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Progress Update in Finding First Colonge: A plea for futher help

post #1 of 12
8/4/08 at 10:56pm
Thread Starter 
Hi there! You guys helped me out a few months ago, steered me in some directions as to what colognes to test for my first official cologne. Well, I've tried some samples, and this is what I have to report so far, I apologize in advance as this is very, very, long and I'm terribly indecisive about things;

I've gotten samples/decants and have tested:

GdG Lily
Eau Sauvage
Rive Gauche pour Homme
English Fern
Wild Fern
Blenheim Bouquet
Endymion
Mouchoir de Monsieur
Eau d'Orange Verte
Acqua de Parma Colonia

and for kicks, since it is supposedly has some unisex tendencies, Vol de Nuit. I got others from the Penhaligon's line but they weren't too interesting. I didn't receive Hamman Bouquet, which was a tad disappointing since I'm curious as to what that smells like. I got others, like Demeter's Chocolate Chip Cookie since I think any person smelling like baked goods would be a good thing, though it was a tad too sweet, though quite close to the real thing.

Again, maybe as a refresher, I'm only 18, turning 19 soon, writer (aspiring screenwriter, but I do short stories and poetry too) and interested in horticulture/gardening (quite familiar with flowers) so I'm trying to find something that really fits me, and it's been really hard because nothing is really sticking or winning me over. I desperately don't want to wear my dad's Guerlain Vetiver, despite my liking for it. I just don't feel like I'm ready for it yet, especially since he still wears it.

I've discovered that with trying most of these colognes, silage is very weak on me, my skin just eats everything up, and if it doesn't completely dissipate within the hour it is either not nice smelling, or is, but not right for me. Such is the case I found with Endymion, Mouchoir de Monsieur and Vol de Nuit, they are all nice, especially the latter two (vintage Guerlains, duh) but just not wearable for me I guess. I mean, I liked Mouchoir de Monsieur a lot, my dad said it smelled like alcohol (maybe rum?). I love the opening of Vol de Nuit, it DOES smell like cologne at first, actually reminded me of the opening notes of Vetiver, but then it goes so feminine, I guess it's the oakmoss...too sweet. The vanilla mix you catch at the end does end up smelling like natural skin, you get that in Mouchoir de Monsieur a bit too. Common Guerlain thread maybe?

Rive Gauche pour Homme, is okay, just not for me..it's too, I want to say "hairy". I get images of greasy people from the seventies with black mustaches and I swore I smelled it on some older customers at work (I work at a garden center/nursery) so I kinda don't want to wear it. I guess I'm not manly enough or something, I'm not sure.

English Fern and Wild Fern were both, if I remember correctly, far too medicinal and quickly axed off my list. Acqua de Parma Colonia is quite pretty, but something about it reminds me of Christmas in a potpourri kind of way that I'm a bit unsure about. Cdg Lily was beautiful and minimalistic, but far too floral in the literal sense, I gave my sample to my mother, she actually loved it.

Citruses like Blenheim, Eau Savage and Eau d'Orange Verte proved to be more successful. Out of the three, I like Orange Verte the most, it's really a palatable concoction, however it fades extremely fast on my skin, like not even ten minutes maybe. I feel compelled to dump the rest of my test flask on my shirt and see if it lasts longer on there actually. Out of the three, Blenheim is far the most cold and I think I may be minor allergy to one of the ingredients, so I haven't worn it since I went to my cousin's wedding. My brother hated it. Eau Savage is okay too, but I really like Orange Verte out of all that I've tried, it just does not last.

I guess I'm just a little conflicted, I love antique/vintage/retro things, which is why I tried to go far back with some of my choices...I like having old things. Too bad neither of my grandparents wore anything cool, one was allergic to stuff and didnt wear anything and the other wore convenience store Brut knock off, I think. Interesting situation since both where artists ( one sang, the other could play saxophone, play drums and paint)....you'd think they'd be more bold.

Anyway, would more information about myself be better to help figure out what would be good for me? I could provide a picture or something, describe my clothing style, etc? Would that help the process along?

If I name some daily natural scents I like, could you guys possibly send me in a direction to a cologne that might be worth a look? I'm pretty experimental.

As for scents that I do like, I do like Guerlain's Vetiver, as I've stated but I think it might be the tobacco in it that I like, I'm not sure. That particular Vetiver isn't really about Vetiver is it? Whatever the case, while I actually hate hate hate the smell of cigarettes and lit cigars, my writing teacher brought up dried loose, I guess pipe tobacco for a writing assignment and it was beautiful. Other natural scents I love are sunflowers (very very subtle) and dried hay. Apple wood is another favorite scent of mine, we had old apple trees on our property growing up, and they died so we used their wood for fires in our fireplace for years. Very comforting, I doubt any cologne would have that in it. I think I'm drawn to either autumnal or very nostalgic things, if that's anything to go by?

