Biggest disappointment of 2009 so far? ☹☹☹

Interesting I feel about 180 degrees different from everything you felt about Vanille Galante. That's what makes this fun.

My biggest disappointment so far was John Varvatos Artisan.
I like both the original and Vintage and think they are a cut-above department store designer scents.
On me Artisan came off like citrus scented dishwashing detergent. I'll probably give it another shot in the heat of summer because I think it might be better in the heat but it isn't going to be high on my list.

None yet...waiting on the new YSL L'Homme variant and the new Malle Germanium PH. Hopefully neither disappoints....

Yes, I was also disappointed with Vanille Galante. Another big disappointment was Italian Cypress by Tom Ford.

I've long given up on the Hermessence series - the amount they're charging for, literally, transparent EDTs is ridiculous. Artistic or not, I prefer fragrances with more density.

Biggest disappointment... well, it's too early to say...

While I actually do really like Brooklyn by Bond No. 9, I was really hoping for more. I was looking for more of a powerhouse rather than what it turned out to be.

John Varvatos Artisan
Prada Fleur d'Oranger

Nuits de Callophane, while it's a very good example of it's category I prefer Lutens to do something that hasn't been done 20 times before in the last few years. Sure he can do it better but I like Lutens for it's richness and not for being a light, watery floral thing I don't want fresh and light from Lutens

Nuits de Callophane

Another vote for John Varvatos Artisan.

Judging from the name and fancy bottle, I was expecting a classy citrus, but instead I got lemon scented cleaner. Awful.

I happen to really like Vanille Galante. It suffers from being terribly misnamed, thus creating the wrong expectation of what the fragrance would entail. Had it been given a floral name I think people wouldn't be as disappointed. Of course there are those (like mikeperez23) who took the time to actually test it many times, and I can understand and respect their opinion and disappointment. Some people seem to have given it a much more cursory examination and have rejected it on first impressions only.

The remainder of the Hermessence fragrances (with the exception of Paprika Brasil, which I don't really enjoy) continue to impress me with their subtlety and quality. I think there's a line of thought that holds if a fragrance is expensive, it must be overwhelmingly strong and bold or you're getting ripped off. I personally think there's nothing wrong with expensive fragrances being subtle and artistically interesting instead of simplistic sillage bombs. Also, let's never forget that we're talking about Hermes... their products are very, very expensive. The Hermessence line isn't intended to be like their normal line you can get from any crappy website. Instead the line complements their uber-high end in-store products. Judging the fragrances using cost as a factor misses this point entirely as to do so puts them in the same plane as 'normal' products.

So far my major disappointment has been in learning that more restrictions on the use of materials used in perfumery are coming and will likely cause the demise of some classics and thus inhibit the creation of future fragrances with these materials..... and also perhaps the pretentiousness of some of the new BN members, but that's about it.

Oh, dear.

Everything I've tried so far in 2009 has been a disappointment ... everything.

On the bright side ... I've saved a ton of money

Still looking forward to Attitude Extreme and Code Summer though.

I don't expect much from current perfume releases, feeling more confirmed than disappointred when they smell of uninspired synth-sauce. Burberry The Beat for Men is a pointless citrus-wood that's been done 1000 times and better. Prada's Fleur d'Oranger smells like some cheap girly perfume. My hopes rest on Geranium pour homme.

...

I was really glad I ordered a sample of Delrae Eau Emotionelle before trying a bottle, blind. It was so awful, they could use this as a chemical weapon. Where is the IFRA when we need them?

A tie between Bois Moracain and Oud 27. The more I think about it, the more disappointed I am. Both M7 and Gucci Pour Homme are more sophisticated than Oud 27--M7 with a much stronger Oud note, and GPH if one really likes cedar and incense. If Oud 27 would have been in the same price range as those, I probably wouldn't be as disappointed. Bois Moracain was just too linear for me--didn't change much at all and stayed woody with a hint of incense. It's a shame that $200 doesn't get much innovation with these two fragrances. I'll continue to try Oud 27, and perhaps one day I will like it in the way it took years for me to appreciate M7, but it just not the cat's flap for me at the moment as I was hoping for it to be much more (even the dry down seems to disappear all too quickly on me).

