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musings...

post #1 of 17
2/20/08 at 3:36pm
Thread Starter 
I have been in the crazy fragrance chase for just over two years now. I have been tempted and teased by elusive 'holy grail' scent... only to see their fume trails disappear and leave me with an increasing insatiable hunger for 'scent'... for 'the one'.

I don't think I will ever find a holy grail scent, simply because people are ever-changing and dynamic... what works at one time, one moment in ones life, will not necessarily please one in the future... that being said.. I have found something better than a holy grail scent.. I have found the scent that.. just 'FITS'...

Please allow me to explain further...

Maybe other members can relate to what I've experienced.. please let me know. When I receive a new fragrance to sample, I often warm up to the smell, the particular feeling it provides me with, the visual connotations it suggests but often it just goes on as 'a fragrance'. For the first time in two years, I sampled a fragrance and purchased a bottle of a particular perfume.. that essentially rocked me to the core. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. It punched me in the gut, in the most pleasing of ways. This scent just simply 'fit'. I know that people have strong associations with scent and that particular smells and notes can be links to their pasts and I can totally relate to that, especially now. Can I isolate a particular component in this EDT that is responsible for assaulting my nervous system? No. It leaves me quite perplexed.

The scent is L'Artisan's Dzongka.... there's something about this steadfast, rocky fragrance and it's tender interweaving of incense into the composition that makes me feel timeless, complete..and almost teary. Interestingly, it is not the most pleasing of fragrances... but it has had a most powerful influence on my views of perfumes/colognes as more than a mere assembly of chemicals and ingredients... the stark, distant, rugged Dzongka has woven a spell on me... I wear this and it somehow always feels like it was with me.

Am I going insane? If so, I'm enjoying the ride quite thoroughly!

Has anyone else come across a scent that evokes the most powerful of reactions in their spiritual, emotional, psychological, physical and sexual self? Has anyone encountered a fragrance that is almost intimidating in its ability to grab you by the throat and shake you at will?

Wow.... time for a cup of tea!

Anthony.
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post #2 of 17
2/20/08 at 3:43pm
What a great post!!! I'm still very new here but find that Creed Miliseme Imperiale evokes memories of all those wonderful events that I've experienced in my life thus far. IMHO.
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post #3 of 17
2/20/08 at 4:16pm
My holy grail is Acier Aluminium by Creed. If it ever goes out of production, I'm buying every bottle and having them stored in a fridge.
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post #4 of 17
2/20/08 at 4:28pm
Definitely a great post. I am happy for you that you have found the one.

I think I gave up looking for that holy grail. I have relaxed and now just let myself enjoy the ride. If I sample and like something I buy it. I don't necessarily need to love it to death to buy it, it just need it to work for me, to fill a "specific" need at the moment. Specific is in italics because it seems to change from day to day! Do I have unlimited cash to keep doing this? No. I am amassing a collection to enjoy and at some point, I will stop for a while and then begin again when things settle down again. Very strange? Likely,yes!
I initially looked for "the one" but liked too many and then it developed into a hobby, an obsession that I continue to enjoy so looking for the one went on the back shelf. Maybe some day, it will appear.

Eric
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post #5 of 17
2/20/08 at 4:43pm
Excellent post.

If i had to pick one and only one fragrance (not including my oud oils) to wear exclusively from this point on, it would be Vetiver Extraordinaire. It smells great, its unique, its long lasting and it can be worn anywhere at anytime. For me, its the perfect scent. I guess you can say its my Holy Grail.
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post #6 of 17
2/20/08 at 4:51pm
Dzongkha was my introduction into the world of niche fragrances --bam!--what a way to start!
I have found other interests, other loves but I keep coming back to Dzongkha.
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post #7 of 17
2/20/08 at 5:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ajmc View Post

Excellent post.

If i had to pick one and only one fragrance (not including my oud oils) to wear exclusively from this point on, it would be Vetiver Extraordinaire. It smells great, its unique, its long lasting and it can be worn anywhere at anytime. For me, its the perfect scent. I guess you can say its my Holy Grail.

great collection.....vetiver extraordinaire is your 'scent'?....i am a fan as well.
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post #8 of 17
2/20/08 at 5:53pm
Thread Starter 
Great responses... however I think there was some confusion about the purpose of my post. I wasn't looking for "Holy Grail" scents as much as I was looking for scents that cause some kind of internal reaction/conflict..stronger than that of a typical scent.. a fragrance that reaches you deep down..

Matt's review of Mechant Loup is one great example.. he loves the fragrance but finds it so melancholy that it reduces him to tears (at least that was his assessment at the time of the review).

Knowing everyone's go to scent is great.. but I would rather hear about the scents that unlock deep dark demons or transport you to timeless tapestries..if there are such beasts in your wardrobe

a.
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post #9 of 17
2/20/08 at 6:09pm
a-

i really like your post too. i have been getting into incense like frags lately. lddm and no88 are the only two so far in my 'drobe. more to come shortly .

for me the scent that just fits right has to be castile (so far). it seems to perfectly match my body chemistry. the woody rose dry down coupled with my body scent just makes me smile and feel warm. i also adore the faint traces of neroli that has stuck to my clothes as it wafts up through the day. the other enchanting facet of castile is how any slight moisture brings forward the neroli for a fleeting moment (like after washing my hands or even a warm breath).

cheers and thanks again anthony,
ryan
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post #10 of 17
2/20/08 at 7:53pm
I think what makes the whole ride of finding new fragrances stimulating is part of the unfolding of a quest for "the one" wherein the process is better than the destination.

who needs to have just one paragon, when there can be a long and sordid passage of scents, both good and bad, bad one day good the next, perfect one day then adequate another....

