If you could recommend one scent to everyone today....

I don't know if this is the type of thing you'd like at all, but I'm pretty sure you haven't smelled it yet -- Sahlini's Femininde. A very warm, spicy, luxurious Oriental with tons of woods, resins, and spices, and just a hint of flowers.

If I come into some spare cash, I might get Bois d'Iris myself, but even surpassing that is my delight in Guerlain Derby. I completely overlooked it (despite its five-star rating in Perfumes: The Guide) because it was a Guerlain masculine. I don't overlook ALL masculines, but my past experience with Guerlain had led me to think Derby would be a little on the stodgy side. Not at all!!! If I still believed in holy grails, I think this could be mine. I've had to talk myself out of wearing it every day. It has everything I'm drawn to in a fragrance (except Tuberose, which I also have a weakness for): crisp chypre top notes including a hint of mint, earthy leather drydown, great balance and longevity.

My most appealing find of late has to be the re-orchestrated
Visa (Guichard/Piguet) It has the most gorgeous top notes of
anything I have had the pleasure to smell recently. The scent is
a mix of peachy/fruity,soft buttery suede and tropical flowers.

I was also impressed with Tom Ford's Noir de Noir - a dark, velvety
rose/oudh combination.

Hmm, hard to recommend a scent to you, Hillaire, I'm still new at this and you're one of the basenoters I usually look to for ideas! But, something I don't see in your wardrobe or tested lists, are Annayake Miyako or Pour Elle.
Miyako is, to my mind, a L'Air du Desert Marocain-light. Gratifyingly complex incense & amber, minus the Marocain barnyard. I also like the Annayake Pour Elle, which is a strange, bitter, fume. (Perfume Posse: bergamot, fig, elemi, water lily, tea, cypress, and white musk.) I haven't smelled the new Tilda Swinton-inspired perfume, but she is the face I'd put on Pour Elle. (I was amused to see that Annayake is introducing a Pour Elle light. Only the Japanese could think this transparent fragrance needed a lighter version!)
(I haven't had a chance to test the other Annayakes -- don't think anyone around here carries them.)

I think Annayake fragrances are underrated. I sniffed several and have liked them very much. I think I own Tsukimi, I'll have to check. Anyway, Beauty Encounter carried Annayake fragrances at http://perfume.beautyencounter.com/grid/br/annayake/0 Thanks.

Bois Farine by L'artisan! It smells warm and nutty, with a little bit of baking flour and powder rounding things out. I know it sounds weird, but it's a wonderful powdery fragrance that isn't too sweet or floral. Unusual but very comforting and wearable. I <3 it.

Notes: White Cedar, Gaiacwood, Sandalwood, White Iris, Farine Flower, Fennel Seed.

I love this stuff. It IS weird, but to me, it's weird in a really good non-conformist way. I may have to wear it tomorrow...

Glad to find a fellow BF fan, ronni!

Another new fave of mine is Keiko Mecheri's Peau de Peche - it smells like fuzzy peaches with a little bit of powder. Mmm...

I've found so many new enthusiasms these past few months; it's hard to know what to choose!

My trip to San Francisco in April left me with dozens of new fragrant experiences, but two fragrances stand well above the rest: Comme des Garcons Champaca and Serge Lutens Fille En Aiguilles. Since I've come home, Serge Lutens Sarrasins and Neil Morris Gandhara have sent me to jasmine heaven, and I rarely feel like returning to earth.

If I had to choose just one, it would be Champaca. Simple, gorgeous narcissus... There's really nothing else like it, despite numerous narcissus fragrances out there. It's a beauty not of this world, and I can only explain its mood as the mid-morning sister to En Passant's lilacs at dawn. Truly special.

Fille En Aiguilles is simply everything gorgeous about a Lutens oriental distilled into one sappy, sweet, and spicy concoction, YET, much more wearable than of his other of his orientals I've worn. Unlike Arabie, I can imagine wearing this every day for a month and not feeling oppressed by it.