Vanille Galante was probably my biggest disappointment. I have tested it and worn it at least five times, but I still find it an utter disappointment. Like bbBD said, people rejected it after trying it once. I, on the other hand, gave it many, many chances. Unfortunately, its watery banana-like compostition failed to win me over. And I still mantain, it smells like a watered-down Rose Poivree. I don't know how, but to my nose, it does.

I have not tried several of the new releases, but of the one's I have tried, Vanille Galante was not totally what I expected. I bought a travel size bottle and wore it several times. It was not love for me. It was more of an intellectual exercise. You don't have to think a lot to love a frangrance, either you do or you don't. It is pleasant, and airy, but not at all what I expected. Then I compared it to DK Gold, which I had bought at a discounter for $35.00, and well, I figured that I admire JC Ellena, but I don't have to love everything he does. I love many perfumes he has created, but this one was not love for me.

I may have another entry on this thread, since I am planning to go out this week and try several new releases.

Nothing has really disappointed me nor surprised me thus far, nothing I've really been looking forward to yet. That being said, Geranium PM has my hopes and expectations sky high, so with that release will be the first real litmus test of 2009.

I should add that I don't get my hopes up for modern designer releases - I try them all as they cycle through Macys and Dillards - so I'm therefore not disappointed when I don't like them. I'll admit I'm curious about the Prada Infusion Fleur d'Oranger because I like the parfum version (as well as most other Prada releases).

just hope its not me! loool

although I haven't tried every new release, nothing of what I have tried is worth owning.

I don't feel disappointment when a new release is underwhelming, I do experience joy though when I find a fragrance that inspires me... in 2009 that hasn't happened yet... hmmm

YSL la Nuit de l'Homme. It's weak, light, so-so, alittle sweet, alittle powder. This scent makes the night so boring.
Hermes Vanille Galante. On my skin, it smells like some kind of medicine, with a very short longervity.

Everything!!
Whether designer, niche, hard-to-find, samples sent from companies etc... Being underwhelmed has become routine, disappointment is my new all encompassing feeling towards perfumery
I guess it could change, there are still 3/4 of a year left to be, if not impressed, at least not mortified at what companies are passing off as fragrance.

Summed up nicely how i feel

-The new Guerlain AA's
-Varvatos Artisan
-Kenzo trio
-most of the Six Scents series
-the SJP trio
-Mitsouko Lotus
-Vanille Galante

Sooo...pretty much everything I've tried. Sill waiting on the Lutens.

Oh, yeah, the Lutens also, someone probably already said this, but,

The osmanthus frag was a huge waste of time & resources. It's so sweet & linear. What's the point of that? I think they spent all their energy coming up with that kooky story line.

The Sarah Jessica stuff, I didn't try but 3 sweet florals? zzzzzzz

They should just repair the original Covet formula so the dry-down isn't such a let-down.
I love the green opening, but the wet hay ending is a real buzz-kill.

News of the coming reformulations.

People have a right to their own opinions Sir, regardless whether or not you think we have the necessary knowledge or experience to voice them. What is fragrance anyway, if not a personal expression of oneself? And who better to judge what smells good to us but ourselves(ignorant or otherwise)? So there, Na Na Na Na Na! Yes, I am very mature!

What are you talking about? Where did I say anything about the opinions of others regarding fragrances or their personal expression?

My statement had nothing to do with an opinion that any single person has presented... it was a tongue in cheek comment clearly directed at one particular person. The comment went right over your head, and given the content of your response, I'm not surprised. The next time you don't understand something, perhaps it behooves you not to comment on it as though you did.

...

I'd have to say Nuits de Cellophane. Like watching Placido Domingo knit or Meryl Streep plant bulbs.

The way things are going, I am gonna have to get into niche sooner rather than later . Its mostly the new releases that are downers for me. The old "designer" or maintream releases can be very decent, depending on what one prefers and wants to achieve.

LOL! Thanks, for making me laugh so hard!


Sounds like an oxymoron to me...

A bit early for me to say.....Gary

wow... this is getting heated!!! I'm starting to perspire profusely (but at least it smells good )

Everything...

