Bad Experience with The Sultan

Are you certain your frag was the problem?

Four sprays of Ambre Sultan is three sprays too many.

Don't stress, it's not your fault he doesn't appreciate SL. I know this isn't the right sort of positive mentality, but really. Don't give a shit. If you spend your life worrying about others, and what others think, and what others do and how others feel, you'll never be able to focus on yourself

Why do you think some people that come off as complete pricks are always happy?

That must have made you awfully uncomfortable. Sorry. Guess the lesson learned would be to go light on "heavier" fragrances when attending such events. I myself have allowed evenings at the opera to be marred by the over use of Estee by a lady in front of me!

In this case, I disagree. AS is a sillage monster and should not be worn (or only applied in microscopic doses) in situations where you will be sitting close to other people and they have no chance of escaping, like a concert. That's simply a question of good manners.
For public occasions of this sort I'd always choose a fragrance with a very narrow radius, like Santal Imperial or Richard James EdT.

Escaping? Lol, you may call it bad manners, but I am sure, most fragrances are more pleasant than BO, no matter how intolerant certain people are. Once on a 10 hour direct flight to Sri Lanka I was sat next to one of the most unpleasant smelling people I have ever been next to, and I was in club class, where I wouldn't expect something like that. I asked if it would be possible to move seats, and the Air Hostess said to my mom (who was in the row behind me, unfortunately) that she could swap with the man that smelt bad, and the man agreed, despite that, the odor was far from pleasant. I still wasn't fanning stuff in front of me and acting as if my life was over, I simply got over it.

I still agree with you though, and what I said to Lucius, was more that he shouldn't really care now, as it's over Perhaps I should have mentioned that a lesser amount of sprays would be beneficial Lucius, just keep it in mind for next time mate

I would have started fanning too...

in his direction of course...

Nonsense! The Sultan demands respect!

Since it was sort of a high-end cultural setting, you should have reprimanded the person who was annoying you with their constant fanning by lecturing them on Lutens..that to appreciate Lutens is to appreciate art of a higher level of sophisticated cultural philosophy, and that just like the performance they were hearing and watching, this was a cultural tour de force to be appreciated by their nose! And that like everything with deeper more cerebral mechanics, it would require more effort to appreciate and understand such a level of artistic achievement!

Rofl, i'm actually in tears, because it's something i'd do, if I knew I wasn't going to see the person again.

The bottom line here is that youve plonked a small fortune on a scent that you love.
If you are expected to pre-empt or pre-suppose everyone's reaction to the fragrance before you apply it each day, then you will only make yourself miserable.

I say that (within reason) you ought to use as much or as little as you desire. You selected this fragrance as an integral part of your wardrobe for the evening and it should only be enjoyed to the fullest. Let bystanders deal with it - and don't let them rain on you parade!

In your shoes I would have turned to your neighbour and asked "Is my fragrance bothering you?"...
If the response is "yes", I would have said "Then feel free to go outside and get some fresh air".

*takes a bow*

As someone who loves fragrances, if I was the person who sat next to you, and you had applied that much of a potent fragrance like Ambre Sultan....quite honestly, I'd have the same reaction.
--------------------------------------

I dislike when I go to a show and am wedged between people and forced to smell their fragrances, quite often over-applied. So I either don't wear any fragrance, or wear something light and apply light. It's just being considerate.

I think if Amber Sultan is a very powerful sillage monster to begin with, then *knowingly* putting on a heavy dose of it while being in a close-in situation like a concert would be bad manners. It would be inconsiderate, because our fragrances are unlike the rest of our wardrobe in one very important manner - people around us can't ignore it.

Perhaps multiple sprays of AS would be fine in other contexts but is just too much for a concert setting.

I have to disagree with the wear-as-much-as-you-want-wherever-and-whenever stance. There needs to be some consideration of others in certain circumstances where to ask them to simply step away or go somewhere else is unreasonable.

Ambre Sultan really projects - so it is likely you were noticeable from several seats away. One light spray to the chest would have been plenty when in an auditorium - don't beat yourself up over it - just be a bit lighter next time!

