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newbie thoughts

post #1 of 15
12/29/05 at 11:24am
Thread Starter 
hi all just this great site,picking up lots of useful information.Have only three scents

antaeus-sublime and long lasting
envy - great smell only lasts 1-2 hours
obsession - not bad (but not for me) lasts ages

antaeus is the one..for now,but i`ve got this strange feeling that will change as money allows.

The problem I`m having is how do you learn to distinguish the different aromas that make up a fragrance
(have never smelled them individually and woud`nt know them or be able to put a name to them)
any help would be greatly appreciated.

womble
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post #2 of 15
12/29/05 at 11:28am
Welcome Womble!
Antaeus is my all time fav.
Enjoy and have fun!
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post #3 of 15
12/29/05 at 11:31am
Practice and comparisons is the only way - you can't necessarily expect to pick out individual elements but it certainly helps to do lots of smelling of everything (and everyone!) around you. A good blend will cunningly conceal the individual elements that make it up and just have a well-rounded balance. Try to work on what stands out in the top notes first of all, and then on the dry down.
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post #4 of 15
12/29/05 at 11:52am
welcome. you can buy oils of specific notes to learn them. or just let it happen naturally. after a while in this hobby, you'll pick up on notes naturally. but personally, i don't see much use in being able to recognize each individual note in a frag.
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post #5 of 15
12/29/05 at 12:14pm
I think your (small) collection is amazingly clever. I mean, you have three f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c fragrances! Antaeus and Obsession are both in my top 5, Envy somewhere in the top 20...

Perhaps you would like to buy something more casual/fresh next time..? If so, may I suggest Vetiver by Guerlain, Oscar by Oscar de la Renta, or D&G Masculine - for instance...

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post #6 of 15
12/29/05 at 12:41pm
Welcome aboard! As a newbie myself, I can say that this is a great resource for us frag hounds and houndettes. The vetrans here are very forgiving of newbie mistakes also. You get one, maybe even two whole days before they start giving you a hard time!



Just kidding guys, don't beat me again.
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post #7 of 15
12/29/05 at 1:22pm
Welcomeee, as a newbie to this site I've learned that theres TONS of valuable info on here ,so what i do is when i'm out in the department store or anywhere that carries Frags i'll put some on that i've been interested in smelling and i'll come home and come on basenotes and look up the frags i'm wearing in the directory and read the pyramids on the frags and read the reviews about them, that way i can read and sniff at the same time ;D
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post #8 of 15
12/29/05 at 2:26pm
One way to become familiar with different notes is to smell essential oils. They're based on only one note so you can learn what each ingredient smells like. BTW, Antaeus is a great scent. Aside from Pour Monsieur, I think it's Chanel's best fragrance.

Welcome to Basenotes
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post #9 of 15
12/29/05 at 2:44pm
Welcome aboard womble!
Anteus is one of my favs and for sure is a good starting point for a newbye...
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post #10 of 15
12/29/05 at 2:53pm
Hi, and welcome aboard.

I agree with Pigeon Murderer that your small wardrobe is extremely well chosen. Teflondog is right about essential oils--they can help you to find the odor characteristics of many of the notes in fragrances. They are easy to get and quite inexpensive--do a google search. Then there's the ordinary spice rack, the fruit-vegetable section of the grocery store (organics have stronger aromas), and maybe visit a flower garden. Finally, when you get to Comme des Garçons, you can find odor inspirations in Xerox machines, car repair garages, Scotch tape, laudries, and car tires.


It's a great educational experience and well worth the effort.
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post #11 of 15
12/29/05 at 3:53pm
Thread Starter 
thank you all for taking the time to help

just ordered a sample set from penhaligans.. cant`t wait

womble
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post #12 of 15
12/29/05 at 7:27pm
I, too am a newbie, on the site for about a month now, and initially I also wondered how someone could possibly pick up on all the various notes.

However, in just a month I've noticed a huge improvement in my ability to guess certain notes. I'm by no means a pro; usually it's just one or two of the notes that I know are in the fragrance, but I didn't think I'd be able to notice anything!

The essential oils are a great idea too, I stumbled upon some Bergamot and was later able to pick it out in a frag.

It's funny, I think the only reason I never used to distinguish any notes was because I wasn't searching for them; heck, I don't even think I knew there were notes Basenotes, you're my saviour.
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post #13 of 15
5/3/06 at 6:12pm
Are there any places to find these oils in stores? I'd rather just go smell them than go to the trouble (and extra expense) of ordering them and such.

Thanks!
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post #14 of 15
5/3/06 at 6:25pm
whoa, what an old thread.


Maybe the DIY board would know better?
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post #15 of 15
5/3/06 at 7:46pm
Envy lasts longer than the long lasting Obsession on me. Very curious that it doesn't last on you.

I'm an oldy here, and I still have great difficulty picking up notes the way many here can, despite having a fair collection of essential oils. On numerous occasions others have mentioned some note in a scent and I think - of course - that's it! - why couldn't I see it?

It doesn't really matter though. I think I am better at comparing scents than those with the acute sense of smell - scents that seem very similar to most people appear to be very different scents to people who can pick out notes well. Conversely, they often say a scent is exactly the same as another scent, when it isn't - they seem to get easily confused by a few similar notes in the scents that dominate their sense of smell.
Renato
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