The seven days of five star fragrances

What a marvelous idea cello. I have read, with interest, the line-up of five star fragrances you have chosen and am delighted that you enjoy Hiris. I use Hiris either by itself or in concert with Arpege Pour Homme. The initial blast of carrot subsides fairly quickly and becomes a wonderful fragrance. I don't hear many here on basenotes showcasing Hiris. Were I to set up a seven day fragrance regimine it would consist of Mitsouko, Shalimar, L'heure Bleue, Habit Rouge Beau Cavalier, Chamade, Nahema, and Hiris.

Ooh N_Tesla, we are olfactory soul mates. Within arms reach right now is l'heure Bleue, Mitsouko, Nahema pure parfum, and Chamade pure parfum.

But in addition to those 4 i would add Guerlain's Bois D'armenie, indult's Isvaraya, and Caron's Or et Noir (and N'aimez que moi, for an 8th day wonder!)

I love all of these so much i'm wearing them every 10 days or so. I usually push samples aside for evening wear or weekend running errands wear. i also only have 14 bottles of perfume, so things get rotated often.

Good fun! And a good idea, especially as it's getting warm here already.

How's this for a week or so (I have been neglecting all these hard-hitting, five-star, vintage beauties!):
Nino Cerruti Original. Guy Laroche Clandestine. Fath de Fath. Charles Jourdan L'Insolent.Fendi Theorema. Fendi Fendi. L'Arte di Gucci. Knowing. Mackie.Balenciaga Rumba. Cartier Panthere.

Five star according to whom? Me?

Right on, cello! Life's too short to not enjoy your faves. This causes me to rethink which in my drobe are truly worthy of the five stars they've been given.

And to tell you the truth, I my cool weather drobe so, I've been wearing my faves on a consistent basis. Well, all but one. It's a 50 ml bottle and relatively spendy, and I would just feel so much better about things if I had a backup.

If I knew for certain that I wouldn't feel compelled to repeat during the week, it would look something like this.

Sunday Chanel 22 True fume love! I don't know why, if it's the incense triggering a response, but this one calms me even as I am stricken and excited by its beauty. It is impervious to a bad day. It is as comforting as it is elegant.

Monday Caron Tabac Blond Leather and gasoline somehow make me feel like a dame. I love this stuff.

Tuesday Alien Just delicious. I love it because it is unusual. Cool jasmine and warm patch, and rich chocolate all at once.

Wednesday Tabu My spicy, sweet, skanky, second skin sillage bomb.

Thursday Hypnotic Poison This one has been special to me for ten years and has def lost some skin time the past year to some of my other fives. One sniff of the atomizer still never fails to intoxicate me, though.

Friday Theorema I've been seriously loving this one this month, and kicking myself since last May for not splurging on the 3.4 oz. bottle.

Saturday Tocade Now here is one that def deserves more wear. There are three others that I could have easily used for the seventh day, but Tocade wins for this reason. I connected with it almost instantly; I got it, as I hadn't 'gotten' a fume before. I learned of Tocade just about a year ago. It was, and remains, the most elegant gourmand I have yet sniffed. Or is it a floral? Speaking of shape-shifting....

edit: Asha, I took it to mean the ones I rated as five-star.

Well, I love February. I live in a mild climate, and February always throws us some hints of spring. But still... I like this idea! There is rain in our forecast for the coming week, so I'm thinking about what might work the best of my five-star faves. The problem will be narrowing it down. I'm thinking that I'll focus on fragrances that I won't wear when it becomes warmer, like the following:

Ambre Precieux
Dark Earth
Havana Vanille
Theorema
Sienne l'Hiver
Shaal Nur
Felanilla (I just have a sample, but it's on my wish list!)

Subject to change...

I don't change fragrance every day, but tomorrow I will start a week with Sacrebleu from Nicolaï and that's a five star fragrance for me.

Haha! Sounds fantastic! Here's the crux of my weekend games!

1. Monday - Rive Gauche PH: A sublime scent for the hard works load. Is pugnacious though trusty!
2. Tuesday - Chanel Antaeus: With it's sullen qualities it works so well for the morose nights...didactic and poetic!
3. Wednesday - A grand all regression to the Knize Ten.. I am not as viscid with this as Bandit but it works...fantastic leather!
4. Thursday - Azzaro PH - Oh yes!!! my muse has a raucous redolence about it...it's sweet musk is an attention getter! makes one ineffable if applied correctly...KK, well jokes..though is sublime!
5. Friday - A night of thoughts..thus conceding from thursdays Azzaro..I need a sorrowful and abstruse scent...for the yore of reminiscing...azzah! Bal A Versailles! that'd certainty nab at the Pathos of my cogitator!
6. Saturday - Now this needs to be sensual as of the waning of Sunday evokes and enshrouds us all...I say "French Lover" It has the germane liking of a prince...is apropos and vastly accepted! He'll work wonders!
7. Sunday - Now all that is said is smelt....A soliloquy for the good times proceeds now all I need is a statement....huuuuhhhhh....It is chosen...Kouros....you're time is now!