(I agree with the sentiment that one should be discreet with scents in general and be mindful of the venue. Just like dressing for the occasion)

the sultan is a really bad choice for an auditorium even one spray

I never thought of Ambre Sultan as something that projects much, but I generally agree with those that say being considerate is in order. Of course, I'd be overjoyed to smell megadoes of Ambre Sultan wafting towards me in a public place, but if the fragrance is something you don't like, it's the same as being forced to inhale farts and state cigarettes for 2hrs, or the man on the train's B.O. described earlier.

Actually, lately I've been putting on overdoses of Black Aoud every day - and normally I walk an hour to get to wear I need to go, so that by the time I get there it's at a pleasant level, but the other day I was late, so I got on the bus about 5 mintues after baptizing myself in Black Aoud.

As I sat down, I realized that if I could smell myself, the people around me could probably smell me at about 10 times the level! I was surprised no one looked uncomfortable, but this poor girl a few feet away had her mits over her face and looked like she was really suffering. I felt pretty bad for her, and next time I do that I'll put on something light or just use minute amounts.

And I guess my advice is, if you want to wear Ambre Sultan or something potent at a public close quarters event, go ahead, but use tiny amounts.

And for those who say "who cares" just imagine inhaling high sillage farts for two hours!

That rampant, self righteous, "I'll wear what I'll please as strongly as I please, to hell with the rest of you" attitude is precisely why Canada, California, and other places are moving towards completely banning scent.

There are times and places where wearing more is acceptable - if it had been an outside concert and you had your own little spot on a grass hill, sure slather it on - but in closed quarters at a relatively high end event? The other man went to listen to the music, not be accosted by a sent. It's not all that different than people talking during a movie.

I really wish people would be more considerate (I'm not pointing at you Lucius, as it seems it was an honest mistake). Don't be the bad apple that ruins it for the barrel. Please?

I gotta agree to disagree with you on this one Dimitri.

Imagine you are at a play and your neighbor has an ipod with an external speaker playing rap or some other sounds just loud enough to distract to a measurable degree your concentration on the primary reason you are there: to enjoy the play. Or perhaps it is a wine tasting or great dinner where the frag someone is wearing while sitting at your table is somewhat damping your ability to fully enjoy the wines or food by interfering with their aroma/taste. Same principle I think applies to inappropriately loud frag sillage in close quarter or distracting fragrances worn by some to sensitive occasions.

It does seem a bit wrong and somewhat selfish or at least inconsiderate to me if the offender realized prior to going what he/she may possibly do to other's enjoyment. Then again, many times olfactory fatigue doesn't alert the offender to the problem and/or they just have no clue. What a great time to educate them in a positive way so that they will consider not repeating the situation in the future.

But then what could be done after the fact other than the offender leave and remove most of the scent in a bathroom or leave permanently or move to where no one was offended? Of course, you could choose to change your seat (if possible) or choose to leave the event entirely.

More than likely you will just put up with it.

It seems that the establishment of fragrance-free zones will be the next crusade for those now bored by the success of their anti-smoking initiatives. Let's not intentionally give them more fodder to chew.

"Less is more" is an adage that has stood the test of time for a reason - it is good advice because it works.

I gotta agree to disagree with you on this one Dimitri.

Imagine you are at a play and your neighbor has an ipod with an external speaker playing rap or some other sounds just loud enough to distract to a measurable degree your concentration on the primary reason you are there: to enjoy the play. Or perhaps it is a wine tasting or great dinner where the frag someone is wearing while sitting at your table is somewhat damping your ability to fully enjoy the wines or food by interfering with their aroma/taste. Same principle I think applies to inappropriately loud frag sillage in close quarter or distracting fragrances worn by some to sensitive occasions.

It does seem a bit wrong and somewhat selfish or at least inconsiderate to me if the offender realized prior to going what he/she may possibly do to other's enjoyment. Then again, many times olfactory fatigue doesn't alert the offender to the problem and/or they just have no clue. What a great time to educate them in a positive way so that they will consider not repeating the situation in the future.