Sarrasins, again, another wearable Lutens. Yes, go you A La Nuit, for making weapons-grade jasmine with screaming indoles, but when I want jasmine that actually smells like jasmine blooming Sarrasins does the trick. There are details that add nuance and character to its profile, a little fruitiness here; a little touch of civet there, but most of all I get big, sweet, luscious wafts of jasmine, with just the faintest touch of cooling restraint.

Tubereuse Criminelle is my personal favorite among the Lutens florals, but if I had to choose the one I'd feel most comfortable in recommending to others, Sarrasins would be top of my list.

Gandhara is a fragrance that I just love, and is possibly my favorite "dirty" jasmine, a big dose of earthy castoreum and patchouli grounding a dark and robust jasmine accord. This is my number one recomendation to guys seeking dirty jasmine, too, as it's surprisingly non-sweet, despite being peculiarly expansive and tropical, like earth after a tropical rainstorm.

No matter what Les Exclusifs de Chanel I treat my nose too,
I seem to fall in love with it.
I have samples/decants of five of them by now;

Cuir de Russie was the first I tryed. It's delish. I vividly picture
a cigaret smoking French madame from the 1920s, oozing CdR,
when I sniff this juice.

Bois des Îles came next. Damn, it truely is Égoïste pour Femme.
I love it, and need t get me a bottle, ASAP!

Sycomore followed, and was just as 'buy worthy' as the first two.
That's $750 thus far ... and counting!

N°22 came next, I find this is to be the best Exclusif yet, well, toget-
her with BdÎ. I'm an aldehyde whore, and this baby dosn't disapoint!
The drydown is to die for ... and the longevity is insane; 8+ hours.

31 Rue Gambon is lovely and innocent, well worth for a full bottle buy!

... I bet I'll love the rest just as much. Well, most of them!

Of the more regular stuff, I've just resently thrown my love on Chanels N°19.
It went from my #1 hate fragrance, to my #1 love - it was my most worn in
May. I've always hated green perfumes, but something changed my mind on
this baby. It got praced to heaven here on BN, so I gave it a go, then one more,
and one more ... and suddently, I was hooked!

Black Orchid; Tendre Poison (re-launched love); and Shalimar are also new
loves of mine!


Should I recommend but one scent at the moment, as the thread askes
I'll have to be ... N°19.

ELDO Jasmin et Cigarette

The most recent one that springs to mind is Nicolai Pour Homme by Parfums de Nicolai. Every fan of lavender owes it to themselves to try this one. Lavendar, galbanum, mint and this fantastic warm, vanillac/amber dry down. Knocked me off my feet.

Of course my luck, it's officially discontinued.

Vintage Detchema by Revillon. It is fairly easy to find on ebay and reasonably priced also.
It makes me think of the glory days of the 40's; women dressed fabulously, encased in a luxurious mink coat with a divine opulent smelling fragrance, a fur-type fragrance one that exudes good taste.
A truly unique scent experience.

check my sig

I'd probably throw in HdP 1725 Casanova. Oddly enough, I got my sample and thought 'nice' - Le Male well done for grown-ups (I like Le Male, BTW), a bit soft-spoken. I gave it another full wearing and thought during the day sniffing my wrist like a nutcase 'boy, what's that absolutely beguiling scent'. Yeah, it was me. On the third wearing I surrendered and gave in... seduction at its best. The lavender on the anise-vanilla accord is to die for. I own this big bottle now

Okay, I can't make it just one suggestion... I also have to throw in "Une Fleur de Cassie" (EdP Frederic Malle). This was love at first sniff. This is so rich and opulent. I always picture a walk at dusk through the garden at full bloom... hot and stifling, absolutely no breeze, just the whiffs from different corners of the garden coming to you. It is a decadent and darn old-fashioned perfume, but a perfume in the truest sense. I ADORE it and it is not that I just shyly place one spritz somewhere well hidden on myself...

When I saw the title of the thread the first scent that came to mind was - Bois d'Iris! I discovered this a long time ago, I love iris any way but this is the one I reach for most often - more even than 28 La Pausa.

