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Do reviews control YOUR nose?

post #1 of 25
2/13/10 at 6:48pm
Thread Starter 
The fragrance that destroyed the house of Guerlain

Champs Elysees infamous for being the first mash up disaster that LVMH made

I had smelled it once in a department store and thought everything about the reviews was true

nasty, vile, cloying, sour, fruity

Then today I came home after a tennis tournament and found my valentine from my parents on my desk is was a generic Guerlain refill bottle like this



I decided that I'd try to guess what they had gotten me by smelling it, I was expecting Chamade since that had been a wish of mine

but what I got was a nice vintage-y smelling ayldrehyde with fresh mimosa (not the cloying kind) that smoothly settled down to a jasmine bubble

It reminded my of my beloved and discontinued Yves Rocher Vie Privee

of course when I read the label on the bottom of the bottle I was shocked

It said

Champs-Elysees
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post #2 of 25
2/13/10 at 8:14pm
Reviews thankfully never influence my purchases. Glad you had a positive outcome.
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post #3 of 25
2/13/10 at 8:26pm
Nope! The majority of scents that have good reviews, for my liking, are a bit too " mature"? I'm not sure if that's the appropriate word but you probably get the point Once I realized this I decided to go on my own nose only.
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post #4 of 25
2/13/10 at 8:36pm
I think a lot of people are very suggestible. A lot of folks just don't 'think outside the box'. They are influenced by the name, the packaging, the color of the juice, the font on the label, the pushy SA... and they are are heavily influenced by what other people say. And the first person to say it often sets the tone that others follow.

For what it's worth (and before I ever read the review by LT&TS about Champs-Elysees) I didn't like it, and didn't buy it.

I will say, also, that reviews DO influence what I seek out. What I end up buying, however, is another matter...
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post #5 of 25
2/13/10 at 8:38pm
Sometimes reviews do influence but not a lot thankfully. If I was to be driven by reviews most of the scents I currently wear I would have to throw away, while at the same time I would be wearing scents I don't like e.g. ck1 and cool water.
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post #6 of 25
2/13/10 at 8:41pm
YouTube is the perfect example of this. I can't count how many times after a review someone posts, "I'M GOING TO BUY THIS RIGHT NOW! THANKS!" It's like, damn dude, you smell it on yourself first?
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post #7 of 25
2/13/10 at 8:43pm
No they do not.....I smell for myself and I decide if it's yes or no!!!
Gary
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post #8 of 25
2/13/10 at 8:47pm
A bit I suppose, but I've got a lot of stuff Turin hates so what the heck. But there is a bit of common sense when you look at a bunch of reviews/input in here. Collectively, people in here get it right a lot. Pre-BN I bought into the beautfiul Gucci by Gucci "bottle" and could somehow never embrace wearing it. After I look at reviews in Directory, I see that I wasn't alone.
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post #9 of 25
2/13/10 at 8:47pm
For me, the best plan is to read many reviews and take them all with a grain of salt and then let my nose be the final judge. As much as I respect Luca Turin, his ** failed cologne review of Fluers de Citronnier by Serge Lutens couldn't be further from my own personal experience of the scent, which I adore.
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post #10 of 25
2/13/10 at 8:53pm
On a couple of occasions, I've used it as a guide. The reviewer that I am most apt to ride tandem in the cacophony of notes with is foetidus. Its not due to the clarity of his writings but rather the judgement he conveys is usually the way I feel about it.
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post #11 of 25
2/13/10 at 9:19pm
I always make a point to give my samples a day's wearing without reading anything, trying to judge them on what I'm smelling. Then I'll come here and see what people had to say. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I don't. Right down to the notes. Sometimes I'm baffled by what people say they smell in something I'm wearing. While this means I'm occasionally wrong about notes, I'd rather judge a scent mostly on my own.
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post #12 of 25
2/13/10 at 9:44pm
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By now, I roughly know which reviewers' tastes are closer to mine. I've made a number of blind buys (yes I enjoy the thrill of it sometimes) based purely on the reviews or recommendations of certain people, and those blinds turned out exceedingly positive.
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post #13 of 25
2/13/10 at 9:52pm
Only Narcus's reviews affect me. Everything he reviews or praises on these boards, heck, I don't need any other recommendation. Narcus's word is bank to me. Narcus reviews and I bring out the wallet!
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post #14 of 25
2/13/10 at 11:10pm
Reviews did get the best of me for a couple fragrances, namely Kenzo Power. Luckily I learned and now I just let what my nose likes decide whether I purchase it or not. That and the longevity, silage and how the fragrance develops.
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post #15 of 25
2/13/10 at 11:32pm
Definietely reviews influence me. But the extent of that influence has dwindled a lot over the past year as I have developed my own personal taste in frags. However I still depend on reviews on things like sillage, longevity and overall feel of the drydown.

