Suggestions on something "conservative" for a freak

Dear Basenoters,

With an eccentric wardrobe, expressive face and huge red hair, I tend to attract my fair share of attention. Now I need a scent that will suit my taste, yet be suitable for formal business and academic day and night occasions.

I do not want: something that's common in Europe, noticeably synthetic, fresh, fruity or sweet.

Preferably: dark, woody or spicy,yet lady like. The dry down is the important part, and it should be lasting. 12h plus is ideal.

I welcome any suggestions and you are of course welcome to peek at my small and selective wardrobe, if you like.

Bandit I have and love dearly, so you were spot on! Yet it tends get too harsh and herby green on my skin in this cold Scandinavian weather. I use it only in hot climate, where the leather really come out. One of only a handful scents I've worn year after year.

Maybe I was unclear that I want suggestions on perfumes I have not yet tried.
None of those I have really suit these particular needs in the winter.

Not at all.

Masculines that aren't too heavy on the synthetics generally come out as feminine on me.

Leather, tar and heavy dark resins are among my favourite notes. But I need them wearing very close and undercover for these formal meetings.

Such delicious and interesting suggestions!

Andy Tauer's stuff does sound worth samling.

Mitsouko edp and No5 parfum are very ladylike indeed on me, but so feminine and sweet they would suit more intimate, or at least private occasions better. I do smell like a rather obvious flirt in those. My skin brings out all the sweetness in those and much less of the woody notes.

Psychotrope is definitely on my test list, but not for formals.

Tam Dao, I am seriously considering to go and retest, for this specific purpose.

Fiore d'ambre, Iris Taizo and cuir d'iris all sound very intriguing.
Midnight violet too, and...

I will go read and learn more about all those I don't know.


(Oh, if you knowledgeable and wonderful people happen to have any ideas based on what I like that is totally unsuitable for serious meetings and stiff surroundings give them too. I need inspiration after giving up on sniffing and buying new perfume for many years and just now coming back).

FdB, the only frag I'd buy in a litre bottle. If it wasn't becoming so rare I would still use it for all occasions. On me it's perfection. Not sweet at all, rich, elegant and unusual. The cardamom spiciness stays all the way through. Mmmmm....

CdG's Jaisalmer would work, if only it had more depth and three times more staying power.It certainly has the right spicyness and woodiness. Now I use it for layering only.
Avignon is a little too cold for winter and raises too many questions from those who recognise the smell of frankincense but can't place it. Kyoto is too girly on me and Zagorsk is an ex boyfriends scent. Maybe I should try Ouarzazate again, I have no recollection of it now.

The later Chanels have been so disappointing I haven't even bothered to try Coromandel. But I certainly will give it a chance.

Cuir de Russie is one favourite I never got around to buying a bottle of. Is the reformulation anything like the parfum was in late 80's? That would have been just perfect. But if the new version is less animalic I would break down and cry, I believe.

Black Cashmere was too bland as remember it, but then I wasn't looking for "conservative" either. It's readily available to test at stores here too. Will check out.

Ubuandibeme, you should have stayed with your original intuition, straight to my all time No1 favourite.
Unfortunately Addict (along with Hypnotic Poison) were two of the smells that put me off visiting fragrance shops for all those years. There are some synthetics in those that make me physically sick. For real.

From the notes Barbara Bui and several of the Ava Luxe sound interesting too. Are they sweet?

All your amazing input makes it much clearer to me what I want.

Something warm with no sweetness nor any freshness or decidedly green notes after the top notes. As long as it's reasonably pleasant I don't care much about the top really.

Heart: Dry resinous / woody/ spicy heart notes. Some flower in the heart is fine as long as it's used to round out the other notes rather than play centre stage. I can imagine a lot of things in the heart, not really sure what I want here. Woods and what? Bees wax? Spikenard? Cedar? Coffee? Anything warm or balsamic and dry goes, I guess.

My focus has been on the Base: A dry woody, smoky, spicy, leather, tar or tobacco. Very long lasting without the usual vanillic notes (the dry, woody darkness of natural vanilla tincture or absolue is fine though).

I could go for Jicky parfum if it didn't smell (both to me and those who know me) like my own blends did fifteen years ago. (This would be really boasting, unless all my blends smelled like that!
And this time I want something I have not had before. Probably even find something I wouldn't have tried without all these inspired and inspiring suggestions.

Thank you all! I have a very big smile on my face and my brain full of mental scents.

Update a year later: Wordbird very kindly sent me a few bottles of my long time favourite FdB edt. This, with pure oudh oil underneath has since been my everyday fragrance. It makes me feel like I'm really myself, lovely and weird in the same breath. Not too discrete and not too offensive. The combination is warm and dry, with the FdB camouflaging the more difficult aspects af the oudh. This combination works anywhere for me. Thanks for all your input!