Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › The Brands to avoid
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

The Brands to avoid

post #1 of 13
9/21/07 at 12:30am
Thread Starter 
What are the brands or fragrances which cover up the lack of quality of the fragrance with smart smooth marketing campaigns?, because I only want to buy quality and in the past I have been fooled at times buying the likes of Prada.
Reply
Reply

Features on Basenotes

Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
post #2 of 13
9/21/07 at 1:31am
The only real way to avoid being fooled is sniffing before buying. Other than that, Boss and Calvin Klein seem to care a lot more about product image than about juice quality.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 13
9/21/07 at 3:18am
Thread Starter 
Boss and Calvin Klein make genuine quality fragrances their is an evident difference with some of the other commercial brands and these two brands I actually like the Boss for men and Calvin Klein obsession night.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 13
9/21/07 at 3:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gammergq View Post

Boss and Calvin Klein make genuine quality fragrances their is an evident difference with some of the other commercial brands

what is that difference? Tell us what you mean by "quality", that term can be defined in many ways. I assume that Prada's fragrances didn't meet your expectations, so do let us know what your criteria are.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 13
9/21/07 at 3:58am
Well, the CK IN2U marketing campaign was very cheesy. The juice itself is to my nose the usual sour fruit salad fresh stuff that seems to be the successor to aquatic fragrances.
I didn't really mean to imply that anything by both companies must be bad. They are just disappointing very very often, the last case in point being Boss Selection.

We're not just talking about bad scents here, it's about BIG BIG marketing (you know, big posters in the windows, big cardboard stands full of XYZs latest product) going along with products that are mediocre at best. So it may be that I'm not reading the right magazines, but I haven't yet come across marketing for Prada Amber.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 13
9/21/07 at 4:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gammergq View Post

Boss and Calvin Klein make genuine quality fragrances their is an evident difference with some of the other commercial brands and these two brands I actually like the Boss for men and Calvin Klein obsession night.

That's a perfect example of why you will not get a satisying answer to your question, except by trying stuff yourself. As Marcello said, you have to define "quality" - it is definitely not the same as simply liking or not liking. Most people with a knowledge of fragrances would agree that Boss, as a line, lacks quality in terms of ingredients, composition, innovation. That does not mean you can't like it, of course. The question is: what are you looking for in a fragrance?

Some houses that are commonly available, but offer very high quality, i.e. well-crafted,diverse, or innovative fragrances are:
Chanel
Dior
Guerlain
Hermes

Again, that doesn't mean you'll like them. Trust your nose and read a lot of reviews here on basenotes is my suggestion.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 13
9/21/07 at 8:27am
Thread Starter 
Okay quality for me is scent which stands the test of time one in 4 months down the line has the same appeal as it did when you first came across it thats quality a fragrance which is timeless and unique not something which is a flash in the pan.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 13
9/21/07 at 3:09pm
I second The Good Life's thoughts and suggestions. As well as the brands The Good Life mentioned, maybe you'd be interested in some of the more niche 'classic' brands like Creed, Caron, Annick Goutal, Acqua de Parma, Serge Lutens, Frederic Malle Editions des Parfums...

My very best suggestion to start you off exploring would be to go to Les Scenteurs (http://www.lessenteurs.com) and browse through their stock, order yourself half a dozen that appeal to you and try them out without the expense of buying a whole bottle. They only sell good stuff - no tricksy brands that pay a fortune for publicity; in fact, you probably won't have heard of many of them.

And as well as giving you piles of reviews and descriptions of fragrances, the directory here at Basenotes lists the year a fragrance was introduced, so if you want to ensure you choose fragrances that have stood the test of time, you can.

I hope you find something that you love and can't live without.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 13
9/22/07 at 12:14am
Try the fragrances out for a day and see the effect it has.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 13
9/22/07 at 12:32am
Avoid "Anus Anus"....or is it "Anais Anais"? Anyways avoid them both.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 13
9/23/07 at 1:55pm
You may be as I am--not able to find a meaningful relationship with most mainstream scents; favoring instead many of the products from niche houses (like those mentioned by Wordbird) and European classics, which have already stood the test of time. Start by testing the scents among these two groups based on reviews and your note preferences. Pay little attention to hype and advertising--they relate to nothing meaningful. (Said the gal who's spent her entire career in advertising.)
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 13
9/23/07 at 6:37pm
of the more mainstream labels...i tend to look up to:
YSL, Chanel, Hermes, Dior, Guerlain

Event hey have their duds tho... Dior Higher Energy anyone?
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 13
9/23/07 at 7:34pm
Lol!
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Just Starting Out

Features on Basenotes

Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › The Brands to avoid