Ladies and gentlemen,
A veteran member suggested on this thread that some new members are pretentious. That's not cool, and in fact it's completely out of place and most of all, an example of awfully unfriendly jumping to conclusions.

It's an abberation for this board and all Basenotes forums. Mods are going to treat it appropriately and act that it's not repeated.

I could go through the thread, remove it, and remove all references to it. I'd sort of like to do that, but of course such erasing doesn't remove what's happened.

What I'd like, however, is that everyone pass over it from now on and respect the idea the original poster brought for discussion in this thread.

The sad thing about rude posts like the one at issue here is that they absorb the energy of the thread and take over from the original poster's curiosity. Thus taking the thread off topic. Sometimes even to the point where moderators lock the thread.

That's always sad because it means a legitimate curiosity on the part of members can't be explored anymore.

We can lock this thread, but would rather that rudeness on it be ignored. If you're not interested in the original question, there aren't other questions for you to reply to here anymore.

Thank you everyone.
--Chris

perfect!

Nothing. I no longer build expectations or take names or brands into account. I don't care if it's synthetic or natural (odd, coming from me, a natural perfumer!), as long as it meshes with me and tells a story I enjoy and fits my overall character and persona.

You learn nothing when you right off some new designer frag as "another AdG clone." You can learn a lot if you take the time to sniff it, even if you don't enjoy it, and that's why nothing has disappointed me. Not from 2009, but one random example: Boss Pure and especially Nautica Voyage both share a mimosa note, and I find that quite interesting. I'd not have noticed that had I written them off as "another cheap aquatic." They really aren't anything alike, and I've never ever smelled two perfumes that mimiced each other so closely such that I couldn't spot any differences, or didn't have a preference for one or the other. For that reason, I find it absurd when someone absolutely loves say, Millesime Imperial, but then settles for Unforgivable (assuming they don't prefer Unforgivable, which would be perfectly fine, as well) because it's cheaper and "others won't notice."

Sorry, just a bit of a rant as I see so many veterans instantly write off anything designer while lauding many just-as-synthetic niche creations. If you want to hate something, or you want to love it, you most often will.

When I tried it last week I thought to myself, did anyone at Delrae really smell this before they released it? Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus, Habit Rouge Sport, Nuits de Cellophane, Vanille Galante, were all very disappointing to me.
The year is young, let's hope that there are some good things down the road. With Sheldrake at the helm, I'm looking forward to Chanel's Cristalle Eau Verte.

Actually this comment has been the biggest disappointment of 2009.

I totally agree with you on this. But since I'm not that experience with fragrances, I cannot pick out a single notes from them, still learning

The biggest disappointment was done by IFRA and its scientific bureaucracy...

John Varvatos Artisan. I expected so much more. I kind of didn't want to smell it in fear that they'd break their winning streak. Kind of like listening to a great song over and over again and imagining what the singer looks like, then you finally see him one day and end up thinking about how goofy he looks next time you hear that song, e.g Paul Davis.

Artisan was just that for me

I don't have high hopes for new releases, so the fact that Habit Rouge, which I finally got round to testing, turns _sour_ on me was the biggest disappointment so far

I love the star trek reference, too funny! I would have probably rolled into the door!

That warp core is clearly about to blow and that engineer is very wise to get out.....

On-topic:

He Wood, which is a new release down here, was very dissapointing, especially after all the praise I've heard. I thought it was supposed to be a light-woody fragrance, all I got was watered down Narciso.

If Geranium pour Monsieur disappoints most of us, there'll probably be no hope for the rest of 2009...

Don't build up too much hope as you're bound to be disappointed

I look forward to Geranium pour Monsieur but I've yet to enjoy a minty topnote accord in any fragrance so I'm a little apprehensive.

Point taken. Personally, the minty accord is what's getting me excited.

I can see Frédéric breaking out in a cold sweat now. The hopes of so many passionates, all up to him. The responsibility, the pressure...

Raffy's Dragon and Mogul.

JV's Artisan. Had high hopes this could be my "go to" scent.

Lol. My thoughts exactly. I have the spot already picked out in my 'drobe.