But then what could be done after the fact other than the offender leave and remove most of the scent in a bathroom or leave permanently or move to a spot where no one was offended? Of course, you could choose to change your seat (if possible) or choose to leave the event entirely.

More than likely you will just put up with it.

I maintain my opinion on this.

I am a devout non-smoker.
Whilst I do not enjoy being exposed to second-hand smoke, I will always make the effort to move table/cross the street/switch seats/wind down a window as I do not subscribe to dramatic hand-waving and pulling ugly faces as an indicator of my displeasure. I have come to recognize and understand that people and their indulgences are different the world over.

Its not "rampant self-righteousness" that demands the banning of anything from public places - rather, brutish intolerance.

Hey, that's what I what thinking! I've owned a bottle of AS for a couple of months now and am seriously thinking of giving it the elbow, because I'm not getting the projection I was expecting.

It would have been fun to have been one of those sitting within a seats radius to see how four sprays of AS project. (I think I might have enjoyed that more than the show itself!!) I love that fragrance but don't use it much as there is something in me that cautions me about it - that it could be potentially "off putting" - or something to that effect. In a way, I wish I were more like Vivek and Dimitri in being less timid and not "giving a $#%^". But my experiences have wired me differently and it would ruin my enjoyment of the wearing if I knew I was causing a stranger olfactory discomfort with my presence that he/she couldn't escape.

I probably would have used only one spray at most. (I often have wished the sprayers could be adjusted to dose out half-sprays or fourth-sprays). Tom Ford's Amber Absolute is one of those too. I would never put on more than a microscopic amount as it is really powerful. I also think that AS & AA would probably work better in an outdoor or drafty setting where people around have freedom of movement - not crammed in together like sardines in a can.

Keep wearing your AS, by all means!!!!

I do give a sh*t.

As stated in my first post, I think what we have to remember here is that we are talking about "reasonable" application of a scent. LuciusVorenus has already said that the Ambre Sultan is his most recent acquisition. He may therefore be somewhat at fault for over-applying as I imagine some of us are when getting to know the limits of a new scent.

All I am saying is most of us have a very good idea by now how much or how little fragrance is a "good thing" for a special occasion or an event.

To the dude sitting beside me flaying his arms around and pulling faces... speak up, or save the drama for your mamma!

************EDITED TO ADD****************

Having just read Lucius' admission to having sprayed Ambre Sultan just moments before taking his seat... well I would call that very poor judgement.
Lucius... what were you thinking?!

I don't have to imagine it - I was on an airplane going to Tokyo from Chicago nonstop sitting next to someone who had obviously had eaten something that disagreed with him - farts and burps for 10 of the 12 hours. Not good ...

[And for those that do know Chicago - in the international terminal there is a burrito place ... whats up with that?! I mean everyone boarding a plane is likely going to be trapped there for several hours at least ... )

It's great being like that, but to be fair, I don't want to come across as an A**hole, so i'm going to justify myself

In the first place, I wouldn't have worn 4 sprays of anything potent, the main message of my post was to just say that Lucius shouldn't be worrying about it now that it's over, and that a bit of perfume wouldn't have killed the guy fanning, if he really did spend the whole show doing that, he's a bit of a drama queen, I mean, olfactory fatigue does kick in, and I'm presuming (with slight past experience) that it's easier to occur if you don't constantly think about the smell!

People always find something to complain about, you just get people like that, i'm sure i'm one of those people when I go to places such as restaurants and hotels. But in places where people gather (public places and/or parties), even if something is annoying me, and I can't get away from it, I deal with it. More and more people nowadays want to control everything, and I can't stand people like that, hence the slightly prick-ish response.

LOOOL! From one "slight prick" to another, I hear ya sonny!

Speaking from previous experience when i didn't know how powerful santal de mysore can be especially when one's body warms up i can have some sympathy with the guy ,but the fanning and snooty looks are just the reactions of a prick ,he should have said something and left it at that and maybe you could have said sorry mate it's new and i didn't realise it was so strong and both got on with watching the performance instead of that cock ruining it for both of you because lets face it if it really was that offensive he would have got up and left.

