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Testing on paper is useless / Rive Gauche topnotes

post #1 of 16
12/11/08 at 4:44am
Thread Starter 
So I tested Rive Gauche on paper a few days ago. From what I know it's a very safe and pleasant fragrance, and I still don't doubt that. But the top notes are not really pleasant am I correct??
I know never to trust topnotes. I still think Rive Gauche is probably great, and I can't wait to try it on skin.

My second point: Testing on the paper strips is completely useless. It really is. It's completely different from what it would be like on your skin, and in my experience on paper you only get like 30% of what the fragrance really smells like. I've noticed a lot of fragrances smell the same on paper, when on your skin they're completely different. It's easy to dismiss a lot of really good fragrances for what they smell like on paper, I did this lots of times in the past, and know I'm realizing that dismissing a frag after testing on paper strips is a mistake.

I can also be that a fragrance on paper seems much better then what it will be like on your skin , but I think it's far often more the other way around, like i mentioned above.
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post #2 of 16
12/11/08 at 5:09am
I agree about the paper issue. Tried Chanel Pour Monsieur on paper and thought is was okay. Tried it on my skin and it really soared.
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post #3 of 16
12/11/08 at 5:49am
Before anyone else jumps in: it's Rive Gauche *pour Homme* ;')

Anyway, paper strips is not entirely useless. The only times it's useless for me, is when I'm sampling heavy orientals. Somehow I don't get the 'heavy' thing from a paper strip. They all are paper thin to me.
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post #4 of 16
12/11/08 at 6:22am
I find the topnotes of RGpH to be strident but quite beautiful and not unrelated to the rest of the progression. You should definitely give this a full wearing before you conclude too much.
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post #5 of 16
12/11/08 at 6:25am
I don't like the top notes either. I do like the dry down. Bought it and sold it.
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post #6 of 16
12/11/08 at 6:31am
I wouldnt say testing on paper is useless. Its a good way to test stuff without committing to spraying some on your wrist. Paper still gives you a 'general idea' of the fragrance, making it easier to decide whether you want to spray it on your skin.
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post #7 of 16
12/11/08 at 6:51am
Most new fragrances are designed to smell good on the paper as a commercial sales technique. The top notes are almost always used for this purpose. Many "regular" buyers decide on a fragrance (for
themselves or others) simply by a quick sniff of the paper.
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post #8 of 16
12/11/08 at 7:11am
Blotter testing can give you a sense of what the fragrance is like - especially if you really soak the paper and let it sit for a while - but if you're going to buy something skin testing over a period of at least an hour or more is a requisite. There's been too many times when I started collecting that I bought based on a paper test, or even an initial skin test, and then hated the heart or base. Conversely, there are plenty of fragrances with top notes I don't like that are worth waiting for the base (such as Eau d'Hermes).
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post #9 of 16
12/11/08 at 8:37am
Testing on paper is very useful when in those stores that mix up the men's and women's scents. There is nothing worse than spraying a scent on one's hand only to find it's the horrid women's version in the very similar bottle.
Renato
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post #10 of 16
12/11/08 at 9:51am
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I bought a sample of Rive Gauche Pour Homme from Scented Monkey a while back... After several testings, I found that I hated the top notes, was indifferent to the heart, and loved the dry down... In the end I decided against a purchase because I didn't want a scent that I had to wait 2 or 3 hours to enjoy....

Recently I was researching Rive Gauche Intense Pour Homme. I read several reviews stating that the anise note is diminished, while the patchouli note was more pronounced. In other words, YSL changed the top notes that I hated, and strengthened the base that I loved. I bought a bottle blind, and needless to say it's great stuff...

If the top notes of RG bother you, check out the intense if you can find it....
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post #11 of 16
12/11/08 at 10:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony87 View Post

I wouldnt say testing on paper is useless. Its a good way to test stuff without committing to spraying some on your wrist. Paper still gives you a 'general idea' of the fragrance, making it easier to decide whether you want to spray it on your skin.

exactly.
plus, i have developed this new habit of smelling the spritzer(testers with caps on)...i find it much better than paper...it sort of gives the entire progression in one snap.
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post #12 of 16
12/11/08 at 10:04am
Yeah, I really like it when I can smell the caps.

Anyways, I find the entire Rive Gauche experience AMAZING, even the top notes. What I don't particularly like is the clove accord that appear in the heart notes, but it really doesn't last that long, and you can only really smell it up close.
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post #13 of 16
12/11/08 at 11:45am
I loved this one on paper, but found its development on skin quite boring.

I was expecting a holy grail from this, but ended as a disappointment, as most of the YSL line.
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post #14 of 16
12/11/08 at 2:21pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
exactly.
plus, i have developed this new habit of smelling the spritzer(testers with caps on)...i find it much better than paper...it sort of gives the entire progression in one snap.

I agree with smelling the spritzer, for me it gives of a better idea then on paper. Altough this may vary from frag to frag
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post #15 of 16
12/11/08 at 4:11pm
I agree - spritzers are pretty accurate - it's the paper itself that can ruin a fragrance due the combination of paper and fragrance... I don't find rive gauche smells THAT different on my skin though, but then again everyone's chemistry is different.
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post #16 of 16
12/11/08 at 4:16pm
I never understood paper sampling. If I don't want to give a frag a full wearing (usually because it's got notes I don't like or because I've got something already on), I spray on my leg, just above the ankle, so that I can cross my legs and let it waft up for a minute or so. I've found this to be the best way to sample if I don't want to give it the usual application for one reason or another. Also, I blow on the area sprayed to prevent top notes from causing problems (and I never get irritation from the alcohol).
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