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Lemon With a Twist, Please

post #1 of 22
1/3/08 at 12:49pm
Thread Starter 
So often, lemon-heavy frags are boring and formulaic -- you know, the same tired old eau de toilette mixture of lemon, neroli, maybe some rosemary . . . . well, you get the picture. (Think Eau Sauvage with less quality and complexity alike.)

I for one am ga-ga about really good quality, lemon-heavy frags that really mix things up.

Three frags of this type come to mind right off the bat: 1) the rich, formal and stupidly discontinued Ungaro II (lemon and civet, with a dark and slightly brooding drydown), 2) the also discontinued but still affordable Versus by Versace (an extremely "edible" lemon with crisp coniferous notes) and 3) the expensive but incredibly elegant Lux by Mona di Orio (lemon, petitgrain, vetiver and labdanum).

What are some of your favorite "lemons with twists"?

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post #2 of 22
1/3/08 at 12:50pm
Isn't Egoïste Platinum lemon with a mint twist?

I always see a lemon candy rolled in menthol leaves before me when I apply Egoïste Platinum.
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post #3 of 22
1/3/08 at 1:03pm
Acqua Viva by Profumum (giggle inducing lemon rind that is 'Technicolor' bright and amazingly lasts a long time without smelling like Joy Dishwashing Liquid...which is always a plus)
Lemon Sorbet by Etro (lemon juice and...the smell of a cigar smoking in the background)
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post #4 of 22
1/3/08 at 1:07pm
Habit Rouge, with it's lemon, leather and vanilla vibe, comes to mind--very twisted, in a great, Guerlain way. My SOTD, as it happens!
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post #5 of 22
1/3/08 at 1:14pm
I once smelled a very strange lemon with vanilla on a guy. Smelled pretty good actually, but when I asked him about it, turned out that it was actually a scent for women that he snatched from his baby sister. lol
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post #6 of 22
1/3/08 at 1:23pm
AdP Colonia comes to mind.Lemon ( light ), and Bulgarian Rose gives this frag a little weight.
Blenheim Bouquet,Lemon on top, smokey pine gives this frag. depth or weight.
For the truest lemon in my opinion Eau d' Hadrien, Annick Goutal. That would be lemon, peel,zest, and seeds. Or Les nuits d' hadrien, same on top a little more depth on bottom.
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post #7 of 22
1/3/08 at 1:29pm
Thread Starter 
Blenheim Bouquet -- how COULD I have left that one out of my original post? Good choice!
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post #8 of 22
1/3/08 at 1:38pm
Try Bahiana by Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier (more of a mixed citrus, but great) and Iskander, by Parfum d'Empire.
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post #9 of 22
1/3/08 at 2:07pm
GFT by Trumper is a long lasting lemon.
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post #10 of 22
1/3/08 at 3:12pm
There are good ones already on this thread. I add:

L'Artisan's Zeste d'Eté. Lemon, lemon pith, and woody cedrat
Signorrici. Masterpiece. Say no more.
AdP Colonia, as mentioned above.
Eau d'Hadrien and Hadrien Absolu, as mentioned above.
Rochas Moustache: standard lemon but over powder. Sometimes lasts, sometimes doesn't.
Jean Patou Eau de Patou: lemon juice over dirt, maybe with some wine or vermouth smell mixed in.
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post #11 of 22
1/3/08 at 3:27pm
Profumum's Acqua Viva was a great surprise from a house that has such a heavy feel to most perfumes.
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post #12 of 22
1/3/08 at 3:47pm
YSL PH is a very good one, very lemony, like Eau Savage but a bit sweeter and less musk
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post #13 of 22
1/3/08 at 4:07pm
Not really a twist, actually arch-traditional, but Crown Imperial deserves a mention. Incredible lemon followed by powdery depths, very British. Creed Epicea, Like BB, combines citrus and pine, but in a very different style. Also a winner in my book.
AdP, Signoricci, BB etc.are hardly unconventional (I gather that's what you meant by "twist), more like definitive classics actually, but they show just how much has been done with lemon. Of course, I even get a huge kick out of boring old traditional Eau de Colognes
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post #14 of 22
1/3/08 at 4:37pm
both are very good lemon with twists:

SIGNORICCI

EAU DE ROCHAS HOMME
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post #15 of 22
1/3/08 at 10:09pm
Dior's Eau Fraiche, citrus over powder and something animalic, one of Roudnitska's lesser known creations.
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post #16 of 22
1/3/08 at 10:46pm
L'Instant de Guerlain has a unique lemon note that remains throughout the drydown, though it does become a bit muted. It's not an effervescent lemon; rather it is full-bodied and rounded, yet has crystal-clear clarity, often standing in contrast to the other notes. Great stuff.
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post #17 of 22
1/3/08 at 11:31pm
versace versus

chemistry by clinique
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post #18 of 22
1/3/08 at 11:49pm
My favorite "lemon with a twist" is Creed's superb Bois de Cedrat. It's a pretty pure, natural lemon with a hint of herbs and woods. Almost like the smell on my hands when I'm done cutting lemons behind the bar. It's kind of simple and minimalist and it dates from 1870, but it smells ever so subtly expensive and radiant.
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post #19 of 22
1/4/08 at 12:40am
Erolfa to me always seemed lemon was the strongest note....

a good natural lemon, not too sharp like a cleaning product, or wierdly sweet like fake lemon ice cream.
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post #20 of 22
1/4/08 at 5:33am
Thread Starter 
No one (including myself) has yet mentioned Terre d'Hermes. Talk about lemon with a twist!
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post #21 of 22
1/4/08 at 8:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvlampboy View Post

No one (including myself) has yet mentioned Terre d'Hermes. Talk about lemon with a twist!

I was under the impression that the citrus top notes were grapefruit, not lemon?
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post #22 of 22
1/4/08 at 8:29am
I almost forgot..Armani PH is all Lemon!
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