My take and thought is Ambre is one of those frags that you'd wear in order to get noticed. There is a "slightly sickening" note in the scent but I loved it when I got a sample. Good stuff. Maybe too good!

AS is going to be my SotD tomorrow, fortunately I can't over-apply because i've got a wax sample thats half used!

I think, in this particular scenario, the onus was really on you Lucius to apologize if you were aware and certain that it was your fragrance causing the discomfort. We have to remember everyone has different sensitivies, and just as some sents can give us headaches or nausea, and we seemingly can't know which until we wear them, how will we know what someone else is actually experiencing when subjected to our scent? If it was giving him a headache or highly annoying him and distracting him from the show, it's not rude or out of line in any way for him to fan himself to try and get fresh air (although I'm not sure that it would help much.)

I would have just laughed at the dramatic hand-waving and face gestures.

Lucius, I have to tell you, I think a classical music concert is a GREAT place to try out a fragrance... I was thinking of posting this as a separate thread months ago. I've noticed, though, that in that scenario, you are basically stewing in your own sillage, so I have learned (from a similar experience with Ambre Narguile), to chill out on the application when going to classical concerts... And especially with Ambre Sultan... it can, different than the pointedness of something like Kouros' "too much", but too much, but in that rounded, suffocating way...

p.s. Concerts are a great place to smell OTHER people's fragrances, too!... i feel like the lobbies and concert hall itself smell amazingly of perfume and that special glossy paper from programs (i know, sounds silly, but I've grown up with that smell, i play in an orchestra)

I agree with you 100%.Wearing AS to Boston Symphony Hall is about as appropriate as burning a scented candle at the dinner table.

Yes, but you can't really expect everyone else to feel the same way, can you? I enjoy a quiet home and expect quiet and considerate neighbors. We're not in our 20s (or 30s, mostly) and don't look for reasons in our neighbor's behaviors to throw a kegger. I collect and smoke fine cigars. However, I don't do so in the house. I smoke outdoors, in the privacy of my garden or with friends, mostly in their gardens or decks. Never in public, where I know it would annoy the heck out of anyone in sight even more than a cigarette. (And, speaking of which, I loathe cigarettes and, if someone lights up near me, I move away).

The bottom line, as others have responded, is that courtesy is important. It is a cornerstone of civilization. We ALL make mistakes and I have made mine. But, at a classic concert, say, you wouldn't show up in a Tiki shirt, ripped shorts, and flip flops. Likewise, in a closed space, wearing a fragrance discretely makes more sense.

As someone else posted, AS is potent. I know, I wear it a lot and love it (also wear CM, MKK, Chene). We were at a dinner party the other night, I knew the space, big table, informal, and I wore enough that it was a comfortable warmth throughout the night. But, at the opera? Next to another person for 3+ hours? I would wear a close-to-the-skin scent or just a lot less of it.

Just basic courtesy.

PS, cigars and scents are weird. Cigars actually have very fine and interesting scents and the great ones taste great. The aftermath is appalling, though. Wearing a fine scent and smoking at the same time is just stupidity!

I don't know why there's all this fuss. It's really just a matter of etiquette. If you're gonna be in close quarters sitting next to people in an enclosed place, then you just shouldn't put too much of a strong fragrance on right before you sit down. There's not much else to say, other than put less of it on and earlier so that it's not overpowering. Why else do we wear fragrances other than to enjoy them and have other people enjoy them too?

Ah, I love the smell of Cigars, when I was younger (like one year ago) I was stupid enough to think it was 'cool' to smoke, I came to my senses within four months, when my, now, girlfriend helped me a lot Me and my friends invested in a nice cigar, and it was one of the greatest things i'd smoked, now that I look back at it, it makes me laugh, because when one of my friends was smoking on it, he coughed and dampened the end where you smoke from :P After getting through about 3/4 of it, we broke it up into the individual tobacco sheets and set fire to those in the park, the smell was fantastic, probably one of my best olfactory memories.

That was way too much, and if I were the one sitting next to you my behaviour would have been the same. If I know I will be in close quarters--particularly in which people's attention is better directed elsewhere--I only apply a fragrance under my shirt, if at all.