I really apologize for being so long, but I had to organize my thoughts here, this is serious business! I really want to find something that is me, hell I might have to get something made for myself at this rate....
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post #2 of 12
8/4/08 at 11:11pm
In order to try and keep the scent longer on your skin, you can try using oils instead of sprays. They tend to last longer, although the scent generally stays close to the skin. Another thing is that your skin might be dry, in which case, apply moisturizer and apply the scent over the moisturized skin.

The one scent that I would recommend is Black Aoud. It's particularly famous for having monster sillage and longevity. On me, I get a strong rose scent which drys down to let some of that aoud shine through. It's floral, but not feminine so.
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post #3 of 12
8/4/08 at 11:26pm
When you said apple wood and autumnal, my SotD came to mind.. Caron's L'Anarchiste. There are hints of apple weaved into the blend, but overall most detect heavy doses of cedar, orange, cloves and mint, mixed in with a clean and clear musk base. The more I've become acquainted with it, the more I've realized it smells like an idealized take on the smell of freshly broken cedar leaves. It is a fairly spicy perfume though, and starts out a bit medicinal, but quickly transforms into an extremely comforting aroma that leaves me feeling simultaneously grounded and energized.

The whole of the mix does also give a bit of a clean tobacco impression, although it's not listed as a note, but instead emerges from the interplay and synergy of the notes present. The copper bottle, which actually does aquire a patina over time, at least partially fits your ideal of acquiring old things - the scent itself may not be that old - released in 2000 - but the bottle will surely look it after a few months of handling!

Here's a thread with some of my early thoughts on the scent: http://community.basenotes.net/showt...al+impressions

My opinions on the bottle have changed since then. I'm still not sure its' a perfect fit for the juice inside (the color is, but the shape, perhaps not so much) but the bottle itself is great. The only minor letdown is the cap.

A lighter and more citrusy affair, also with a base of cedar and tobacco is Salvador Dali's Le Roy Soleil Homme. It has an autumnal feel to me as well, like walking through a forest of golden leaves on a sunny autumn morning.

Burberry London is worth a sample and should be easy to find. Cinnamon and a bit of boozy woods. Rather sweet but perfect for fall and winter. It smells older than it is, very gentlemanly, if a bit distant and melancholy.

edit: Forgot to mention Ungaro III. A dark and rosey perfume with bright citric elements interwoven. Much heavier and deeper than say, Colonia, and the rose element takes on a darker and spicier character than the soft and muted rose present in Colonia. Ungaro II is also worth checking out, a beautiful blend of citrus, lavender, vanilla and the animalic civet. It smells of brocade tunics and powdered wigs, and yet not so old as to be out of place in the modern world. A real shame this one was discontinued.
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post #4 of 12
8/4/08 at 11:31pm
The most recent scent I've sampled that contained dry Hay accords was Osmanthus by The Different Company. You could try and test it, it's a nice scent with biting fresh Green notes and Orange with Roses and Muscs. The Hay shows up only in the drydown though.

You can also try Yerbamate by Lorenzo Villoresi. This is a deliciously aromatic herbal scent with one of the best combinations of Mint and Tea accords I've smelled. The drydown on my skin is a slightly sweet (but not too sweet) leathery aroma with Patchouli delivering the sweetness alongwith Rosewood to the base with Leather and Woods. I find this more interesting than the Osmanthus I mentioned above.
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post #5 of 12
8/5/08 at 11:35am
Caron The 3rd Man (Lasts and Lasts)
Creed Neroli Sauvage (Gorgeous citrus)
Terre D Hermes (Very long lasting dirty oranges)
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post #6 of 12
8/5/08 at 2:32pm
Hmm.. if you like tobacco scents then I recommend you try

Odori's Tabacco
Serge Luten's Fumerie Turque

The Odori is an EdT but it seemed to last quite a while on my skin. It is a little on the sweeter side but the dry down is a very nice tobacco leaf smell layered with vanilla and something a little woodsy. Fumerie Turque has excellent longevity and sillage. This has a hay, tobacco, smoke and leather (personally I think it to be more of a leather fragrance than a tobacco fragrance). It is a very complex frag, and one that can take some time to get used to, but it is worth sampling nonetheless.

A citrus that is longer lasting than many others is Profumum's Acqua Viva. Not a lot of sillage though, it stays pretty close to the skin.
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post #7 of 12
8/5/08 at 2:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maximiliani View Post

, this is serious business!

