You guys are great, can I go to the well one more time?

Well, you have helped me narrow colognes in the past and I need assistance again. Sometimes, you guys know more about me in my random posts than I realized. Like Eric (evogel) told me, I just do not play well with citrus. Why oh why did I not listen and stay away???

Well, L'Eau Neuve may be great on others, but it absorbs into my skin. I tested Eau Savage this morning and it had a metallic edge. Aquatic scents are okay, but the only one that really does well on me is Acqua di Gio and it is tired.

So, let me tell you those that work, those that did not, and see what you think of some that I am considering.

I have Fumerie and Chergui and MI and Tauer's LDDM. All last to well past 3:00 on me usually. Chergui I wear in Fall an Winter but can wear all the others year round.

Guerlain Vetiver and OV by Creed are soapy and earthy. Voleur de Roses was raw. Black Oud and I could not play, but it lasted so long. Eternity and Obsession last very well on me. Safari by Lauren as well. Romance does okay. Piper Nigrum lasted well and so did Yerbamate, but it was too powdery. Eau des Iles lasted but in the 2nd year, that hazelnut gave me a headache. Tea for Two was smokey, and I loved to a degree the Eau de Navagateur by L'Artisan. Divine Homme Sage was nice.

I dont know what class I like. SOmetimes I think it is incense, or woods, but I dont know how to classify them really.

Creed Virgin Island Water too coconutty. Royal English Leather smelt like bubblegum, but good!! Acier Aluminum, well, I did get the aluminum part. These I would stay away from.

I did not like Blenheim or Hamman Bouquet by Penhaligons, and Floris Santal was nice but dried to too much pepper.

I read Incensi and Sandalo by LV are nice, but dont know about them.

I am leaning to Feuille de Tabac by Miller Harris, or maybe Bois du Portugal. I am thinking it best to aim for a year round scent than try to go summer only, and that will keep me away from Citrus. Acqua di Parma had a certain allure but I read it is short-lived. Czech and Speak's 88 sounds okay, but I dunno, but Cuba sounds like better.

I do like to smell myself at lunch. The wrist with my watchband really smells great, and I love to use cologne on the other wrist as well. Sometimes, I can turn my neck and somehow, after lunch, I get a whiff of cologne. I dont spray it on clothes since I wear a suit 90% of the time during the week and then on Sundays.

I do have a bottle of D'Orsay Arome3 coming.

So guys, can I go to the well again with you?

Ambre Precieux by MPG?
Feuilles de Tabac
Cuir de Russie by Pafurms Empire, or even any others there?
Cuba by Czech and Speake?
Sandalo or Incensi by Villoresi?
Something else?

Thebeck: I read the reviews over on Luckyscent and they are promising but one guy said it was like standing in a fire and then pouring PineSol on yourself. I dont do pine very well.

Divine's Sage was okay on me, a good lasting one, but maybe not as great on me as say Feuilles de Tabac. However, neither one was a 'strong' cologne.

The idea of Cuba is interesting. To those of you who know what family of scents you like, your life is easier. I have come to realize that citrus is not going to be one for me. I used to wear Drakar and Eau Savage and Paco Rabanne and Quorom, but now, they have a metallic edge to them on my skin.

Dior's Homme lasted the best on me today between that, Juicy's Dirty English and Terre De Hermes.

Black Tourmaline seems Fall/winter but it did have good reviews.

Thanks to all that told me Acqua di Parma will be shortlived on me and not what I am looking for, as well as to forget about Tangerine Homme by Calypso.

I am like Sixcats in that scents die on me. Parfumes Empire sounds promising from the descriptions at Luckyscent and Beautyhabit.

I was able to try many of the Lutens, including Gris Clair, when I got my Chergui and Fumerie. As I recall, those two were the ones I liked. I don't think I want to dip into the Lutens pool again, for some reason, I might then start to think the two I have are not all that 'special' to me.

