What are your favorite notes?

There are a lot of notes I'm pretty neutral about e.g. lemon, but as to notes I've given some thought to...

Favorite notes: tuberose, myrrh, rose, incense, violet, iris, hay, tobacco, cinnamon, clove, all animal notes.

Notes I've newly come to appreciate: carrot, cardamon, immortelle, thyme, cotton candy.

Notes I don't like: aquatics, patchouli, some synthetic floral notes.

My mood and opinion changes all the time, though. Last year I wanted to try all the leather fragrances; this year my interest in them is pretty much nil, and I'm all about spicy orientals and florals.

loves (in a vague order): almond, vanilla, tuberose, coconut, lavender, baking spices (nutmeg, cinnamon etc.), hay, gardenia, orange blossom, peach, apricot, osmanthus, soft woods (sandalwood, mainly), ylang ylang, clary sage, roman chamomile, sugar if it's done right

dislikes: iris (newly discovered dislike - YUCK), animalics (am going to attempt to do better at these though - my experience is insignificant), generic, badly done 'fruity florals,' not too keen on rose but there are a few rose frags I like enough to wear (Le Labo, L'Artisan, Parfums MDCI). I'm sure there's more!

This would actually make a nice snapshot of the ongoing changes in my tastes, if I repeated the exercise every 3 months or so.

Loves: almond, hazelnut, amber/olibanum, (dark/dry) vanilla, opoponax, frankincense, orris/iris, tobacco, (black) tea, smoke, sandalwood/creamy woods, ginger, baking spices, fig, (non-indolic) jasmine, musks, mint

Coming round to: cedar (has been a long road), some fruity/berry notes IF well done and not too sweet, patchouli, leather, carnation

"Hate": rose (as a main note, anyway), orange blossom, chocolate, most green tea renditions, fecal indolics, uninspired generic fruity floral aroma, uninspired generic aquatic aroma, aldehydes (at least, what I think aldehydes are...), condensed milk, honey

Reserving judgment on: oudh, lavender, citrus, bergamot, licorice/anise, coffee

a few of my favorites include: sandalwood and pretty much any other wood, most fruit notes, musk, leather, tea, suede, rum.

Notes I love include :-

heliotrope,almond, mimosa, vanilla, bergamot, orange blossom,
cedarwood, plum, peach, hyacinth and lily.

I don't like aquatics, clove, cumin or violet.

Right now, iris.
A while before, leather.
Before that, neroli.

I love how very strong these tastes or opinions are. Some make sense because they are coded to survival but the ones that are not are what really interest me. I am a hypnotist and I do use the "image" of scent in guided imagery and regression work simply because we do feel it so viscerally.

Love: vanilla, amber, vetiver, rose, patchouli, sandalwood, orange, pinewood

Getting around to: tuberose (only L'Artisan's I can bear), tea, smoke.

Hate: carnations and most tuberose.

I'm still learning, but I know the ones I love are jasmine, rose (the proper stuff, not the synthetic rubbish), iris, gardenia, orange blossom, patchouli (but not too much, or it's overpowering) tea, smoke (small doses) and woody notes (can't be specific about the woods as I'm not all that well-up on them yet). Most florals work for me, so long as they're not synthetic or chemical.

Dislikes: Aquatics, gourmands, anything overly citrusy, particularly orange notes (that's a childhood thing - specifically a childhood Christmas thing...combination of clementine peel and my mum's cigarettes...now I can't deal with the smell of oranges without adding tobacco smoke to it all by myself...).

Undecided: Aldehydes. The reason I'm undecided is, I think aldehydes provide the 'sickly' fragrance some perfumes have, but I can't be certain about it. I know that perfumes that are heavy on aldehydes fall into the 'sickly' category for me, but I don't want to label aldehydes as the cause until I'm sure. I'm adding musk to the undecided category too. I do like musk, but I find it very difficult to find a good one, and invariably they either fade too quickly, or they don't smell quite right on me. To find a really good musk that works, that I can't get enough of, would be a dream come true.

I'm sure I have more on both lists, but these are the ones I can currently bring to mind.

I love patchouli, sandalwoodand cedar; iris and vetiver; heliotrope, incense, vanilla, ginger and bergamot.
Very often, depending on the perfumer's skill, I also love violet, ylang-ylang, tonka, leather, aldehydes (it's taken me quite a while to start appreciating them), cinammon, clove, saffron, pepper, tea, amber and musk.