Derby
Jicky
Chanel Cuir de Russie
TDC Bois d'Iris
Guerlain Djedi
Amouage Gold Cologne
Vero Onda

Subject to change as I am expecting new deliveries...

Hillaire; I very much enjoy Theorema and would like to suggest that you try Theorema Esprit d'ete as the days warm in spring. Not easy to find, but well worth while it is truly a beautiful flanker of Theorema.

Such a good idea, Cello! I will play!
I was thinking, too, I have so many perfumes I love and I am always trying new ones...
I will wear some of my neglected five stars this week:

Boucheron, 24 Faubourg, Grain de Soleil, Passion- Annick Goutal, Le Parfume- Sonia Rykiel, 28 La Pausa...

Yes, Yes, Yes - to Hiris (cold Spring frozen earth and courageous tiny flowers pushing out of the soil to bask in the sun) and to Tocade (delicate gourmand, a soft vanilla and roses beauty) and SL Douce Amere (creamy, heady, liquor and earth)!!!!!

I'll play by wearing:

Chanel Cuir de Russie
Hermes 24 Faubourg Eau Delicate
Guerlian Rose Barbare
Hermes Hiris
Rochas Tocade
SL Douce Amere
Chanel 31, rue Cambon
Hermes Kelly Caleche

Ooops - my week has eight days!

I'm going to play, too, but I just counted and I have 28 fragrances that I consider to be 5-star (I tried to re-evaluate, but I can't demote any right now.) I don't want to commit to a list just yet - I'd rather just choose as the perfume spirits moves me. That method resulted in Iris Ganache today, and I couldn't be any happier!

hmm.. that's an interesting idea but I am not really in a habit to change my fragrance everyday. I don't want to confuse myself and the people around me with my fragrance. I usually just wear my favorite scent Cocoa Mademoiselle. I only wear something else when I run out of Cocoa Mademoiselle bottles.

Just discovered this thread. Coincidentally I'm already in since I was decanting Sabi today, and she's clearly one of only four to whom I've given ★★★★★. (Yeah, I'm a tough grader!)

Great idea, Cello! Just what February needs, and a nice way to see who loves what.

Sunday Sabi ~ Just a gorgeous big bouquet of womanly flowers.
VIP Room, Cadjmere for sure. It's a little cold for Bigarade Concentree and Nanadebary Green.
Kind of depends on the weather, my mood and the mail as to which others make the final cut.

I chose Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Ambre Precieux for Sunday. It was created in 1988 by Jean-Francois Laporte. Notes include Myrtle, Lavender, Amber, Vanilla, Nutmeg, Ambregris, Peru Balsam, Tolu. I believe that this one is discontinued (or reformulated?) and hard to find.

Why I give it five stars: This fragrance emerged as my favorite from an exploration of several amber fragrances. Strong runners up included L'Artisan Parfumerie Ambre Extreme and Montale Blue Amber. The three are definitely in the same general group of amber fragrances, but Ambre Precieux, to my nose, is richer than the L'Artisan and has more finesse than the Montale. The lavender in the opening blends beautifully with the amber elements, smoothing and freshening and adding (in spite of the fact that this is supposed to be a men's fragrance) a bit of feminine softening. Later on the vanilla is nicely balanced by a touch of saltiness. Simply delicious!

I'm in, too. My lineup will be:

Sunday- Guerlain Vetiver
Monday- Rive Gauche
Tuesday- Bvlgari Black
Wednesday- Burberry London
Thursday- Eau Sauvage
Friday- Givenchy Gentleman
Saturday- Halston Z-14

Day 2 of T7Do5★TF

Monday: Mitsouko
Even with all the dodgy requirements to get to the good parts, M still earns her five stars.
I've got vintage of my left (top-note rancidity) and modern (lacking the whop of oak moss I'd prefer) on my right.
Surely, freshly made, vintage-ingredients Mitsouko extrait would be my choice.
Wishing upon ★★★★★ that somebody could give us just the good stuff, otherwise, I won't reach for Mitsy much at all.

Monday: Jubilation 25

I've been going through my list of 5-Star Fragrances again, and it turns out I actually do wear most of them, and quite often! But out of my top 28, there may be a few that I've worn less frequently, though maybe somewhat recently, and one that I never wear because although I love it, I prefer it on my fiance - it's his. I'm going to wear it one day this week, though. It's Sycomore by Chanel.

