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What you thought you liked was [...], but what you really like is [...]

post #1 of 14
4/3/10 at 1:32pm
Thread Starter 
Sometimes it's interesting to reflect on how ones tastes change over time.

When I first came to Basenotes, my experience with fragrances was very peripheral, but I had very clear-cut ideas of what I was looking for and what I wasn't. I was seeking dry, woody, earthy scents and didn't want ANYTHING sweet. I hated gourmands and lavender, was so-so on spices, citrus, and florals, and was curious about leather and tobacco.

Looking back on my first thread here, two things occur to me: that my tastes now are quite different now than then, and also, how many of those first few recommendations none-the-less remain favorite fragrances!

What's changed? Florals are my main passion, lavender and gourmands are just fine with me, and I love spicy notes.

What's stayed the same? I still love oakmoss, I'm still very "blah" towards citrus, and I'm still wary of froot candy notes.

What have I learned? Woods are smells I usually like more in theory than in actual day to day use, and many "woody" aromachemicals don't get along with my nose. Most genuinely earthy scents are too linear for me. Though I like them, leather and tobacco are risky notes for me, and half the time turn into horrid things on my skin. There are many ways for things to be "sweet", so a lot depends on the notes used to make a fragrance so.

So, how has your appreciation of fragrances changed - or has it?
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post #2 of 14
4/3/10 at 1:50pm
i used to like fresh , citrus and aquatic types at first now i like tobacco, woods, and leather mixed with god knows what. i do like gourmands as well but i am more into the strong, mature colognes these days especially in the niche market
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post #3 of 14
4/3/10 at 2:59pm
I've stayed pretty much the same - I like woody florals, or spicey florals. I too am a bit meh about citrus
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post #4 of 14
4/3/10 at 9:37pm
I started becoming interested in perfume back in 1993, and my biggest transformation since then is that I've become a patchoulihead. I used to hate the stuff and only associated patchouli with the smell of raw, earthy pure patch oil. Since then, especially since joining Basenotes a year ago, I've learned how to identify this note when it's blended with other notes, and I not only love patchouli now, but now realize that I acutally always did like it, but never realized that I was smelling it before!
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post #5 of 14
4/3/10 at 10:16pm
My fragrance education has been going on for a relatively short period of time for me so far, but I still like the first fragrances I have tried. And I am finding I appreciate (meaning, really like) more and more fragrances even as I increasingly enjoy my first fragrances.

So, I wouldn't say that my original expectations and likes have changed, but there are now more fragrances I like equally. I am really just beginning to be able to pick out individual notes, but my appreciation for the construction of fragrances has really grown even if I cannot name the notes correctly. Honestly, every time I wear a fragrance I learn more about it, and it gives me something to study leisurely all day, with enjoyment.
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post #6 of 14
4/3/10 at 11:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HDS1963 View Post

I've stayed pretty much the same

Me too. I have always liked spicy woods.
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post #7 of 14
4/3/10 at 11:33pm
I've always loved sour stuff. I eat lemon wedges with others wincing as I take a bite into one. By a natural extension, I like hesperidic notes but I found out they are so ephemeral and I've learnt not to pay them too much attention whenever they're featured in fragrances.

I also thought I love orientals but I realize the love was one-sided; orientals love me only when the mood strikes them. At times, the get cloyingly sweet & annoying. So now I find myself going for the lighter, a little more floral orientals. Or take the tobacco, soft leather approach.

What about sourish & earthy woodsy smells? I find them very comforting. I can stay overnight alone in a forest without a light and still feel more or less at home, embraced by mother Earth. Green chypres in particular put me at ease. Likewise resinuous scents. I love oakmoss, cistus labdanum, vetiver and more recently, patchouli.

What has changed since my 1st venture into fragrances is the growing appreciation for the older classics. I've learnt to get past the musty first vibes... Unfortunately for some older fragrances, this musty quality extends right into the basenotes...
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post #8 of 14
4/4/10 at 5:21am
Oh boy.... I got really frustrated about this over the past year.

I actually didn't even know what I like until recently, as I couldn't find a trend when looking at my favorite fragrances. Then I realized that musky orientals are my favorites.... but not my favorites to wear.

Now I finally know that my favorite fragrances to *wear are: transparent and fresh. Boring maybe, but they don't get overwhelming or annoying, and so they maintain my interest and enjoyment.
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post #9 of 14
4/4/10 at 10:47am
Good thread GB. From when I started out in fragrances, at least when I tried to become more serious, my appreciation has changed. I thought I liked only fresh fruity and oceanic sport fragrances. But what I really like foremost is to have some diversity. I also really like fragrances that comfort me in the colder seasons.

More recently, I thought I liked leather and tobacco fragrances. But the vast majority I try just do not sit well with me. Even the more recent releases like Cuir Venenom ( and not just older fragrances). So I can't say I like the "dry woods" anymore.
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post #10 of 14
4/4/10 at 10:55am
When I first started to discover the world of frags in my early to mid teens, and also, as I discovered Basentoes much later- I was almost exclusively in frags "older than my age" and instead of wearing something more youthful, I went directly for very "old school" frags, being passionate mainly about citrus, chypre, tobacco, leather and powerhouse notes.

But since less than about two years, I discovered a previously unknown fascination for Gourmand male frags, probably also a subconscious attempt to rekindle with the frags I should have worn more frequently during my youth...
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post #11 of 14
4/4/10 at 2:10pm
When I started here I thought I was going to discover that I have a particular set of fragrance notes that I liked; that I am at essence "a sandalwood guy."

Well that phase passed. I can't say precisely what replaced it and what I've found out about what kind of fragrance guy I am, but I know that as the seasons change I have new fascinations. When spring gets here I want to wear florals.

Further, I find that the notes aren't the only things I'm attracted to and that I would put into the second blank of the subject line. I know that as much as notes included, I could write "but what I really like is: classics." So the age and era an odor represents is as forceful a pull on my attraction to it as notes it might contain.
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post #12 of 14
4/4/10 at 2:17pm
i still like scents tht smells good...
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post #13 of 14
4/4/10 at 8:21pm
Interesting idea for a thread...

When I first started, I thought I liked sandalwood, but it turned out I liked the clove that classic barbershop sandalwoods used. I just hadn't wrapped my head around recognizing clove yet.

I thought I liked marine scents, but I actually liked melon and lily of the valley and not the salty herb mixes and calone associated with the genre.

I thought I liked vetiver, and I was right about that one...
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post #14 of 14
4/5/10 at 4:58am
I'm very open to new, I love all kind of fragrances, as long as they smell right to my nose, they're alright.
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