Even as a fragrance lover I find it distracting - and sometimes downright nauseating - to sit next to someone who's overfragged in a confined (and typically airless) place like a theater or concert hall, where I want to be able to concentrate on the performance. There's also the matter of respecting the Social Contract. Imagine if every member of the audience at Symphony Hall had quadra-spritzed a strong frag in the restroom before taking his or her seat, as you had - there'd have been a mass asphyxiation. Beautiful as Symphony Hall is, I wouldn't want to spend my last minutes on earth in its miserably hard seats.

As others have recommended, understatement is a better option in such situations. And I'd suggest giving any new frag a few wearings to gauge its strength and sillage before that kind of public outing, as it's too easy too overapply an unfamiliar scent.

(IMHO, four sprays of almost any Lutens is going to turn you into a radioactive cloud, leaving wilted flowers and terrified small animals in your wake.)

The thing is, it's not about controlling things, or not being tolerant, it's about what really makes you sick or not. The reason I don't let people smoke at my place isn't because I'm offended that they smoke and want to control them, it's because it makes me sick and the smell stays in my clothes and in the house for days afterwards. Otherwise I wouldn't care.

I actually got a dose of perfume sick today, but it wasn't someone else, it was me! i wasn't wearing too much perfume, but I was wearing a turtle neck that I had worn the other day while wearing SL Cedre. I love SL Cedre, but the smell it leaves after a day for some reason makes me sick. Same thing with Jardin en Mediteranee. And I was at a friend's wedding rehearsal today, and people were saying "hmm, you smell nice" and meanwhile I was making myself ill, and wished I could go shirtless!

I agree. I can't believe some of you guys who act like it was intolerance on the part of the bystander. You guys know that if this thread was written from the point of the view of a guy who went to the theater but couldn't breathe because his neighbor was wearing a fatal dose of Old Spice, your answers might be different.

Two sprays of Ambre Sultan to the chest is playing with fire... but also a SPRAY BEHIND EACH EAR?!?!? I can't imagine what he was thinking. I mean, he might as well have just pulled the bottle of Ambre Sultan out and used it as a roomspray or sprayed it on his neighbors. I have a bottle of Ambre Sultan, and it can be incredibly nauseating in confined spaces.

I'm detecting this snobby vibe, that seems to suggest that because his neighbors couldn't "appreciate" a quality fragrance such as a Serge Lutens, that it's just their brutish noses that are the culprits. That's ridiculous. Lucious knows he screwed up, and he seems sorry about it. On occasion, If I detect my coworkers are irritated by my SOTD, I'll ask them if it's too strong-- because the air belongs to everyone. I get sick just like anyone else when forced to smell something that I don't want to smell.

Common sense and common courtesy, people.

Yes, just one on the chest under the clothes next time and no problem .

I have made similar mistakes -

Agree. We have all recognized and understood Lucius' poor judgement in applying an indecent amount of fragrance moments before taking his seat.

If you re-read my posts you will see I took exception to the theatrics of the bystander. My point was if he does not have the bollocks to speak up and voice his distaste, or make efforts to remove himself from the situation, then he can only blame himself. Hand-flailing and face-pulling is not an adult means to communicate ones displeasure.

And as to the implied "snobbery" on my part being because it was a "quality" Lutens scent - thats utter rubbish, as I have never had the pleasure to smell a single scent from the Lutens portfolio. Hardly a Lutens snob now am I?

Back in yer box, tiger!

A-ha! ....so that was you! I was there (I LOVE Bach's passions) and I thought I was going crazy when I smelled AS in the bathroom! As much as I love AS I think that that’s just too much. I think this is one of those frags that you should put on about half an hour before heading out the door. I find that the dry down is much more pleasant than the initial experience which can come on a bit too strong. What I really like about this fragrance is its subtlety that’s why I only use a little at a time.....I like it to whisper. I love it when my friends are kissing me hello/goodbye and say "umm, you smell great!" That’s the beauty of the Sultan.....sharing it with those with whom you are closest. People are wicked uptight in Boston anyway, esp. those that patronize the BSO....I wouldn't worry about it much.

