TODAY I BOUGHT: July 2010 - Page 3

Guerlain - Elixir Charnel - Gourmand Coquin

Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia + matching body cream

Notes include neroli, lilac, rosewood, tuberose, gardenia, orange flower, jasmine, white lily, carnation and vanilla bourbon.

2.5 ml spray sample of Ankh - Scents of Time

SculptureofSoul's recommendation on the Fragrance Philosophy thread has me curious about this one.

Just bought a Brand-spankin-new VINTAGE bottle of MPG Ambre Precieux. I found a little place which has many vintage bottles including Route de Vetiver. This weekend I plan to buy them out. SO EXCITED!!!

Mark Birley for Men. I have test run this one about 4 times and it came out a winner for me. Not strong, but as classy as they come. Smells like a million bucks.

Received two today:

D&G The one (Ubiquitous, yes, but I have a hard time with summer scents and this one works for me)

And a backup bottle of A*Men Pure Malt.

Santos de Cartier
Eau Sauvage Extrême/Dior
Carlo/Carlo Corinto

All new to me, never owned any of them before.

Unforgivable Multi Platinum

Supposedly higher quality and better smelling than the original, and a cheap alternative to Creed MI. Here's hoping it actually is...

Yesterday I came across someone selling a gift set that he received as a gift but he said he doesn't like to wear cologne. It's a 4.2oz cologne and 4.2 oz shower gel set of JGP Le Male.... I got it brand new, unopened for $35. I can't stand the bottle but I really dig the juice so I could not pass up the deal.

My Wife picked up a Facconable for me yesterday!!!
Gary

from Creed Boutique NYC...

Creed Silver Mountain Water (4.0oz)

Roberto Verino - VV Man
Roberto Verino - Pour Homme

Broke down and ordered Costamor Tabacca after sampling for the past two days. Wonderful stuff.

Duel by Annick Goutal

deleted - sorry

Today I ordered a bottle of Havana (blind) from Nordstrom.
Because of all the glowing reviews, this has been on my to buy list for a very long time.
I have a feeling I won't be let down.....I hope.

200ml shower-gel of Creed Green Irish Tweed.

These finally arrived after almost a month of waiting:



Vraie Blonde
Vierges & Toreros
Rien

Emporio Armani White He (Lui)
> got this blind, at a very good price
> initial thought on first wearing : dang, I smell like cat pee (!!!)
> then all my siblings said I smelled good (!!!), one of the frags I bought they actually liked (not any of the ones they call old-fogey)

Oh well, I AM starting to like it hehe

Zanzibar - Van Cleef & Arpels

Perry Ellis for Men (Original - 1985)

I received my bottle of l'Occitane's Ambre yesterday in the mail and, DANG!, what an amazing fragrance! I don't have all that much experience with Ambers (SL's Ambre Sultan & Pd'E's Ambre Russe), but this one absolutely blows those two out of the water! I'm not knowledgable enough to give you a sophisticated review of the notes and the progression, etc... but I can easily say this is one of the most gorgeous fragrances I've ever smelled. It's intoxicating!!! Anyway, so I'm just sitting at my desk at work, taking deep breaths in of this glorious juice, and savoring the aura it's created around me. Highly recommend this stuff - a shame it's been discontinued and costs damn near an arm for a fragrance that, in it's day, was very affordable.

Thierry Mugler B*Men

Since it's totally unavailable here in Switzerland and I really wanted to try this one, I blind bought it online. Good surprise, on the website it was indicated as a 50ml bottle and I received a 100ml one (the one on the pic).
As soon as I opened the box, I smelled a similar note which I liked in Ice*Men, good thing. I just tested it on my wrist and my first impression is very good !
Just like A*Men (which I'm neutral about it), I guess it's not the kind of perfume I really enjoy when I put my nose on. It's all in the sillage and the aura it creates around.
And what I smell when I get my wrist away is a clean and exotic patchouli(?), something woody and earthy, fruited up a bit.
For ~35$ the 100ml bottle, I think I made a good deal and it will be easily in my regular rotation.