Part of the problem is I dont know what to look for as a starting point. There was one Bulgari that smelt like burnt tire rubber on me and if I knew what sort of 'group' that belonged to, I would avoid it. I am guessing that leather is a scent I dont do well with. I wonder if the Chergui, Fumerie, LDDM and say Obsession share something, like woods, or tobacco, that I need to stay with.

Thebeck suggested I order samples and I have done that, but the problem is I get like $20 worth of samples and that could have gone to a full bottle!!! I also can't handle more than 6 scents, say 3 or 4 for a season. I get kinda upset if I dont wear one often enough, but I dont want to be too anal and rotate them exactly.

Wow, that Domenico Caraceni sounds great. But with a bad experience with Voleur de Roses, I am a bit reticent and hesitant. Also, I read up on SMN Acqua di Cuba and a lit cigar seems like a no no, and Vintage Tabarome was a bit too heavy on the tobacco. I liked the sweetness of the Miller Harris, but in fall when I wore a sample of the Feuilles it was very light. If heat brings it out, great but if not, and its longevity is moderate, for that price, Id move on.

But back to a rose scent. C & S #88 and the Domenico, well, the sound intriguing. THe Blenheim Bouquet by Penhaligons, if I remember it correctly, smelled like pine needles, and Hamman Bouquet, oh, I can't remember, but neither impressed me.

Maybe you guys can see a pattern in what I like and then that narrows the field? I have Chergui and Fumerie and love the honeyed whatever in Chergui without it being cloying and the smokiness of Fumerie. I love the dryness of LDDM by Tauer and the bright note in MI and GIT. Love the pepper in Piper, and love the tabacco (sweet, not ashtray kind) in Miller Harris Feuilles. Dont like powdery, soap, the burnt rubber in one of those Bulgaris and strong vetiver. Like Eternity and Obsession by Calvin Klein

Stuigi and Magnifiscent: Yes, the Miller Harris Feuilles de Tabac was nice on my skin, but after about 3 hours, it was close to the skin and by 6 hours, hardly detectable. But maybe in the heat of summer it works better? It has the sweet side of tabacco. If it lasts longer than most others I could consider, say Aqcua di Parma and the like, then with the sale at Beautyhabit, it is doable.

I was suppossed to have been sent a sample of the Acqua di Parma Colonia and Assoluta but it has not gotten here in 10 days.

I guess from what I like that I like incense (Fumerie?) and tobacco. I dont think I am a leather person and not a vanilla (LeMale) or raw earth. I do like them to last.

I have tried Terre D Hermes, YSL Pour Homme, Juicy's Dirty English, Dior Homme (best of the bunch), JPG Light Blue, Issye Miyaki and sniffed others.

Assume you have nothing in your collection but Chergui, MI, Tauer LDDM and Fumerie Turque. You want projection, you want longevity and you want to balance out your collection. No citrus, no Voleur de Roses, no Guerlain Vetiver. What works for you under those guidelines. 25% off is a powerful attraction, eh? Does MPG Ambre Precieux, Santal Noble or other work for you. Something from Parfum d'Empire?

Ok, now I am learning something. Tabarome is ok on me, nothing special, but it does last. Chergui has tabacco also, and that is good, because the tabacco then in that and in Miller Harris is a good smell to me. I guess LDDM has tabacco?

Bahiana - sounds great, but I am afraid on me it would not last long. Also, read reviews on luckyscent that say the coconut is prominent, and that was what turned me off of Virgin Island Water by Creed (I think that was it). Edit: Eau de Toilette, it would not last on me. At least Feuilles is an eau de parfum, dang it.

Fougere Bengale, well, if it is that awesome, might be better off getting it and wearing MI and LDDM in summer and seeing if Chergui works in summer. If not, I have Chergui and the FB in fall/winter and Fumerie all year round? Or try another Parfume D'Empire?

