Suggestions to Improve Collection

Holy Moly I think you've just covered the whole note spectrum. Maybe some Clive Christian X to top it off Just kidding.

What no MKK, Kiehl's, Musc Ravageur ???

I think you'll have to find a friend overseas that would be willing to middle-man a bell jar. Other than that, I think ebay is the only other option! Damn that exclusivity crap.

I have the SL rep at the Vegas Barney's on the lookout for Borneo 1834 and to call me as soon as it arrives

Perhaps some Woody Orientals:

Jaipur Homme
Obsession for Men
Egoiste
Tea for Two

Caveat: I am not familiar with a lot of men's scents, so please excuse my ignorance if this is a total blunder.

I don't see anything (that I recognize) that feels like Fahrenheit, Dzing, or Bulgari Black. Maybe it's the benzoin note (?).

Just a thought. I may be wrong.

As far as musks go I think that Muscs Koublai Khan is in a league of its own. It is a powerful, slighly smoky and animalic musk blended with a deep dark rose and a little oakmoss and cistus. It is unlike anything I have smelled (and in no way smells of unwashed genitals, homeless person drenched in rose or any of the other outlandish but entertaining descriptions I've seen on BN). Kiehl's is a cleaner, brighter and much less complex musk than MKK but nonetheless it is still a very good perfume and a good representation of classic musk perfumes.

I purchased my MKK on eBay from a reputable dealer, brand new and unopened. It comes along occasionally I've seen it sell from between $240 and $280.

Looks like you need a few woody orientals.

I don't think a collection can be "complete" without Giorgio for Men in it - right TwoRoads?

That's a great list!

That's a nice collection, but nothing from L'Artisan, MPG, Lorenzo Villoresi or Parfums d'Empire? I'd suggest you give these four houses some attention if you haven't already done so!

It's quite a wonderful collection, very tasteful. One I'd add would be the original Dunhill for Men, perhaps the finest leathery floral-fougere ever. I'd also add a sharp traditional EdC - your Extra Vieille is a great one with a neroli-focus, Guerlain Imperiale or Farina Gegenüber have quite a different vibe within the classic EdC spectrum. But these are very fine distinctions viewed from a distance.

A lime scent? Trumper's West Indian, straight up, or Crown/Anglia Spiced Limes for amazing citrus sophistication. Signoricci (vintage?) is another gentlemanly citrus worth looking into, though your Boucheron is very good indeed.

Tobacco? Vintage Tabarome. As you like rose, Domenico Caraceni would be worth a try, too

A oriental incense? Avignon is very Roman Catholic to me, Amouage Dia or Villoresi's Incensi put incense in a more mid-Eastern context, which I think you'd like.

I'll go out on a limb and say that d'Orsay's Arome 3 belongs in every wardrobe . As does Patou pour homme. And R de Capucci.

An Iris fragrance - SL Iris silver Mist, TDC Bois d'Iris, Hermes Hiris?

Something boozy? Idole de Lubin comes to mind.


Finally, an Oud is now de rigeur on basenotes I think . but perhaps your oils have that covered.

But really, your collection doesn't need improvement. It's all a question of just how far one wishes to take the madness .

I don't know all of these, but what is your leather/rubber scent? And your dark tea scent?

L'Artisan Tea for Two
Aramis Aramis
Caron The Third Man
Montana Parfume d'Homme (Red Box)
Domenico Caraceni 1913

no jicky

PS, could substitute Mouchoir de Monsieur

Not a fan of gourmand notes? If you're interested perhaps check out:

Bond No 9 New Haarlem
Rochas Man
A*Men or A*Men Pure Coffee
Yohji Homme (discontinued)

I agree with t_g_l - you need a serious iris fragrance Lucius.

Drop the M7 bottle (which IMO, becomes obsolete when you start really venturing into the aoud oils like you are now), and get something like Iris Silver Mist by Serge Lutens, Dior Homme by Christian Dior, Iris Bleu Gris by MPG, Infusion d'Homme by Prada, Iris 39 by Le Labo or L'Homme Couer by Divine.

Iris fragrances shouldn't be blind bought - so...sample, sample, sample!

Regardless, you have a great collection Lucius.