I myself just find that I'm happy to have the chance to be swept to absolutes and hyperbole by a fragrance in a bottle. I hope there will never be just one that keeps it from continuing to happen.
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post #11 of 17
2/20/08 at 8:04pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oaksbluff View Post

I think what makes the whole ride of finding new fragrances stimulating is part of the unfolding of a quest for "the one" wherein the process is better than the destination.

who needs to have just one paragon, when there can be a long and sordid passage of scents, both good and bad, bad one day good the next, perfect one day then adequate another....

I myself just find that I'm happy to have the chance to be swept to absolutes and hyperbole by a fragrance in a bottle. I hope there will never be just one that keeps it from continuing to happen.

I agree completely.. but that's not what my thread is getting at..

a.
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post #12 of 17
2/20/08 at 8:08pm
Hey, another Anthony... Those who know of my love for the following will probably roll their eyes. Most fragrances grip me pretty tight, with all sorts of visual and emotional reactions and attachments. Sniffing JAR Bolt of Lightning for me was like seeing those spring breakers in Mexico getting tequila shots and having their heads shaken by the waiter. The JAR rep in Bergdorf Goodman in NYC smiled smugly, knowingly, and expectantly as though he was holding a magic elixir, awaiting the response he knew he'd get from me. I say it again because it's fun to tell the story.. it really did feel like something shifted in the air when i smelled it. weird. I have a teeny tiny sample of it and every once in a while I open it up and sniff just to get that experience all over again. Cool post!
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post #13 of 17
2/20/08 at 8:21pm
hahah! yes, tis true....
my rumination on the musings didn't include the fact that Paestum Rose has me like a sailor to the sirens.
I can see how Dzongkha has you though... I often will remove the lid to give it a whiff. L'artisan has a way with creating what occur as very emotional scents for me. not sure if I'M crazy, but if so, so be it.
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post #14 of 17
2/20/08 at 8:45pm
I'm still trying to find my 'scent'. The problem is, I have no idea what I'm looking for. I do just like the original poster says, I give each sample I receive a chance for me to warm up to. A day then a week later and try it again.

Until today, though I don't think it's 'my scent', just yet. It's just that I got really, really excited about it. I was more jubilant than normal today, too despite the fact it was dreary, cold and started to snow. Uaually I'm a miserable sack on those kinds of days.

I wore Le Prince Jardinier - Ciel Mon Jardin!. It took me so far away from where I was, mentally speaking. There were days in my youth were I'd dream of being a ranking officer on a wooden ship. I would imagine all the yardarms, ropes, cannons, the planks, the smell of the sea, tropical islands, stormy weather, nightime... like a picturesque storybook or a movie.

That is precisely where Ciel Mon Jardin took me. I don't know what it is about it but I was in lala land. It invoked my old nautical dreams of clipper ships and pirates. ARRRRR. I have my grandfather's Naval Academy sword and his uniform, I did a report in 8th grade on John Paul Jones wearing it. I have model ships but not on display.

These visions didn't enter my mind when I first sniffed it from the sample vial though. It was only when I wore it I felt this odd feeling that I was going to port.

I just now read the description of the Le Prince Jardinier line. "inspired by his travels around the world" and "walk into a world of dreams" that's a little freaky considering my odd experience.

I don't have another sample to see if it happens again but bet dollars to donuts I'll get a bottle or two!

I hope this made sense to somebody.
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post #15 of 17
2/20/08 at 10:38pm
I know I speak of it often here Anthony, but LPNo9 evokes very unusual emotions in me. To many its not anything to rave about, but to me, I almost feel as if I'm regressing to a past life when I open the bottle.
The scent never fails to yield a kaleidoscope of vivid imagery in my head...

Crisp white paper printed with fresh black ink...
High-collared starched shirts and black ties...
An old apothecary lined with ink-black hand-blown bottles...
Cobbled streets...
Vine-like climbers with exotic purple flowers...

When worn I just cant help feel damn special... like I've put on a familiar disguise.
Sexy, commanding, mysterious, timeless... its like theyve found a portion of ME, and put it in a bottle.
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post #16 of 17
2/20/08 at 11:33pm
I thought I found such a scent when I tested L'Anarchiste for the first time. I was sick for the first time in a couple years, but couldn't wait to test it, and tried a spritz on my arm. It was magical. I was in a Buddhist temple, watching the monks humbly sweep away the dust on floors, entirely in the moment. Others sat and meditated. There was a serenity there that even the wind dare not disturb.

It's strange, as there's no incense in the scent, which is what I'd actually expect to smell at a temple, but it's not that it transported me to such an evocative place because it smelled of it in the literal sense, it smelled of the mood such a place would stir within me. It smelled of transcendence.

Sadly, I've not gotten that on subsequent wearings. I don't know why this happened, but it makes me sad. All I know is that, for reasons unknown to me, I was particularly emotionally receptive and had a clarity of mind sharp as a razor's edge during that period of illness. It was the opposite of the usual muddle-headedness one feels at such a time. Strange. I miss that sensation.
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post #17 of 17
2/21/08 at 1:48am
I vividly remember the first time I tried L'Homme de Coeur. I can't say I felt strong emotions descriped in some of the previous posts. It was purely aesthetical experience of absolute harmony and balance.

It's very Zen-like, not in a traditional sense - what I mean is that it's so right and natural (again, not natural in concrete way), it doesn't feel like somebody used alot of time and effort to create it, it just happened. Obviously I have no idea about the process behind it, but that's the feeling I get. Like in poker, music, soccer or relationships, to give some very contrasting examples, good things come by just being tuned in a right way. If you try to force things to happen, it's easy to notice and the outcome is never the best possible. That's my point, I guess.
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