One of the guys on board has. Acqua di Parma Colonia Assoluta edizione Riviera, 200ml spray, 95% full, $90
and he has Black Tourmaline for like $95. I tried a sample this afternoon of the AdP Assoluta and the Colonia. First impressions: after 20 mins, the Colonia is stronger than L'Eau Neuve but half of what it was when applied. The Assoluta is less rose and I smell something almost medicinal, but in a nice way. It is also twice as loud, if you will, then the Colonia

Opps, after 45 mins, the AdP Assoluta is perfumy - very bright. I don't get lemons or citrus, but something that would sparkle bordering on feminine. Am I right?

What did not work
1) Acqua di Parma Colonia - nice rose, very nice, not too floral, not too earthy, but dang it, petered out after 30 minutes
2) Acqua di Parma Assoluta - maybe 2 hours, but deeper in scent. Not as nice as the Colonia, but if it lasted 5 hours, would have worked
3) Arome 3 - for someone who loves lavendar, very nice. I have a Root English Lavendar candle I love to burn at home and this is that for the skin. Shortlived on me
4) Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Toscano - very feminine. Drydown is nicer than the inital 90 minutes
5) Le Male - too vanilla, too vanilla
6) JPG Light blue - too metallic/acquatic

I am thinking citrus and vetiver and mostly floral topnotes dont work. I love Chergui and Fumerie and LDDM by Taeur

How do these strike you, and remember, I need longevity the most, and then projection:

Costes
Feuilles de Tabac - my idea of a nice, nice safe scent, but longevity may not be that great
Something by Parfum d'Empire
MPG Ambre Precieux - too sweet?
Black Tourmaline?
Santal Noble by MPG? - I read creamy and think vanilla, but who knows. I love Sandalwood shave cream, but some can be dry.
Czech and Speak Francinsens and Myrrh - same reservations as the Santal Noble.

I like the smoothness of the tabacco in Feuilles. I love the smokiness from Fumerie. I love that honey note in Chergui without it being cloying or too sweet. I love the dryness of LDDM. I LOVE the longevity of each of these.

I have narrowed it down to:

Fougere Bengale by Parfum D'empire - dont know but it sounds interesting.

Czech & SPeake 88 - everyone says I have to try it. I dont like the roses in Voleur de Roses but did so much like them in Acqua di Parma Colonia though it was fleeting.

Miller Harris Feuilles de Tabac, maybe Citron Citron. The Feuilles, I love the smoothness of the tabacco, not a ashtray but fresher and sweeter. It is THIS SMELL I am trying to duplicate. Fumerie may be too close to it, but I get more of a floral smell out of Fumerie, which is fine, to give it a little edge. If Feuilles was a silage monster and lasted all day, two bottles.

Black Tourmaline - sounds interesting

Costes - worried if it becomes too vanilla or powdery.

So, considering I have and like LDDM, Chergui, MI and Fumerie Turque and I love projection and longevity, and looking for warm weather to year round scent, which one(s)?

Costes is back in and I also put in Citron Citron. I am trading a few of my scents so I put it back in. Maybe as long as it smells good, I can get an atomizer and refresh at work. Maybe have two or three that I keep in a drawer at home and take with.

C&S 88, well, soapy and I dont do well. I loved Spanish Leather by Trumper but the soap, nah.

When I find something I like, I love it. In fact, Fumerie, I have 1.5 bell jars of that stuff

Citron Citron is out. I was remembered me and citrus do not play well, except that AdP I do like. If only it lasted longer.

C&S 88 is out if it is a soapy fragrance.

Went to Beauty Habit to order Samples, Here is what I got to test out

Bahiana
Tangerine Homme by Calypso
Fougere Bengale by Parfums D'Empire
Miller Harris Feuilles de Tabac
MPG Santal Noble
Hotel Costes

alternate was Ambre Precieux.


May have to go to Luckyscent to order.

Yes,, Domingo, you are right. Some Lemons are acrid on me, or smell like lemon furniture polish. Most are short lived. But many have liked this and, here is the shock, I am seriously about to rid myself of my last Creed. I want something different and wearing Creeds mostly in summer for 4 or 5 years, maybe I am tiring of them. I sold my GIT and want to list my MI. I feel like taking a flyer on some Acqua di Parma, even if it does not last long as I like. I could get an atomizer and keep the atomizer at the office to refreshen at lunch. I also am thinking that Imperial Opoponax would not be as powdery or vanilla as say Yerbamate was on me.

