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Notes you most like and dislike?

post #1 of 21
6/5/10 at 3:02am
Thread Starter 
Ok, so here is the deal, 1. pick the note you most like, 2. the note you most dislike, 3. describe why you like/dislike them, 4. what associations they bring and 5. give fragrance examples.

I am a perfumeology rookie so I am not at all certain about my ability to single out notes but here is what I think:

Like the most

Vetiver. Perhaps a bit boring note to pick since it seems universally popular but I just cannot seem to get enough of it. I love the earthy, green and raw quality of it. To various degrees I find that it also has an incensy dimension. I imagine brown, dried grass that suddenly gets wet and coming back to life with a vengeance, emitting a fresh, intense scent of vitality with a harsh background note of vegetal tomb. I find it sophisticated and rough at the same time. It is unapologetic but is not in your face. Borrowing from a review I read, vetiver in a frgrance is like the drums in a song. A fragrance letting vetiver do the talking is like a drum solo or song build on heavy drum beats. Personal favorite is Encre Noire, followed by (in no particular order) FM VE, Guerlain, Sel de vetiver. I have many left to try...

Dislike the most

Amber. I am not entirely sure amber is the culprit but I believe so. It is a disgusting note I pick up in FM Musc Ravageur, Mazzolari Lui, Narciso Rodriguez for Him among others. I find Mazzolari Lui a fascinating scent that induces a bit of awe with its solar plexus impact - however, I find it completely unwearable. While it is widely praised I find Musc Ravageur among the most gagging fragrances I have ever tried. Amber makes me think of the domestic animal section of a zoo. In the case of Musc Ravageur it is well blended with sweet notes, which makes it all the more gagging - ready for a night out after a hard day of labor at the goat farm and putting on some of your mother's perfume to hide the stench? Ugh...
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post #2 of 21
6/5/10 at 3:20am
I love absinthe, lavender and vanilla combined, creating an ultimate intriguing smooth gourmand.

I dislike eucalyptus, harsh spices and sharp notes.
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post #3 of 21
6/5/10 at 3:23am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by trapper View Post

I love absinthe, lavender and vanilla combined, creating an ultimate intriguing smooth gourmand.

I dislike eucalyptus, harsh spices and sharp notes.

Any examples of perfumes that fit the bill?
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post #4 of 21
6/5/10 at 4:27am
Thread Starter 
When I think about it, it is probably musk that I dislike, although I cannot tell the difference between amber and musk. However, there are several fragrances with musk that I do like, I guess I just dislike the extreme ones... I have a sample of MKK on the way, I have a feeling it wont be a homerun
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post #5 of 21
6/5/10 at 5:01am
Most favorite notes: Orange Blossom, Iris, Violet, Rose, Rosemary, noble laurel

Other favorite notes: Angelica, Lavender, Allspice, Juniper berry, sandalwood, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, galbanum, jasmine (used judiciously!), vetiver, labdanum, cypress, fir

dislike (it's hard to specify certain notes as I like almost any note when blended to my preference, so here are some notes in certain applications that I don't like): heavy and syrupy ambers, overly indolic white floral scents (I prefer them softer), prominent white musk, overly scratchy woods
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post #6 of 21
6/5/10 at 5:11am
I hate Oudh notes and overly sweet vanilla.
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post #7 of 21
6/5/10 at 5:23am
i like musk, vanilla (but not too sweet), spices, amber, woods
i dislike too florals scents
i hate oud
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post #8 of 21
6/5/10 at 5:28am
I mainly like citrus notes and the odd citrus mixed with spices. What I don't like is leather, heavy musky notes, oud and over the top vanilla fragrances.
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post #9 of 21
6/5/10 at 5:30am
Thread Starter 
I appreciate your replies but I was not looking for lists of notes - I understand that whether you like or dislike a note is dependent on supporting notes, on strength etc. - but I was imagining less of a scientific and more of a fanciful response. You don't have to write poetry, I am just curious to why do you like/dislike it? What does it evoke in your mind? Also, what fragrances would be exemplary? E.g. if your favorite note is vanilla is TF Tobacco Vanille a good reference point? For a rookie like myself, I have no idea of what, say, Oudh smells like...
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post #10 of 21
6/5/10 at 6:37am
I like almost of materials with or from High quality , Tuberose , Neroli , Jasmin , Rose , Sandalwood ,patchouli , civet , cumin , aldehydes ...

and dislikes almost of no High quality materials or ingredients

High Quality materials Balanced and well Blended is enough for create nice fragance
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post #11 of 21
6/5/10 at 7:01am
Like: e.g. the lavender-anise accord on a vanilla-amber base in HdP's 1725 Casanova is to die for IMO.
Dislike: e.g. the immortelle in PdE's Fougere Bengale spoils an otherwise fabulous frag totally for me.
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post #12 of 21
6/5/10 at 7:35am
My favorite will be fairly obvious I suppose: tuberose. I seem to find endless joy in pursuing tuberose fragrances, though certainly not all are to my taste, or are things I'd wear regularly. I have standards, just like any other fragrance category, but a big, well-done tuberose note in an accord I find enjoyable will do a lot to make me like a fragrance.

