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Fragrances you are glad you didn't buy blind.

post #1 of 42
4/29/10 at 2:09am
Thread Starter 
As a follow up to the thread about the worst blind buy, what are the fragrances you wanted to blind buy because of the notes or good reviews, but luckily you got a sample of it first and realized that you actually don't like it?

For me, after I realized that I enjoyed the vanilla note, I wanted to get Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford for a darker vanilla fragrance. But based on various reviews, people seem to think Havana Vanille by L'Artisan is better than TV, so I was all ready to buy it blind. Luckily, I was getting a bunch of samples from the perfumed court, so I thought to try it out first. Boy am I glad... as much as I like vanilla, for some reason, vanilla and booze just don't rub me the right way. I like that the spices and booze make the fragrance light, unlike some of the orientals I have, but it's just not my thing.
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post #2 of 42
4/29/10 at 2:14am
A* Men, Parfum Sacré come to my mind immediately.
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post #3 of 42
4/29/10 at 2:34am
Kouros - I know it gets a lot of hate, but I just love powerscents, so I thought it was a safe bet. Well, I'm glad I sampled it, there are cheaper ways to smell like a urinal cake.
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post #4 of 42
4/29/10 at 2:51am
Carolina Herrera Chic. Boring.
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post #5 of 42
4/29/10 at 2:53am
Knize Ten.
I almost got into finalising a deal for a big bottle but then I was surprised to find a sample of it in the mail from a fellow basenoter......
It saved me lot of money.
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post #6 of 42
4/29/10 at 4:18am
Having sampled Amouage quite a few years ago, I'd purchased in the past Gold, Dia, Cirrus, Arcus and Jubilation. I then purchased Lyric when it came out blind thinking it would be great, but I found it disgusting and it just didn't last on my skin (no more than half hour), so when Epic came out, I did get hold of a sample and also found this was nasty on me and not my cup of tea, so I'm very glad I didn't waste £150+ on this like I did with Lyric, which I had to sell on Ebay for a loss.
Since that costly mistake with Lyric, I've never purchased anything since without trying it out first and if a company will not provide or sell a sample, or if I cannot buy a sample from the likes of First in Fragrance, I'll move on and forget about it.
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post #7 of 42
4/29/10 at 5:28am
A while ago I was looking to buy my first Niche so I wanted something different and edgy so I was looking at Etat Libre D'Orange (also because they are relatively cheap) and for some reason only god knows, I thought Rien sounded good. I was | | this close to blind buying but I ordered a sample instead. Most vile and disgusting fragrance I have ever smelled. Smells like every accord of everything bad tossed in a blender and bottled as Rien. Funnily enough Rien means "nothing" I think? that's a whole lot of nothing.
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post #8 of 42
4/29/10 at 7:42am
Profumum Neroli . Neroli - you can't go wrong ,right ?
Well , this is a scrubber on my skin- thank God I didn't buy blind .
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post #9 of 42
4/29/10 at 8:44am
Micallef Aoud Homme
Roses and oud, smoky woods - all the right-sounding notes for me. Got a sample and could not believe how weak the scent was. The most luscious top note, very alluring - but it was so faint on my skin after ten minutes it was like having no scent on at all.

Washington Tremlett Black Tie
A tailored, masculine rose is what I was expecting. This was sharp, which is o.k. with me, but it was sharp AND generic-smelling. So glad I did not give in.
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post #10 of 42
4/29/10 at 9:12am
MPG's Ambre Preciuex. After reading reviews about it and saying how it was a nice powdery amber, I was set to buy it. I love my ambers.

Luckily, I ordered a sample from luckyscent and wore it for a day. Boy, did I get that sample. I was feeling nauseas and felt like vomitting throughout the day, something about it didn't rub me right.

From now on, any niche perfumes require sampling first
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post #11 of 42
4/29/10 at 9:12am
I remember how I was tempted to blind buy Fumerie Turque based on the reviews talking about that honey tobacco scent.
It sounded really good, so I got a small decant for a fraction of the cost. I still haven't gathered the nerve to wear it. It smells very perfumy and old lady like to my nose.
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post #12 of 42
4/29/10 at 9:33am
Yatagan
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post #13 of 42
4/29/10 at 10:01am
As I tend to be over hyped about fragrances there are a lot of stuff I glad or wish I didn't blind buy. Namely:

A*Men - All I get from this one is stinky armpit smell with very little sweetness of chocolate throw in
IceMen - Patchouli period (tried a lot of TM fragrances and the only things that I really like are La Rose Angel and Mugler Cologne)
La Nuit de L'homme - Too flowery for my liking
Jaipur - Not that it's bad it's just that I can find a better interpretation of the scent in Pi
Very Irresistible / Very Irresistible fresh attitude - They both turn salty on my skin. It might be that my skin doesn't agree with those fragrances
Aqva / Aqva Marine - The lesson is to stay far away from aquatics cuz my chemistry will never agree with them
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post #14 of 42
4/29/10 at 10:16am
some creeds (git, hymalaia, mi)
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post #15 of 42
4/29/10 at 11:10am
Salvador Dali Laguna - Does not smell like Dreamer and has a weird plastic smell
Iceberg Pour Homme - dated and boring
Jivago 7 Elements - Jaipur-esque oriental that's somewhat funky on my skin
Sexual by Michael Germain - Nothing special
Good Life by Davidoff - Turns bitter on my skin
Roberto Cavalli Black - Too fleeting (but smells great while it lasts)
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post #16 of 42
4/29/10 at 11:34am
A*Men
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post #17 of 42
4/29/10 at 11:41am
1. Any Montale fragrances
2. MPG Eau de Iles
3. LV Piper Nigrum
4. C&S #88
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post #18 of 42
4/29/10 at 11:57am
C&S #88 and most Creeds and Tom Fords
not my cup of tea at all
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post #19 of 42
4/29/10 at 12:15pm
Voleur de Roses - L'Artisan Parfumeur
Gris Clair - Serge Lutens

Both of these are fairly highly praised here at Basenotes. I somehow resisted the urge to purchase both from fellow members at a steal. Having since sampled both I'm happy I managed to resist.

Voleur de Roses is an example of a rose scent gone too far. It is a rose so concentrated to the point it is out of balance and artifical. I knew from the reviews that it would be strong but not disgustingly so. No real rose smells like this. It and Lyric Man are the two rose scents i've tried so far that i've truely disliked.

Being a fan of lavendar in many forms and that I appreciate insense I thought Gris Clair would be a sure hit. However, it comes off plastic-y to my nose, almost as if a soft plastic cup was run through the dryer with one of those nasty "lavendar" scented dryer sheets.

I'll try each again in the future as i've had 180's before but I don't have high hopes.
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post #20 of 42
4/29/10 at 2:01pm
C&S #88
Guerlain Vetiver
Terre D'Hermes
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post #21 of 42
4/29/10 at 5:50pm
1- Black XS
2- Gucci Pour Homme
3- Chrome Legend
4- A*Men
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post #22 of 42
4/29/10 at 6:16pm
For me it's a lot of the Tom Fords, especially Tobacco Vanille. I loved the opening, but after that it's way too sweet for my liking, and more effeminate.
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post #23 of 42
4/29/10 at 6:20pm
Creed MI. After a skin test, no way I could walk around comfortably in it. Too fem for me. That coming from a Body Kouros fan.
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post #24 of 42
4/30/10 at 12:38am
CK Obsession Night. I was about to buy it blind but luckily the same day I had a chance to sample it. It was worse than meh.
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post #25 of 42
4/30/10 at 1:02am
A La Nuit - nice, but nice isn't enough at Lutens' prices.

Aromatic's Elixir - dark, rosy chypre. Sounded like love, smelled like death. Unbearable on me.

Clandestine - canned pineapple and Poison lite. I don't dislike this one per se, but I'm so glad I didn't jump for a full bottle.

Kai - attack of the plastic flowers, not a gardenia in sight.

Velvet Gardenia - saved from the cheese attack by a couple wearings. It's still "something else", but respect isn't love.
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post #26 of 42
4/30/10 at 1:45am
for me this had to be Amouage - Tribute. Just waaaaay too strong for me. I had gotten Homage a whike back and thought it must be as good if not better. I managed to get a sample prior to buyin. To me it smelled too strong and over-powering, much like some EO's do undiluted. To be fair I've only had 2 maybe 3 wearings but that was enough to make me think that the >1ml I have will last me a while.
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post #27 of 42
4/30/10 at 2:22am
Upon reading alot of descriptions and reviews over here and over there I imagined to myself that Etro's Shaal Nur is the fragrance for me! Without ever sniffing it, of course. So I ordered myself a 5 ml decant and in the process of checkout on a whimsy I decided to throw in a 1.5 ml of Messe de Minuit just to try the damp and dreary thing and once and for all be done with thinking about it, since the Etro line has gone out of business in my country and all there's left is Ambra and Vetiver, but they are a constant reminder whenever I walk pass the counter where all Etro's used to be... So eagerly I awaited for the package to arrive... Imagine my surprise to discover that I find Shaal Nur just plain and "perfumey", but Messe de Minuit rich and wonderful and has since became one of my favorite fragrances ever! It was divine providence putting that 1.5 ml sample in the basket.
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post #28 of 42
4/30/10 at 2:35am
I got a sampler of Tom Ford's Italian Cypress. I already like Tom Ford Oud Wood... so why not that one?