In fact, I am gonna start a new thread.

I sold a bottle of GIT a couple of weeks ago. I have worn Creed GIT and MI religiously in summer and spring and fall for at least 4 to 5 years. Now, I just am not feeling wowed by MI anymore. Creed used to be my go to colognes when I wanted to feel all that. Now, I wear it when it is a paperwork day in the office, or maybe I am running errands Saturday afternoon. I wear LDDM or Fumerie when I want to go wow.

I sampled Acqua di Parma Colonia and Assoluta. THe Colonia smelled better, the Assoluta lasted longer. NIce summer scents. Bahiana sounds intriguing and Imperial Opoponax smelled good and so did Feuilles de Tabac. Maybe they don't last as long but maybe that is okay. I could get small atomizers, even plastic, and put them in a coat pocket to take to work, leave in a drawer, freshen up after lunch.

By the way, how does one go about changing the title of his thread in the swap section? Or can it not be done? I want to add MI and I did in the body but not in the title

Today, I met up with Jock With Scents, aka Barry. He offered to let me smell some of his collection. Very nice guy. I'll say that it was so neat to be able to have him describe a scent and then I could smell it and see what it was he was talking about. On a couple of them, I was able to detect the primary topnote before he would tell me. Now, from reading my posts, he was able to tell what I like and did not like and sure enough, I would smell something and it was one he said I would like. A few of my impressions:

CDG 88 8 - he had offered in the Frank post to let me smell that. Well, this was the one I really, really like. I had not considered the CDG line, as I had not seen it, or desired to read much about this. Let me say I am going to do a search on basenotes as soon as I type this out.

Eau de Italia? I dont know which one this is, but he let me try two. One was wintery and one was summery. The summery one lasted a while on my hand. Very nice. THis was one of those that you don't mind receiving it, but to spend your money on it, well, there may be a couple ahead of it.

Black Tourmaline - Beck, you were right. Smoke in a bottle. It may turn on the skin once it is on, and it felt like it would be a fall scent, but all I did was sniff it in the bottle.

SMN Acqua di Cuba - this is liquid leather. And this is the type of longevity and projection I would love. Im not a leather guy and he pegged me on this one.

Did I say I liked CDG 88 8?? LOL

Vintage Tabarome - he said it was the old man's tabacco and he was right. I had only smelled the New Tabarome locally and sorta liked it.

Santal Noble by MPG - nice enough, reminded me of the Eau Des Iles I had, with no coffee note. Eau des Iles lasted on my skin though

There were some others that may come to me. Oh, here is one. I had tried Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte in Sephora and it was nice but did not last. He had the Concentree and it lasted. If I want a fun summer cologne, say to wear on Saturday mornings kicking around, I am thinking it would be the Concentree or Acqua di Parma Colonia. I told him I might want both, but I am thinking one or the other. I do want to get some Imperial Opopponax for fall though

Barry, I can't thank you enough. Having read descriptions of some of them and then having them before me, it is so much easy to place a description in my mind that way. We also both have Tauer's L'Air du Desert Morocain as a great must-have scent, and CHergui as well.

Mike, Play? Hell, I wanna go shopping!!!!!!!

IT was Eau d'Italie that he let me try two of them. I had to go read up on rose scents and the Eau d'Italie Paestum Rose sounds so interesting. Czech & Speake #88 would be soapy. Id love for the Acqua di Parma Colonia to last longer, but who knows. It is either that or the Eau D'Orange Verte Concentree for summer, though I did order a tester of Calypso Tangerine Homme. I am thinking one of those, and the Imperial Oppoponax, and then maybe a special fragrance. I hope Beautyhabit had the Bahiana sample I asked for, and I did get Santal Noble, and the Calypso , and the Fougere Bengale , and MIller Harris Feuilles de Tabac (I thought this was a safe choice but that Comme des Garcons 8 88, while expensive, is very nice)

I smelled one that was whiskey, the name escapes me. It was a Montale. He had another one and that aoud note, I just cant get warmed up to it. I did tell Barry that if I have to warm up to a cologne, 90% of the time, Id never like it. If I like it on first application, 90% of the time, Ill love it. I felt that way with Chergui, Fumerie and Tauer LDDM. I did not feel that way about the Creeds I had, and, well, sold them. But I did wear them for 4 years, probably because the wife liked them.