Other new loves (although only one of then is a new scent) for me are:
Vetiver pour Elle - no comment needed, perfection
Diptyque Vetyverio - similar to the above but more transparent and 'juicier'
Fifi Chachnil - less floral and more wood than I imagined, surprisingly complex and very satisfying
Chergui - a shock that it's so wonderful in warm weather, less tobacco and more hay
DS Durga Orris Root - deep, smooth and rich violet
Penhaligon's Night Scented Stock - wonderful floral oriental with clove

Don't we all understand those phases when the thrill of the hunt feels likes it's ebbing and we long for evidence that the thrill will never end?

In recent weeks I've been re-enjoying the limited edition Guerlain which reviews indicate was the best of the annual "love line": With Love. A soft, simple compilation of quince, roses, peony, and amber by Christine Nagel. I used to think I favored this since my first bottle was a gift from my daughter. But as I now nervously watch the juice descend in my third bottle, it's obvious I really like the stuff — especially as it ages, which brings up the base notes.

I'm trying to go with the "fresh meat" angle, but coming up with scents you don't already know is tricky.

How about Fragonard? Their current line-up is fantastic, they're very affordable, they offer lots of fragrances in lotions and shower gels, they have a variety of sampler sets including solids, and their site is very nice.

My current favorite for warm weather is Belle de Soleil. A non-coconutty not-so-tropical sunny holiday sort of scent, beachy but not like suntan lotion. It's mellow and milky, sultry and warm, subtly yet sweetly floral with just the right amount of citrussy sparkle to keep it from being all too creamy and oppressive. And I think it's unique - it could be the woody-sweet petitgrain that gives it that irresistible hook and makes it unlike anything I've come across.

Top notes - bergamot, orange, lemon petitgrain
Middle notes - tiare, frangipani, jasmine
Base notes - benzoin, musk, vetiver

Others favorites from the house include Fragonard, Belle de Nuit, Capucine, Miranda and Caresse...although I'd really recommend trying everything. I haven't run across one that I thought was bad, even among my least favorites.

Il Profumo Firenzi di Mare.

My most recent lemming is Ume by Keiko Mecheri. I was sold at the first sniff. The fragrance is centered around Japanese plum which sometimes smells like a delicious ripe fruit, sometimes more like plum liqueur. I detect some soft white flowers and some woods and spices. It is sparkling and creamy-soft at the same time. Special and uplifting.

How did you like TDC Jasmin de Nuit, Hillaire? It is my favourite of the line (I haven't tried Oriental Lounge yet, but all the others yes) - it is so warm and spicy with just the right amount of sweetness. My second favourite is Bois d'Iris alongside Bergamote. Then follows Un Parfum de Charmes et Feuilles and Sel de Vetiver. Rose Poivree is also good, but it smells to me like a toned-down interpretation of Kingdom, which I love and own (twice).

I have to recomend Creed Royal English Leather- sublime soft delicious leather and +1 for CdG Champaca.

I'm glad to see another fan of Panthere, Un Profumo Affettuoso. It is unknown here and a definite must try for the tuberose lovers.
I still recommend The Party in Manhattan, although some have an adverse reaction to its animalic notes. I find it rich and intriguing.
Also, Aomassai, Garrique, Querrelle & Iris Taizo by Parfumerie Generale.

Hillaire, are you still perusing what to sample? What I've been quite protective of htis summer is my Papyrus de Ciane sample from PGenerale. It's an EDT, so about 5 hours of wear, but i'm leaning towards getting a decant of this. It's an unusual dry, green, woody scent that I feel balances out the more muggy/humid days of summer. share with us what you find!

I just recently discovered Creed Royal Water, and I'm wondering where it's been all my life! Perfect for hot weather.

Well, my current paramour is Kelly Caleche edt, so much so that it might have knocked something out of top 5. Or maybe there are now six top 5s.

Anyway, I'm no good at describing fumes, especially ones I really like. It starts out sharply sweet (sharp, compared to the rest of it), like strawberry lipgloss, and segues into really warm flowers (maybe the mimosa?) with this brilliant soft, elegant leather undercurrent that really asserts itself in the last couple hours. Really easy to wear, too.