For the record I wore L'Instant de Guerlain this morning, and switched to Clinique's Aromatics Elixir later this afternoon - I'm still in AE, and it's still perfect.

Are we supposed to post our musings here? I'm doing it on sotd. Anyhoo, change of plans, today 's five-star is my brand new Borneo 1834.

You all smell very, well, five-star-worthy today! For Monday, I chose L'Artisan Parfumerie Havana Vanille. This Bertrand Duchaufour fragrance was released last year. Listed notes (from Luckyscent) are vanilla pod infused in old rum, clove, leather, crystallized dried fruit, a ball of vanilla and powder, narcissus, helichrysum, tonka bean, benzoin, tolu, musks, and vanilla absolute.

Why I give it five stars: I didn't own a vanilla or tobacco fragrance, and I wanted one. Since this fragrance was created by my favorite perfume artist under my favorite perfume label, I figured it would be a safe blind buy. And it was! I'm thrilled with Havana Vanille. I love the way it balances earthy and ethereal, it's not too foody, and it doesn't make me feel tipsy (Guerlain's' SDV is simply too much for me). Like many of my favorites, it's what I call a "Goldilocks Fragrance" it's just right!

What a great idea!
[and for next week I was thinking of wearing 4 starts --a tricky bunch. I have many of those.]


Meanwhile, I'm living "one 5-star-day at a time."

Sunday: Ormonde WOman by Ormonde Jayne [if I had to have a signature scent, this might be the one]
Monday: Jubilation 25 by Amouage [lush, grown-up, understated and overstated at the same time]
Tuesday: Winter Star by Michale Storer [mmmmmmm]
Wednesay Amouge Lyric Woman

Thursday Chergui What a gem. Wearing it a lot this season.
Friday Samsara
Saturday Après l'ondee

Have a great day you 5-star scent god and goddesses!

Five stars for Nanadebary Green (the original, edt formulation) for being so easy to get along with.
A little floral, a little sweet, very mild, a touch nutty for the cardamom, and wondrously green, almost like a green tea accord with a hint of mint.

These theme/challenges invariably reveal perspectives we may have been oblivious to about ourselves. Even when I award high-star honors to a fragrance, that doesn't mean I necessarily want or need to wear it that often. Seasonality and mood dictate that some days I actually want a 3-star fragrance.

Yes, I was wondering whether we could do a 4-star week, Nostalgie. I bet it would be easier than a 5-star, because there would be more frags from which to choose. Then a 3-star week would be interesting. Then, like a limbo competition (how low can you go?), I wonder if we could look back at our ratings and find seven 2-star scents we could put to the re-test?

Couldn't do a week of 1-star-wonders though. I mean, a week of scrubbers? What are we, masochists?

I'm a little late for the party on this one Will start wearing my 5 star rated scents from tomorrow. They are:
Wednesday:SL Chergui
Thursday:Crystal noir
Friday:Cuir de russie
Saturday:Feminite du bois
Sunday:L'heure bleu
Monday:Mitsouko
Tuesday:#88
wednesday:Trouble

It was hard to decide,but this will be my sotd schedule for a week from now

I'm 'fessing up: I cheated today. I received a partial bottle (decant) of Martine Micallef Gaiac in the mail yesterday, so of course I had to wear it right away! It's very lovely. Right now I'd give it four-plus stars.

However, for my SotE, I've pulled out one of my five-star bottles, Parfumerie Generale's L'Oiseau de Nuit. This fragrance was created in 2007 by Pierre Guillaume, and it is part of the line's Private Collection. Listed notes (Luckyscent) are cistus labdanum, liqueur of davana, benzoin, and leather. Why I give it five stars: Well, for starters, I love the name. :-) It is also unusual in that it showcases cistus labdanum (just gorgeous!), and the leather aspect is very quiet and feminine. Words pretty much fail me (or, more accurately, I fail the words) in describing this one. If it sounds interesting to you, I urge you to try it!

Side note: I'm noticing some similarities between L'Oiseau de Nuit, Bois Blond (another PG fave of mine), and my new Gaiac. They are all clearly in the same delicious family of fragrances!

Like posted on the sotd thread I'm in Chergui today. From the first time I tried this gorgeous scent it was instant love! On me it opens as a rather spicy and leathery scent.Gradually some insence reveal itself (frankinsence?) and amber. After a whole day i'm left with a spicy,musky skinscent. just perfect in my book!

Cello, that Alahine sounds wonderful!

As I posted in the SotD thread, I'm wearing another of my five-star-rated fragrances, Dark Earth by Neil Morris. It's rainy and cool here, with the promise of spring in the air, and the line between my perfume and the scent around me is blurred. I'm loving the experience!