In a broader sense, white florals are favorites, tuberose, gardenia, jasmine, orange flower, champaca, etc. Being loves.

Most dislikable note: certain synthetic woody notes. I wish I knew their name. I smell them in so many men's designer fragrances, and I dislike them so much. I like cedar, but whatever this "cedar" note is it does not come from a living plant; I don't have to be a perfumer to smell that.

Almost equally, aquatics, when they dominate a fragrance, at least. It's as though a fragrance can have everything else I like in it, but with a heavy dose of aquatics, everything is distorted and numbed. For some reason, smelling an aquatic is like the olfactory equivalent of chewing after the dentist has numbed my jaw.
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post #13 of 21
6/5/10 at 8:02am
I like oud, saffron, some musks, lavender when it is done well, patchouli, incense

I dislike aquatics, amber, that annoying mall woody thing

Don't know if I can explain why.
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post #14 of 21
6/5/10 at 8:06am
Like: Mint, coconut

Dislike: Anise, cucumber
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post #15 of 21
6/5/10 at 8:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Point Blank View Post

Any examples of perfumes that fit the bill?

absinth, lavender, vanilla: A Taste of Heaven by Kilian
harsh notes, harsh spices: B*MEN, Bvlgari Soir(the top notes), Versace Dreamer(top notes), Zino Davidoff
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post #16 of 21
6/5/10 at 8:57am
Love: vetiver, tuberose, leather, amber, dirty and vegetal musks, iris, birch tar, aldehydes, civet, vanilla, opoponox, myrrhe, heliotrope, oakmoss, treemoss, tobacco, sandalwood, saffron, beeswax, pepper, violets, cardamom, truffles, cedar, ink (!), plum, labdanum, rosemary, immortelle

Like: jasmine, petit grain, bergamot, lavender, tea, honey, hay, narcicuss, mango, incense, carnation, ambergris, peach, rose, gaiac wood, mimosa, lemon, ylang, gardenia, iso e super (gasp!), cumin, carrot, chocolate, mint, anise, angelica, nutmeg

Dislike: orange blossom (rubj is an exception!), oud (Oud Wood and Oud 27 are the only two exceptions), magnolia, strawberry, white musks, lily of the valley, lily, cloves, cilantro, galbanum, lime, violet leaf, coconut, calone (marine, aquatic), banana, patchouli (a few exceptions though), berries (the sour types), absinthe, cucumber, fir, cinnamon

That's all of what I could think of right now...
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post #17 of 21
6/5/10 at 9:18am
Love : gardenia ( obviously ! ) ,tuberose, honeysuckle, jasmine,iris,,bergamot/ hesperides/citrus/petitgrain,narcissus, galbanum ,carnation, black pepper, peach ,ambergris, vanilla, musks, ,oakmoss ,treemoss , birch tar ,violets.

So So : Vetiver,gourmand notes apart from vanilla which I love,sandalwood,incense,civet.

Hate : Patchouli ( you devil note ,you ! ) ,marine /aquatic notes, muguet,lilies(though trying to change that) ,strawberry and dreaded pink bloody pepper.
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post #18 of 21
6/5/10 at 10:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mimi Gardenia View Post

[...] and dreaded pink bloody pepper.

What IS it with that note? I don't hate it per se, but I am kind of baffled as to why perfumers want to put it in everything these days - no genre is safe!
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post #19 of 21
6/5/10 at 10:38am
I dislike sweet and synthetic smelling vanilla
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post #20 of 21
6/5/10 at 10:47am
It's hard to say what I really like because it all depends on the context but I usually like vanilla, sandalwood, cedar, vetiver, tea, and tobacco.

I dislike anise if it's loud or pronounced (same thing with pepper), lemon always makes me think of floor cleaner, and I don't like indolic white florals.. at all.
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post #21 of 21
6/5/10 at 11:22am
My main likes, in no real order: leather, lavender, tobacco, violet, jasmine, rose, citrus, vanilla, oakmoss, labdanum.

My main dislikes: bay leaf, vetiver, pepper, metallics, aquatics.

Explaining this? I LIKE some notes...and my whole warddrobe reflects this...too many to enumerate!
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