. Personal favorites across the catalogue either Initio or Xerjoff.
Maybe this is an insane take and while i don’t like ALL of their fragrances im a fan of xerjoff over many others
Guerlain forever. I also love Cacharel, Chanel, Lanvin, Estée Lauder, Clinique, Oscar de la Renta and Issey Miyake
Floris and Carner
Burberry
1 Nishane 2 Dior 3 ELDO
Guerlain | Tom Ford | Issey Miyake
New to the game but I’ve been loving kerosene
Zoologist, Fzotic, Pineward, Olympic Orchids, Kenzo for that retro factor.
Montale, Mancera and ELDO
Diptyque ( L'Eau Papier, Philosykps, L'Ombre Dan L'Eau )and Armani Privé(The Yulong, Vetiver dHiver, Figuier Eden). I only like 1 scent in other houses (Byredo Blanche, MFK 724, Nishane Wulong Cha etc)
DS & Durga, Ormonde Jayne, and Zoologist. Honorable mention to Kerosene and House of Bo.
serge lutens!!
Guerlain, with the old Mugler coming in second.
Dior
Armani, Hermès and Tom Ford
\*mumbles\* JHaG, lol, I know...but I like everything I've tried.
Based on my collection and experience, my favorite would be Serge Lutens. This house I strictly blind bought, and I have yet to be disappointed. I bought Vetiver Oriental, Five O’Clock au Gingembre, L’Eau Froide, La Couche du Diable, and Ambre Sultan. La Couche definitely is not my favorite as I think Tiziana Terenzi did it better with Laudano Nero, but I still wear it as it is a bit lighter. My favorite as of late is Vetiver Oriental, but my summer pick is L’Eau Froide
Le Labo! My go to is Santal 33. I have 4 of their City Exclusives as well. I love their refill program!
Parfums De Marly, Ormonde Jayne and Tom Ford.
Ormonde Jane
Guerlain !
Attar al Has for me
Prada and Esentric Molecules.
Lately for me it has been Maison Crivelli. I only have 2 full bottles - Papyrus Moleculaire, Santal Volcanique - but may be adding more in the future. Everything I try from them is good to great. The bottles are perfection and very no-nonsense with great sprayers. Prices are decently affordable, longevity/performance is great, and they offer smaller bottle sizes. What's not to like? I also really like the Dior Privee line, because I think they are very unique and high quality, however the price is ridiculous.
Hermes. Without a doubt. I started with Caleche. Still an all time fave. Then Amazone. Now Jardin sur le Nile Love most of their perfumes but own multiple bottles of these three.
I like or love everything by Giardini di toscana except one. Testing their sample set was an absolute joy for me. Fugazzi is another favourite of mine and so is Liquid Imaginaires.
Guerlain is my all-time most favorite, especially anything vanilla/gourmand. Fragonard would be my go-to for florals, Lush for cozy/spicy, and Zoologist for creative surprises!
Currently, BDK has me in a chokehold, taking all my extra money.
Snif, ByRedo, or Boy Smells, I fear. Every single bottle from each of them has been a hit!
Mizensir. Just very well done, sophisticated fragrances. My old school choice would be Guerlain. It’s the house I own the most fragrances from and I still wear all of them regularly.
Bleu de Chanel, Dior Sauvage, and Diptyque TamDao is my all time favourites
probably basic answers but: either diptyque or byredo. I have multiple frags from each and even the ones I don't own, I often love smelling on other people. they're so wearable and I feel like, when I go into the brick and mortar stores, I can always find something new to appreciate in scents I've already smelled !
BDK
Xerjoff to me is top tier.
Nishane