Barry, thanks for clarifying that Eau d'Italia. My wife preferred the summer one of all the scents on me. She felt the CDG was powdery. In fact, I am going to alter my swap thread to include that one. When my samples arrive, ones I dont like, I'll pm you and if you want them, great. I decided I am getting three scents now: one summer one, between the Eau d'Orange Verte Concentree or the Acqua di Parma Colonia or Assoluta; the Imperial Oppoponax for fall/winter, and then something totally new, maybe the Eau d'Italia, or Bahiana if I like that smell, or something.

Oh, and in Barry's top 6, I smelled them all. The Domenico scent, definitely one of the best I smelled. Also that Vetiver one was not bad. I probably should have tested that one out. Yet it would have to move me like a Lutens that I have now to get me to pay what I read that bottle cost. The one like turpentine, probably might smooth out? The D'Orsay was nice

1. MPG Bahiana - this is one where the descriptions say at Beautyhabit or on Makeupalley do not translate to my skin. I get the dried fruit reference but nothing stands out. Maybe if I was outside and the sweat activated it more, who knows. It stays close to the skin. I will think it is not particularly longlasting

2. Parfum D'Empire Fougere Bengale - Animal is right, but by golly, it is remarkably similar to a fragrance I wore years ago. Closer to the skin than what it appears it might be.

3. Calypso Tangerine Homme - I really liked this, not too tart, but interesting. Wonder how this one lasts compared to Eau D'Orange Verte Concentree. If they last about the same, this one is fresher and Id get this over the Hermes.

4. MPG Ambre Precieux - I can see where they say this is the epitome of Amber. A bit too sweet. I would prefer, and will get, Les Imperides Imperial Opopponax. Also close to the skin on me. Wonder how Calypso's Amber is since it is only $55 and 25% off at Beautyhabit?

5. Hotel Costes - Spicy, but nondescript to me. also, close to the skin, moreso than the TangerineHomme.

6. Feuilles de Tabac - Fresh tobacco and I remember this from last fall. Got to get a bottle of this. Projects the most of the samples I am listing

I also wore a sample of the Acqua di Parma Colonia. I liked this a lot, but alas, 30 minutes on my skin and I would have not smelt it. I sprayed it on my forearms, inner and outer, and could not detect it.

To me, I like the Miller Harris first, the Tangerine Homme second, and none of the rest.

Well, I have worn samples and have narrowed down a summer fragrance to these three and one wildcard I have not smelled

1. A cqua di Parma Assoluta (the Colonia did not last but 30 minutes)
2. Hermes Eau D Orange Verte Concentree (the regular lasted an hour)
3. Calypso Tangerine Homme

wildcard, not smelled, is Miller Harris Tangerine Verte.

I am thinking that one of the three above. Id like projection and long lasting. Ideas?

Yeah, the Calypso Tangerine Homme lasted maybe 45 minutes. Feuilles de Tabac goes strong for about 2 hours. Acqua di Parma Assoluta lasted a good 4 hours, and the Ambre Precieux still lasts. Is it me, or are Ambre Precieux and Imperial Oppoponax very similar?

Fougere Bengale really lasted the longest. Hotel Costes, wow, I think I never really smelt it.

Was wondering if anyone thought this could be worn in hotter weather? It has been a while since I smelled it.

Well, with the sale, you have $90 to spend. Someone who has no scents (or sense) desires your opinion. You know nothing about them, other than they want something to wear to work, to last throughout the day, maybe take them to a casual dinner at 5:00 p.m. They want a list of five from you. Well, how do you respond?

Not very original am I?