Neil Morris has this to say about his creation:


Listed Notes (from Neil Morris Fragrances website): Myrrh, Sandalwood, Golden Musk, Frankincense, Green Note, Earth Accord

Why I give Dark Earth five stars: It is a very beautiful fragrance composition, it evokes for me exactly what the perfumer describes, and it makes me feel alive.

Yesterday got a little nutsy with the customers and I didn't post, but I was enjoying VIP Room, which is something like Bulgari Black with tiare and pineapple (and when I run out, I'm going to have to come up with some kind of Bulg/Blk & “other” layering combo to replace this scent amongst my faves). Suggestions welcome!

Today, I'm drawing down on another favorite I have in short supply: Parfumerie Generale Cadjmere 18 — vanilla, coconut and soft spices with a thread of green. I torture myself, asking whether Lavanila Vanilla Spice could serve as a more affordable substitute — or might even be preferable? These are the thoughts that torture and torture a perfumista, as only you people will understand. I've sampled VS only once, and that's not enough to make a call. I'd either have to take part of day to drive to Sephora in order to retest it, or order a sample from TPC. But then there's the problem that VS is a limited edition, so if I like it, I'm doomed. [Lays wrist against forehead, “Oh, such agonizing mind loops.”]

My seven picks for this cool, grey weather would be:
Ormonde Jayne - Orris Noir
Guerlain - Shalimar
Ormonde Jayne - Tolu
Chanel - Bois des Iles
Annic Goutal - Songes
Frederick Malle - Musc Ravageur
Ormonde Jayne - Ormonde Woman

Welcome to Basenotes, Bonsai!

Today I deviated from my original list, because I was in a "rosy" mood. So I chose another of my five-star fragrances, Gres Cabaret. For those of you who haven't tried this one, it is a gorgeous rose blend with soft incense. Cabaret was created by perfumer Michel Almairac in 2003, and contains notes of rose, lily of the valley, peony, pink bay, violet, blue orris, patchouli, incense, sandalwood, amber and musk (info from Now Smell This).

Why I give it five stars: Cabaret is another one of those Goldilocks fragrances for me. It smells *just right* on my skin, almost like it enhances the good smells that are already there (grin). There is a translucent quality that I love in fragrances, yet the staying power is excellent! Cabaret also has an aspect that I read as "salty" always a good thing, in my book.

Since I don't actually have seven 5-star frags, I'm picking from amongst my favorite high 4s. Thymes Fig Leaf & Cassis is the happiest fragrance I own. It's cheerful, optimistic, and oblivious to the troubles of the world. I took it for granted, swapped it away, then re-encountered it thanks to Tang. It's Nature's Sweet-Tarts.

Hi all! Today I chose Etro Shaal Nur, the fragrance that is currently my best candidate for HG status, if ever there were such a thing. This fragrance was created by Jacques Flori in 1997. It is named for some mysterious Indian princess. Here is the notes pyramid, according to the Etro website:

Top: Citrus floral (lemon, bergamot, grapefruit, tangerine, rosewood, coriander)
Heart: Aromatic floral (thyme, tarragon, rosemary, karo karoundé, rose, petit grain)
Base: Spicy, woody, amber (nutmeg, patchouli, vetiver, cedar wood, opoponax, incense, musk)

Shaal Nur is a beautifully balanced, unaffected, and comforting fragrance. I've seen it classified as a "woody oriental", but I find it impossible to pigeonhole. It's a citrus, an herbal, a floral, a spice, a wood, an incense, and a vetiver. The rose, incense, and warmly lush vetiver are the notes that stand out most for me. There is a sort of "nuttiness" about the overall effect that I just love.

Clearly a 5-star frag: Bigarade Concentree — A distillation of citrus tree elements, natural smelling, sweet/sour neutral, and quite unemotional. That's what makes BC ideal for hot weather. A calming citrus. Not high-pitched. Gender neutral.

Finishing the 5-str week with the glorious Après l'ondee.

Hey, is anyone interested in a seven days of 4-star frags?
I find the 4-stars interesting and worth revisiting. Sometimes they earn a star...sometimes they lose a star when I reconsider them.

Closing out the week in another deviation from my list, my first and most successful blind buy, Mitsouko.

And speaking of earning and losing stars, Nostalgie, I should point out that two on my list this week earned a star. Those were Borneo 1834 and Tabu. Theorema also earned a star, but I decided on Mits today, instead.

And thank you for a wonderful idea, cello!

Hello, five-star fragrance friends! I'm exhausted tonight (travelling and visiting family this weekend), but wanted to check in. I deviated from my list, but ended up in the lovely Chamade (extrait), which has become a five-star wonder for me.

Thanks again, cello. This was fun!

Not quite 5 but more than 4, that's the perfume I've used the longest: Guerlain’s With Love, a sentimental favorite with a soft floral/white amber drydown.

I love when that happens!