Sandalwood, patchouli, and jasmine were my first loves. I found them in the form of incense from India.

Then came my love of orange blossom, before I knew what it was called. Many women who came to America from the Old Country at the turn of the century used to wear it, and it often had a touch of civit in it.

Galbanum and clary sage are my two favorite greens. Miss Dior has them both.

Along the way, I was drawn to oakmoss and amber (especially labdanum) which (I learned later) were the bases of my two favorite genres which (I learned later) were called Chypres and Orientals.

Now that I know much more, I have added oud and vetiver to my passion for wood.

I have always loved clove. I recently discovered that it smells even better with hay.

Bergamot, neroli, and peach (especially Aldehyde C-14) are my favorite fruits.

I'm picky about rose, but when I find one I love, I'm crazy about it. Primavera has a great Iranian rose oil. Also, some geranium smells very nice and rosy. Among the synthetics, I fall for damascones alot.

Oh, how could I forget? I love hyacinth. That cool spring floral makes me long for L'Artisan Jacinthe des Bois, Paloma Picasso, and Chamade.

Among the synthetics, I love Alpha Ionone. a deep, dark, boozy, woody, fruity, violet. Also, I fell for Isobutavan, which smelled rich and sweet, like chocolate, caramel, and vanilla all at once.

Love tuberose.

Can't get on with aldehyde and leather.

Expected loves are any forest-y or green scents. Pine, cedar, woods, herbs, leafy notes. And lavender! I love dry, aromatic lavender. I liked these scents even before I entered the world of perfume.
Discovered loves are somewhat related to the above nature motif: galbanum, clary sage, oakmoss, vetiver, frankincense, myrrh. And neroli! A floral note I just love!
Strong dislikes: vanilla, sweet amber.

I can appreciate many floral notes on others or on a strip, but I think they don't suit me to wear.

Patchouli and vanilla are favorites, along with, to a qualified extent, neroli and lavender.

Dislike leather, tobacco, birch tar, vetiver, smoke, myrrh, obvious musk.

Favorite notes: vanilla (One could mix it into a fragrance with horse dung, and I'd still like it. = Dzing!), sandalwood, amber

I can't say there's anything I out-and-out hate anymore. I like some notes, but only in certain perfumes. There isn't anything I can really say I hate across the board.

Me either.

I like "headshop" smells. Patchouli, patchouli and more patchouli...incense, grasses, leaves, woods, musk, unsmoked tobacco, a few spices, berries and flowers thrown in for good measure.. and I'm good to go.

Bergamot, Mandarin, Peach, Dark Berries
Lavender, Geranium, Rose, Tuberose
Amber, Vanilla, Benzoin, Coriander
Cistus, Oakmoss, Labdanum, Vetiver
Tobacco, Leather, Ambergris, Civet
I really tried to narrow it down...

violet ,carnation, iris, vanilla, sandalwood, cedar,amber,anise, neroli, abit of civet ( oh yeah ! ) patchouli ( in small amounts ! ( Used to hate it downright ! )

As time passes, there are more notes falling into the "love 'em" category than the "can't stand 'em" group!

I adore all florals with the exception of marigold, ylang-ylang & pikake.

Notes of mint, celery, and some acquatic notes turn me off.

Incense, woods, greens, citrus, musk, amber, leather, spices are wonderful. As for the notes I don't care for, I'm pretty sure I'll come to appreciate them once I discover them in the correct presentation.

The ones that make me go "ooh" when I read a description are cedar, sandalwood, smoke, tea, tobacco, orange (but not orange blossom, and bitter orange is better), nutty notes, and leather. And rose, if there are enough other interesting things in the description.

But I don't know if those are actually the notes that I like best, because they're not actually _that_ well represented in my favorite perfumes. They just drive me to buy lots of samples that don't lead to a purchase.

This makes me suspect that what I like in a perfume has something to do with the structure, not so much the notes.

To veer off on a tangent, this is similar to my taste in movies - I like movies with several well-written, well-played interlocking characters, and I tend to care little about the actual theme, setting, or even plot of the movie. This results in my loving a lot of what are considered really bad movies.

