It was sunny and I wanted to smell clean and floral. Enjoyed it for a few minutes, but it just turned to vanilla very quickly. Dunno if it’s something to do with being an oil, and a roll-on.
Lumira was having a thing where they sent out little packs of free samples and I think the three they sent and three I’m not interested in. There is a fig one I’d like to try though.
Kirra Curl
Josh Mihan, Jules Brown
Mihan Aromatics
2021
23 Oct 2024
Warm Spring day
2ml sample
The weather’s nice, time to start trying some Summer-sounding stuff I’ve had sitting around—
First whiff I got was a bit marine, but with enough wood to make it more interesting. Within five minutes I mostly get vanilla, a bit of sandalwood, and a kinda waxy smell. I guess a hint of leather, because it reminds me of some of those soft-leather ones I’ve tried recently. Something a bit gritty and sharp comes through later, makes it spicy, herby leather, which is kinda interesting.
Yeah, I smell like a candle from the two dollar shop.
Benjoin 19
Frank Voelkl
Le Labo
2013
07 Oct 2024
Cool Spring day
1.5ml sample
I don’t have much to say about this. It’s nice, like a nicer version of an Alessandro Gualtieri perfume: sweet, smokey, a bit plasticy. Can’t imagine ever being excited to wear this.
Didn’t last long, but long enough.
I’d like to be more knowledgeable about different ambers in perfumery.
Original Vetiver
?
Aromatic Attars and Oils
?
27 Sep 2024
Sunny afternoon
roll-on
Quite minty at first, not like what I usually associate with vetiver. A bit bit fresh in that bodywashy way. Also waxy, kinda chalky smelling, soapy.
Really hard to smell anything here. Very meh.
I smell a bit of ginger after half an hour, maybe some citrus, it’s become more airy and fresh, lost the stuffy elements. I’m enjoying it now, but I still have to touch my nose to me wrist to smell anything.
Night Oud
?
Aromatic Attars and Oils
?
24 Sep 2024
Earlymorning→bed
roll-on
NB: Put this on before going to bed, so only smelt it for an hour.
Really animalic. Dog vag. Sour.
Soapy, floral, base I don’t like. Thought it might just be the oil. Notes say it’s just oud and Turkish rose. Doesn’t smell of rose to me.
Warm animalic smell as it settles, sharp smokey, a little almost BO-y.
Haven’t smelt this kind of oud before, always got it tamed by other stuff. Not something I’d wear, but intriguing…
Egyptian Musk
?
Aromatic Attars and Oils
?
20 Sep 2024
About near home
roll-on
Got some more samples of small-house perfume oils of Etsy, by this place called Aromatic Attars and Oils. Not sure who actually made this, their website credits ‘Sukran’, might mean ‘Shukran’…
Musky, powdery rose (actually iris?), strong honey smell for a bit, but that fades. Not really for me, but once the honey was gone I didn’t mind it. Smelling the bottle now it smells a bit like Clag.
Smelt a bunch of things at the shopping centre last week, trying to remember them from minimal notes.
Erba Pura
Christian Carbonnel & Laura Santander
Xerjoff
2019
19 Sep 2024
?
paper
I tried this because the bottle’s a nice colour and I thought it would be herbal and fresh smelling. It’s not, it smells like flouro yellow lollies, and bubblebath, it’s gross. Now I see the notes there’s bergamot, lemon, orange… :/
This was in Libertine, which was an annoying place to try things because all the bottles are empty so you have to ask. That bugged me, so I didn’t try anything after.
Iris Poudre
Pierre Bourdon
Frédéric Malle
2000
19 Sep 2024
?
paper
All the other stuff I tried was at Mecca.
Didn’t mind this at first, wasn’t expecting to like it, but it’s floral and powdery and bugged me after it got more and more floral. All the Frédéric Malle ones I actually wanted to try weren’t there.
By the Fireplace
Marie Salamagne
Maison Margiela
2015
19 Sep 2024
?
paper
I wanted to try a couple of Maison Margiela ones because I saw them elsewhere on a real big discount. I try these same two every time I go into Mecca thinking I might like them this time, but I never do. This one in particular is sooo sweet, not smokey or anything like I would expect from the name.
Jazz Club
Aliénor Massenet
Maison Margiela
2013
19 Sep 2024
?
paper and skin
This one in particular has always been raved about online, but it’s also too sweet—but not as sweet—and not smokey and boozey improvisational and cool like the name implies.
Gaiac 10
Annick Ménardo
Le Labo
2008
19 Sep 2024
?
skin
They has a wee table with some of the Le Labo city exclusives on it, so was excited to try some of the ones there, especially ones I wouldn’t pay $10 for a sample of…
This is the Tokyo one. As with all of them I don’t see the connection with the city and the perfume, so not sure if there’s really supposed to be one. This is kinda interesting, real sharp, like rubbing/cleaning alcohol. Faded real fast and I didn’t get anything else.
Can’t shake the feeling this is based on some weird stereotype of Japan…
Cedrat 37
Daphné Bugey
Le Labo
2021
19 Sep 2024
?
skin
Ah lime, the fruit of… Germany…
I have a sample of this, but tried it again for some reason. Mostly I got lime, didn’t pick up a floral element like I did the first time. Will probably wear this this Spring.
Tabac 28
Frank Voelkl
Le Labo
2019
19 Sep 2024
?
skin
Quite liked at first, smokey leather. Turned into boring leather, then smokey again. Just don’t think I’m a leather person.
Tom of Finland
Antoine Lie
Etat Libre d'Orange
2007
17 Sep 2024
Evening, housesitting
1.5ml sample
Very smooth, sweet (vanilla, tonka), airy leather, like that other leathery one I smelt recently. There was a bit of something more complex at the start, a little vetiver, woody, smokey, a little bit sharper and fresher, but faded fast. Doesn’t really live up to the name. More Tom Ford than Tom of Finland.
Sprayer smells harshly citrusy, but I don’t get that when I’m wearing it.
Nephthys
Ross Spencer
Wild Hybrid
?
29 Aug 2024
Afternoon at home
1ml sample
Got a few samples from Wild Hybrid the other day. They have a gazillion different perfumes and lots of them sound interesting. The vials they come in are a bit annoying, but at least they have a dabber (Comme Des Garçons take note); plus they’re oils, so work better in that format, I think.
I get a lot of something similar to Vicks Vaporub, like that real big chest-filling element of it, eucalyptus, camphor… Makes this seem more like an oil you’d burn rather than wear. Notes have ‘embalming resins’ in them, which I connect this to. I guess it’s also a fair bit herbal, like you pick oregano, eucalyptus, and other things, and rub them and mangle them in your hands. Otherwise it’s woody and sweet and thick and almost chocolatey, which helps tone down the Vicks a bit. I’m not too into those kindas of creamy, chocolatey smells though.
Maybe a good looking after yourself doing stuff at home smell.
Blackpepper
Nicolas Beaulieu
Comme des Garçons
2016
17 Aug 2024
?
2ml sample
When you open the bottle it has a lovely, freshly cracked black pepper smell. On my skin I get a little bit of pepper, but mostly a warm, soft leather. I feel like having to dab it on rather than spray it means it’s not coming across properly. The leather kinda turns to fluffy woollen jumper.
Papyrus Oud 71
Michel Almairac
Parle Moi de Parfum
2018
13 Aug 2024
Spring day outside
1ml decant
Dry, smokey, nice amount of sweetness.
Cedar, lavender, patchouli smokiness. Sweetness is warm, like amber, musk, maybe tonka.