Another great iris fragrance is L'Artisan's Dzonghka. It has a lot of other things going on of course, but the iris is pretty dominant to my nose, and it's a great fragrance. My second iris choice would be MPG's Iris Bleu Gris, but I've not sampled the SL.

You're right of course, it is just that I am starting to get concerned about wearing out the g,m,f,i,o,e,r,n keys on my keyboard!

woody oriental with a bite = Costume National Scent Intense.

Woody/oriental = Timbuktu...

either way a very mature, beautiful collection

That really is a great collection. Up my alley anyway. Everyone's suggestions seem well thought out and spot on. It's always nice to get another perspective.

I'll add:
Racquets Formula
Lp9 (if it ever comes back)
Bandit
Cravache (though you sort of have this covered, It has some unique qualities)

To me the most glaring omission is that of a strong, masculine musk. With that in mind please allow me to advance a suggestion for a musk that gets little to no discussion around here, which is a shame because I have recently fallen in love with it.

i Profumi di Firenze Muschio Nero

From Perfume Court:

"Just steps away from the Piazza della Signoria in Florence lies the tiny Spezierie Erboristerie Palazzao Vecchio which houses the incredible line of i Profumi di Firenze. This line is an all non-synthetic line inspired by the original formulas of the XVI century, commissioned to the Florentine cosmetic artisans by Caterina de Medici. They are all handmade. Perfumer and chemist Dr. Giovanni di Massimo found these recipes on an original manuscript buried in the mud after the big flood in Florence in 1966. The majority of these fragrances are not distributed in the United States and this is the only location in which to purchase them. Muschio Nero (Black Musk) is a gorgeous deep musk with notes of musk, opium and legno amaro (bitter wood). This one is absolutely spectacular!! It is an eau de parfum, edp."

Mostly marketing trash I'm sure, but the intriguing thing to me is how this musk does so much with so few notes. Let me get the easy part for me out of the way. Longevity is superb, easy 12-14 hours with strong detectability. I'm not really that confident wearing musks yet and the projection for this is perfect for me: It's more of an aura scent that you detect within a 2-3 foot bubble. It's not a screamer but those close to you will know you are wearing it.

Now the hard part, the notes. My nose isn't as refined as other's so I'm sure other members here would be able to pick the notes out far better than I. First, it's not a sweet musk at all. Rich, creamy and sensual yes, but there is not vanialla here which I love. There is a slightly bitter, almost anise like note in the beginning, this is the opium. Had I not smelled it before I would be going nuts trying to identify the note. I'm not sure how they re-created the smell, but they did a damn good job. This note stays consistently detectable for the first hour then weaves in and out for the rest of the fragrances life on my skin, so I hesitate to call it a top note. The rest of the fragrance is a mystery to me, as the woods and musk blend together so harmoniously that it makes analysis of the individual notes challenging for me .With further wearings I'm sure I'll be up to describing it better but for now I can only beg that you sample it and see for yourself.

If you want an aggressive musk like MKK, this will not suit you. But if you want to try a musk that gives off a more contemplative vibe and feels old without feeling dated (if that makes sense) then I recommend it

A lovely collection Lucius. I'd be curious if you'd enjoy Annick Goutal Sables and/or Dior Eau Noir. Black Aoud perhaps? I am sure you've tried them but having read what you've written to date, I could imagine you enjoying any of the three of those immensely Not that you need to add anything, of course

I'd recommend Tea for Two instead of the Bvlgari. Have you tried Tea for two?

Nice collection, Lucius. Very heavy on the classics, but there's certainly no fault in that.

I agree with the above suggestions that a musk and an iris are in order. I find it difficult to wear full-on musks such as MKK in public, but prefer it as a basenote that develops over time. Two that fit that bill for me are Himalaya, which I suspect you wouldn't care for, and Iskander, which I believe you would. As for iris, I second Dior Homme (I'm starting to feel like a Diorvangelist, preaching its virtues in practically every post) and Bois d'Iris. The former having more going on, with woods and leather, and the latter being a nearly straight-up bone dry iris. Or for the total iris experience, I second Iris Silver Mist, althoughI personally find it a bit too floral and powdery.

Very nice collection!

But maybe a white soliflore, like Un Lys or A la Nuit? And a darker take on natural smelling rose perhaps?

Is the re-released R de Capucci 1ounce the same as the original one? Are there many differences? I was a bit underwhelmed by the new release.