Wow! Two times on your chest and one time behind each ear!

I have been experimenting with Ambre Sultan off and on for a couple years, and I have discovered that a very small amount of this fragrance is all that I need. In fact, I think I should decant some Ambre Sultan into a roll-on, and use that to apply this fragrance. A roll-on would allow me to judiciously apply a very small amount. For me, less is definitely more with Ambre Sultan.

Wear AS anytime you want, it is your right. Running into someone sensitive to it has a moderate probability. However, let me through some caution your way;

1. One spray will do ya on this stuff.

2. It is not that guys fault for being sensitive to it. Some people has a genetic/allergic predisposition to odorants so be respectful towards others.

Personally, I cannot wear AS myself. It induces headache. It is too sharp and the slightest bit of body heat puts that napalm into full bloom. AS is a tricky fragrance to wear for most affectionate fragrance wearers. Some fragrances will literally smother you and I feel AS is one of them.

Theatrics of the bystander? It was in a THEATER, why not be theatrical!?!

I don't know that I would have had "the bollocks" to inform someone that they're wearing so much cologne that it's making me sick. Some people don't take kindly to being told that they're causing offense. A few years ago I had a problem with a neighbor who would keep his little dog chained outside all day and it would bark non-stop. I was working nights, and as a result I could not get any sleep. Finally after it went on for a couple of weeks, I decided to talk to this neighbor (whom I had never met before). I put on nice clothes and rehearsed the most non-threatening, passive way to voice my complaint about his dog. I walked up to his door and rang his doorbell. Fast forward about 60 seconds, he was threatening to kick my ass! I was as nice as can be and he was telling me to get off his property or he was going to hit me. I ended up calling the police and let them deal with him.

If I were confronted by someone with lethal sillage, I probably would just say "Wow. Someone's wearing WAY too much cologne" and see if that didn't get a reaction. We've all made errors in application before, but reading some of the posts here over the years, I don't think some people even try to be careful. Either that or they have a completely different and somewhat evil purpose for wearing fragrances in the first place.

Dimitri, with regards to the comment about snobbery/Lutens, that wasn't directed at you personally. That was directed at no one in particular, but rather those who've expressed opinions such as "if people dont like my (ridiculously overapplied) Lutens/Creed/Armani/whatever, then they're just philistines who lack taste. I've seen far too many posts with this attitude that wearing a "masterpiece" scent gives the wearer special rights to be narcissistic in his or her overapplication. Driving a Rolls-Royce doesn't give one the right to run over bystanders. And if you've never smelled a single Lutens-- believe me, two sprays of Ambre Sultan to the chest and one behind each ear would give you or anybody a splitting headache. A good scent doesn't become a great scent by pumping up the volume.

So there.

I hear ya Indie_Guy. Your use of the word "brutish" when describing the noses of the "snobs" put up a red flag for me as it was the term I used a few posts back to describe the intolerance some people have towards other peoples personal pleasures. I saw this as a passive-aggressive response to what I had written.
If that isnt the case, then I have no beef. Matter has been dealt with, as far as Im concerned.

lol. No, I wasn't mocking you or anything with the word "brutish". I just picked that word out of the blue and it was possibly a case of cryptomnesia at seeing that word in a previous post. I didn't mean anything insidious by it.

How can it be that you haven't gotten around to smelling any of the Lutens? I was kind of surprised to hear you say that you've never tried any of them. Most of them aren't really my cup of tea, but some of them are pretty good. There are a lot that I haven't tried, but they sound interesting. Ambre Sultan is something you really should try.

I am glad you guys are friends again! I was about to start sweating. Dimitri and Indie Guy and both good guys alike and have never been known to cause trouble to anyone. Besides, both of you offer good advice and opinions. Now, lets back to smelling good!

I have wanted to try the Lutens for ages as they're often spoken about here.
Unfortunately I live on an island in central Denmark, and even doubt that Lutens has a stockist in the capital, Copenhagen. But bit by bit I am purchasing samples from different houses online and having them sent to me. Thus my recent interest in Montale, Trumper and Ormonde Jayne. (I know, always a few months after the rest of you, it would appear)!
I did come across some Lutens whilst on a trip in Austria, but I had been sniffing like a mad man all day and couldn't bring myself to hold another bottle to my nose. Olfactory fatigue had won me over.