But I do wish reviewers will let us know whether they tried it on skin or just on paper.
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post #16 of 25
2/13/10 at 11:43pm
Reviews can only influence me to love a fragrance, not the opposite. Fortunate me.
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post #17 of 25
2/14/10 at 12:03am
No they don't -- not yet atleast.
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post #18 of 25
2/14/10 at 12:21am
Sure they do. There are so many reviews on this site for fragrances I would never even have considered that piqued my interest. There are certain reviewers who seem to share my tastes, so I tend to at least be led to a scent that I might consider. But when it comes down to smelling and analyzing a scent for myself, the power of the review ends. I always have to choose for myself based on my own little nose.
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post #19 of 25
2/14/10 at 12:55am
Reviews might influence certain mental and emotional associations regarding a frag, yet not my nose or my purchase decision.
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post #20 of 25
2/14/10 at 12:58am
When I see a fragrance with a good "ratio" of reviews (i.e 80 positive/20 negative), even if I don't like it at first, I'll tend to give it more chances to seduce me though and try to perceive the notes most of the reviewers do.
Will I buy a fragrance just cause of the good reviews ? No. But since I can't smell all the fragrances on earth, I'll generally try those with a lot of good reviews first. It doesn't mean I'll like them.
Just like 'mrclmind', I spotted a few reviewers who seem to share my tastes so I use to check their wardrobe/reviews and make a selection of what I should smell soon. But finally, if it stinks to my nose, even if God himself said it smells divine, I wouldn't wear it (but keep tryin' it later )
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post #21 of 25
2/14/10 at 7:20am
I wouldn't say they influence my nose, but they, along with the general notes that I like or don't like, often influence what I buy or avoid.
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post #22 of 25
2/14/10 at 7:27am
I always consult BN reviews before I buy, and I'm like the King of Blind Buys. Whether or not the reviewers like or hate a scent does not affect my decisions all that much, but the actual descriptions of what the scents smell like, especially descriptions of the overall "feel" of a scent (rather than long explanations of when notes fade in and out, interplay b/w notes, etc.) influence my purchases immensely.
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post #23 of 25
2/14/10 at 8:51am
I tend to agree with most of what's already been said. In the past, I could be influenced by reviews somewhat though my taste preferences remain unchanged. But after Basenotes, I've learnt to trust my own nose much more...

I enjoy reading reviews though, even if they are contrary to my own. I've learnt that perception of a scent is subjective, highly individualised, and notes/accords are often interpreted based on the reviewer's own past experience other similar smells. For instance a reviewer may decribe a fruity note as 'melon' while another, having limited experience with melons may prefer to describe it as a 'plum'. While I tend to describe a scent the way it smells to my nose, I also read reviews from others and try to appreciate how they could have interpreted the scent a little differently. I find subtle variances in perception useful in gaining a broader understanding of a scent.

So the short answer is: NO, reviews do not control my nose, BUT they can broaden my perspective particularly on subtle nuances...
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post #24 of 25
2/14/10 at 9:13am
They used to. No more!
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post #25 of 25
2/14/10 at 2:07pm
The reviews influence me, but don't control me. Hope that doesn't sound like a contradiction.
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