Fragrances shouldn't be serious, they are supposed to be fun. Instead of overthinking what you may and may not like just get hold of as many samples as you can reasonably afford and let your nose, not your brain, make the decision.
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post #8 of 12
8/5/08 at 2:54pm
Maximiliani,

Your earnestness is impressive! Good for you. I was the same way when I started out (though I'm a tad older than you). Here are my recommendations:

1. It should be fun, as surreality says.

2. It took me months of trying things, then I started buying bottles. I don't regret that, but I'd undo it now if I could (more on that below).

3. It took me nearly six months before I stumbled across a couple of scents that are just really, really beautiful on me.

4. After stumbling across those, I wished I'd saved my money on the bottles of things I liked - smaller decants would have been just fine.

Now, my recommendation is not for anything specific. I suggest you sample things. Get samples of things that sound interesting to you from the descriptions. You can buy individual samples from www.luckyscent.com.

Or you can buy pre-selected sample packs from The Perfumed Court

http://theperfumedcourt.com/Categori...mple-Sets.aspx

They also have other groupings. The sample packs from The Perfumed Court are well constructed (in that the scents share some commonality without being the same).

With samples, you can try a wider variety of things and save your money for the ones that really WOW you.

Since citrus seems agreeable to you, I'll add in my favorite citruses:

i Profumi di Firenze's AGrumi di Sicilia (limes that last)
Penhaligon's Castile (neroli and a hint of rose that also lasts)

Citrus frags are notoriously short-lived. It's a factor of citrus being a fragile scent ingredient.

Since you like the Acqua di Parma Colonia (but for the memory association) perhaps their Intensa or Assoluta (similar scents, yet different enough) or something from their Mediterranean line would be more agreeable to you.
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post #9 of 12
8/5/08 at 3:06pm
Aedes also sells samples (7 for $15) of some scents not available at luckyscents.
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post #10 of 12
8/5/08 at 9:12pm
Try Colonia Assoluta by Acqua di Parma and Eau d'Orange Verte Concentree by Hermes.
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post #11 of 12
8/10/08 at 7:11pm
If you like MdM, I would recommend stepping up to Jicky in the parfum concentration.

Also on the Guerlian vanilla must try list is Habit Rouge. I recommend the EDC, but try all the concentrations yourself.

Regarding vetiver: I totally understand you not wanting to use what sounds to be your father's signature scent. I would suggest then to look at it at as an opportunity to try all of the other renowned vetivers on the market: Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinare, Givenchy Vetiver, etc.

On the bitter orange front, get thee a sample of Bigarade Concentree from Frederic Malle. I am not an Ellena fanboy, but on blind sampling I rated this the best citrus I've worn.

If you have skin that is on the dry side that could be the cause of your longevity issues. I would recommend re-trying all of your current frags after applying unscented moisturizer to your skin, and/or double applying the fragrance: spray once, allow to dry completely, then re-apply at the same spots.
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post #12 of 12
8/11/08 at 12:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

When you said apple wood and autumnal, my SotD came to mind.. Caron's L'Anarchiste. There are hints of apple weaved into the blend, but overall most detect heavy doses of cedar, orange, cloves and mint, mixed in with a clean and clear musk base. The more I've become acquainted with it, the more I've realized it smells like an idealized take on the smell of freshly broken cedar leaves. It is a fairly spicy perfume though, and starts out a bit medicinal, but quickly transforms into an extremely comforting aroma that leaves me feeling simultaneously grounded and energized.

The whole of the mix does also give a bit of a clean tobacco impression, although it's not listed as a note, but instead emerges from the interplay and synergy of the notes present. The copper bottle, which actually does aquire a patina over time, at least partially fits your ideal of acquiring old things - the scent itself may not be that old - released in 2000 - but the bottle will surely look it after a few months of handling!

Here's a thread with some of my early thoughts on the scent: http://community.basenotes.net/showt...al+impressions

My opinions on the bottle have changed since then. I'm still not sure its' a perfect fit for the juice inside (the color is, but the shape, perhaps not so much) but the bottle itself is great. The only minor letdown is the cap.

edit: Forgot to mention Ungaro III. A dark and rosey perfume with bright citric elements interwoven. Much heavier and deeper than say, Colonia, and the rose element takes on a darker and spicier character than the soft and muted rose present in Colonia. Ungaro II is also worth checking out, a beautiful blend of citrus, lavender, vanilla and the animalic civet. It smells of brocade tunics and powdered wigs, and yet not so old as to be out of place in the modern world. A real shame this one was discontinued.

Recommending l'anarchiste and ungaro III to a poet? Are you trying to turn him into Edgar Allan Poe?
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