Got a sample and there's a note in there that just turns to downright BO on me. Smells great on paper. Smells great on cloth. Smells great on my friend that I gave my sample to. But turns to something awful on me. Blind buy averted.
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post #29 of 42
4/30/10 at 5:15am
Mine was Chergui and l'air desert marocain. I almost bought them blind but thank God I ordered samples from luckyscent. The Chergui just didn't cut it for me, don't know if its a bad sample/batch/whatever but I get this barnyard smell that was off putting and it wasn't as rich as I'd expected it to be. The l'air smelled exactly like a hospital disinfectant that is very used in Africa. Couldn't imagine the shock on my wife's face when I wore the sample.
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post #30 of 42
4/30/10 at 6:39am
L'Anarchiste and The Third Man. L'Anarchiste became cigarette ash, and The Third Man just really wasn't my cup of tea, I think mainly due to the rose. The only rose fragrance I've found I like so far is Incense Rose, although I'd love to give Egoiste a re-visit.
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post #31 of 42
4/30/10 at 7:28am
L'air du desert Marocain
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post #32 of 42
4/30/10 at 9:00am
- Kouros (this is a love/hate fragance)
- M7 (idem)
- Mugler Cologne ( it´s very weak on my skin)
- La Nuit de L´Homme ( i prefer another options on this line)
- Envy by Gucci (i like it, but i don´t love this scent)
- Givenchy BLue label (similar to AdGio)
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post #33 of 42
4/30/10 at 3:55pm
Baudelaire by Byredo.

The notes sounded wonderful and the dandy references hard to resist, but this scent did not sit well with me. I am glad I only sampled.
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post #34 of 42
4/30/10 at 7:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Primrose View Post

Baudelaire by Byredo.

The notes sounded wonderful and the dandy references hard to resist, but this scent did not sit well with me. I am glad I only sampled.

I'm afraid Byredo's aesthetic doesn't really mesh with Baudelaire's aesthetic. I found Baudelaire pleasant but unremarkable, but when I think of the poet, I think decadent... Poison, Muscs Koublai Khan, that sort of thing, not a fresh milquetoast masculine.

"Who but the Devil pulls our waking-strings!
Abominations lure us to their side,
Each day we take another step to Hell,
Descending through the stench, unhorrified."
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post #35 of 42
4/30/10 at 7:58pm
Himalaya by creed
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post #36 of 42
5/1/10 at 10:26am
A big favorite on BN, Rive Gauge Pour Homme. Totally unwearable on me - it makes me nauseous.
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post #37 of 42
5/2/10 at 3:18am
10 Corso Como.
Tam Dao is one of my all-time favourite scents, and reviews make it appear that 10 Corso Como is a must for any TD-lover. It nauseates me. A lot.
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post #38 of 42
5/2/10 at 4:24am
1. \tTerre d'Hermès
2. M7
3. Platinum Egoiste
4. Allure Homme Edition Blanche
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post #39 of 42
5/2/10 at 10:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diamondflame View Post

A big favorite on BN, Rive Gauge Pour Homme. Totally unwearable on me - it makes me nauseous.

Agreed on this one.

Nearly bought blind because of the hype, and because I struggled to find it anywhere. Eventually did find it and was relieved I'd not wasted my cash.
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post #40 of 42
5/2/10 at 11:18am
Boss Baldessarini.

"Modernist-dry-woody-fruity" sounded exactly like the sort of thing to shake up my wardrobe and I only just purchased Rochas Lui ahead of it.

Wearing a sample of Baldessarini today, I can say that was a good decision in hindsight. It is very interesting and the best of the Boss scents by far but--critically--it is *absolutely* not me.

Well worth a sniff for anyone who hasn't tried it but I really lucked out with Lui in this instance.
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post #41 of 42
5/2/10 at 11:58am
PdN New York!
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post #42 of 42
5/2/10 at 12:30pm
A men pure coffee
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