Crayfish

Jasmine, vanilla, amber, orange, cedar, sandalwood, licorice, myrrh.

Oud, Leather, Incense, Benzoin, Oakmoss, Amber, Tobacco, Patchouli,

Likes: Amber, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Cedar, Mint, Jasmine, Bergamot, Citrus, & various fruits ... carnation ...

Neutral/dislikes: Vanilla, Sugar, Oakmoss, Tonka Bean, Musk, Leather, Cloves, Myrrh


I have mixed feelings about rose. Florals are very tricky for me.

Love bergamot, oakmoss, galbanum, lemon, grapefruit
Like tuberose, iris and leather a lot but need to explore further.
Like lily, amber and vanilla
Dislike fruity as in pear, apple, plum etc
Hate calone... Giptastic....eeewww just gopping

Rose notes and rose perfumes are my absolute favorites, but some other floral notes I seem to be drawn to are magnolia (grandiflora, the big white ones, not the small purple Japanese magnolias), osmanthus, which we call tea olive in Louisiana, and iris, peony, hyacinth, honeysuckle, and plumeria. I also love a nice geranium note, but that's the leaf rather than the flower.

I've come to love certain fruity notes lately, such as blackberry and other tart and inky berry accords, as well as plum and pomegranate, and I'm liking blackcurrant more and more, also. My favorite citrus-type notes are petitgrain, neroli, and mandarin orange. And lemon verbena is a bright and citrussy herb that I really like.

Other notes I look for are patchouli, saffron, amber, oakmoss, myrrh, galbanum, opoponax, sandalwood, rosewood, balsam and oud.

I'm not a big fan of heavy jasmine, tuberose, or gardenia-centered perfumes, but the hubs loves gardenia so I'm exploring that note a bit more these days. Heliotrope and mimosa aren't favorites, and I used to like violet and lily much more than I do now. And my least favorite note is cumin, which is an absolute deal-breaker for me unless it's so well-blended (or completely hidden) that I don't get even the slightest whiff of it.

I used to be so picky about notes, but now I'm more open minded. The notes I have always loved are violet, rose, orange blossom, coriander, patchouli, jasmine, cardamon, almond, and musk. I've come to like all the citruses, cinnamon, lavender, mint, basil, tobacco, and tuberose. If the scent is blended well, I can tolerate peach, honey, and even aquatics and aldehyde's. Liquors are still a big yuck for me, but who knows?

I like almost anything but, yes, I've my preferencies: vetiver, frankincense, oakmoss, leather, immortelle, (true to life) carnation, amber, cedarwood (only if it's done right), zingy citrus, coumarin, geranium, artemisia, angelica, galbanum, mastic, iris....

Generally I tend to dislike (with all the due exceptions) white flowers of any kind, rose.

Evangeline- I'd love a scent with saffron in it. I got to sniff this recently as I just tried Persian food and they let me just smell the saffron by itself, absolutely wonderful.

I guess I could mention my general dislikes: gardenia, tuberose, lemon, mint, lime, pear, and most men's sporty/aquatics.

It all depends on what season it is. In fall/winter I prefer big spicy scents (cinnamon or cloves) with amber, vanilla or sandalwood.
In spring/summer I prefer florals or fruity fragrances. Favorites are plumeria, violet, osmanthus, iris, hyacinth, heliotrope, tuberose and rose. Favorite fruits are plum and berry (all kinds). In the hottest time of the year I prefer scents with lemon or other citrus, they are so refreshing in the heat. Not a fan of aquatic scents, probably my least favorite genre.

I wish I knew!

I'm of the impression right now that I just don't like almond.

Well at least you know what you don't like!.

Like: Jasmine, sandalwood, tuberose, patchouli, orange blossom, leather, suede, musk, iris, "gardenia"

Learning to like: Vanilla, civet, clove, anise, incense, carnation, sage, juniper, peach, apricot

Still don't like: Grapefruit, pepper, lime, pear, cherry, almond, berries of any sort, faux "aquatic" notes

Indifferent to/find to be complimentary: Vetiver, bergamot, lavender, cedar, lily, freesia, orange

Muguet
Orange Blossom

Fave notes right now:

Honey, jasmine, peach, lemon, cedar, orange blossom, saffron, star anise, amber, raspberry.