Im sure I will have another chance soon... summer holidays are coming up!

Dimitri, I can't promise your experience will be like mine but, from my experience, encens et lavende is the only SL I can wear. It is part of the non-export line. I went through great lengths to procure my bell jar and I have been nursing it since. It is the purest lavender and incense I have ever smelled. It has lavender, clary sage, and incense as the notes listed. It might not be your thing but I highly recommend you sample it.

Dimitri, it sucks that you have limited access to Lutens. Here in America, it's frustrating that we don't get anything from the Exclusives range-- which seems to have most of the good stuff. Sure, once a year, he'll throw us a bone and temporarily put one of the exlusives into the Export range, but it's not good enough.

I still haven't smelled Fumerie Turque and it irks me. It sounds like something I'd love, but I'm screwed. Encens et Lavande is awesome, but also inaccessible. Fortunately a generous Basenoter sent me a decent sized decant of it. Last year I decided to try to make my own DIY take on Encens et Lavande. It turned out pretty well-- while not identical, and one of my coworkers even wears it-- and told me his wife compliments him on it. Cuir Mauresque is another one that sounds great-- can't even get a sniff. That bites.

From the export range, I do like Arabie. Gris Clair is OK, but I prefer Encens et Lavande. Daim Blonde is kind of nice, but smells a bit weird in places-- I get this turkey gravy/stuffing note out of it. Chypre Rouge I initially hated, but one day I had an inexplicable craving for it, and had to revisit my sample. I kind of like it now. Ambre Sultan was a blind buy-- it wasn't quite what I was hoping it would be. Sweeter than what I normally like, and maybe a bit feminine. i admit I was intrigued by reviews that said it smelled like a woman's genitals. Didn't find that to be the case at all. Darn.

That's an interesting experience! Most cigars, maybe 95%, are truly mediocre and smell bad from beginning to end. Some, at the top end -- Cohiba Esplendidos -- are phenomenal but you pay something like US$30 for a smoke (I live in Italy and smoke Cubans almost exclusively). But you're play with fire with any cigar. Zino Davidoff said that "a gentleman only smokes half of his cigar." I think this is true. I smoke half to 2/3s, max. More than that, and it starts burning hot, the smell can get acrid, etc. I get nauseous around people who insist on smoking 3/4 or more.

Same goes for fragrance. A little goes a long way. I find Lutens scents marvelous but strong. CdG Incense...very strong to wear much in public. I got a tester of 888 though and my wife LOVES it...but it is closer to the skin and I can wear more. Everything in balance.

Speaking of which, one reason I like leather scents (and know they are not for everyone) is that they have a lot in common with the aftertaste of a fine cigar. It's a scent that just makes me feel happy. Buy, I like Lutens a LOT more than REL which, to my nose, is over the top.

Ambre Sultan can be a little off putting when applied strongly. The unrelenting amber mixed with sandalwood, patchouli and eastern spice is a potent combination that is heavy wearing for sure. Best to keep it close to the skin with a light application. I have never able to wear this one comfortably - I tried! It does smell addictive especially in light doses.

It's fairly isolated over here in Norway as well - at least fragrance-wise. My only consolation is that they have sent wonderful packaged straight from Paris (of the exclusives). They've marked the packages: "Echantillon Commercial - sans valeur commerciale" and I haven't had to pay extra tax. All you have to do is call them or write them at their "contact us" email and they'll send you free wax samples. For the non exclusives, I've used www.theperfumeshoppe.com in Canada. My AS came from there.

While I'm on AS - it really goes through several stages in its development on my skin. There is a stage early on when it really does border on the nauseating - very important to apply lightly. (Tom Ford's Amber Absolute goes through this stage as well on my skin) But I noticed the NEXT DAY there was a beautiful - nothing-like-it scent - still there! Now THAT's what I'd like to smell like! So this is a fragrance that one should apply (lightly) well in advance of going out of the house. I'd give it at least an hour.