L'occitane - L'occitan

Very gentle and safe. It smells like it's been made with quality ingredients, and while it's safe, it still has some intrigue about it.
My wife keeps burying her face on me (it really wears very close)
Longevity is great on me.
Recommended.

Witness by Bogart (love it!)

City Tower by Bogart (don't know yet)

Salvador Pour Homme (I expect I'll love it)

Vermeil Pour Homme (Really like this once you get past the top notes which are generic, the drydown is sublime though and lasts for hours)

I got 8 items from the Demeter Fragrance Library in a lot buy on eBay, including:

Apple Blossom
Meyer Lemon
Gin & Tonic
Gingerale
Gardenia
Cinnamon Toast
Wet Garden
Grapefruit Tea

Small bottles (1/3 oz to 1 oz), but at $2.00/each shipped, not a bad deal!

I ordered a couple of frags from a Danish webshop today.
Male frags, for once!

125ml L'Instant pour Homme, EdT
100ml Kouros, EdT
100ml Body Kouros, EdT
25ml Xeryus, EdT

*Scratches head* Those.... they are....... not Dior?


; - ) Enjoy!

LOL, and pour Homme for Gods sake!!!
I have so many Diors, that there are further and further between I find any I need!
Besides, those four I bought, are all long time 'got to have' frags of mine, so ...

Great choice Joe! I've been obsessed with this since I bought it a couple of weeks ago.

How come the bottles are different Matthew?

Habit Rouge EdT and Chêne.

CPB,

I believe this is the older packaging. = )

Marc Jacobs - Bang 1.7 oz

So I have been finding some decent deals recently in a certain spot both new with wholesale prices and a few lightly used/unopened things, too. Like just recently a Le Male gift set and just yesterday a used 2.4 Cool Water that was still 90% there for $10. Which I must say is a revolting stench to me and can't figure out why anyone likes it let alone be so popular but so be it, something for everyone I guess. I wonder what will I do with this since it's not something I'll wear....evar! Maybe just gift it to a friend...... one who I never see...evar!!!!! LOL

Last night as I'm putting my head down to rest I think to myself, how I'd love to score a bottle of Creed or something like that cheap. Of course my second thought is who's gonna have a bottle of Creed and not want it? Heh.....I know one of the few I really liked when testing was the Original Santal. I remember I did like a few more but that was the only one the name stuck with me.

So I wake up this morning and look at my various places I try to score some good frags cheap and well what do you know there is a 1oz bottle of Creed Original Santal with just a couple spritz out of it for $40....and I scoop it up. Lucky dog I am! Whoduthunkit? I'm not gonna wear this very often. It'll be a special occasion one. I really, really like it now that I had the chance to smell the dry down on my skin. It's a perfect match for my body chemistry.

I also came across a new 3.4 bottle of Versace Dreamer for $40 as well. Which I tested a couple days ago and really liked it, the opening can be a bit of a jolt to the nose but the dry down is unlike anything I think I've smelled before from a frag. It's truly a tale of two scents with this one. I was surprised to come across this about $20 less than full retail just days after I sampled it and decided I like it.

I've got a few more on my immediate buy list but I might have to wait a couple weeks to get them as the funds make itself available. Unless scorching deals come my way again which I won't rule out.... I will keep them in my 'dreams' again maybe I'll get lucky. Or I could dream of a cheap 2.4 bottle of Creed...hhhmmmmmmmmm

Today, I hit the department stores for the first time in a while. I decided, I guess, to take a trip down Memory Lane with two mainstream men's scents from a while back:

Aramis New West for Him (1988) Aromatic
------------------
Top Notes: Aldehydes, Marine Note, Lavender, Mint, Artemisia, Bergamot, Thyme Middle Notes: Juniper Berries, Coriander, Watermelon, Pine, Bay Laurel, Geranium, Jasmine Base Notes: Patchouli, Cedar. Oakmoss, Musk, Amber, Leather, Sandalwood
------------------

and

Gendarme Grabazzi (1995) Musk Fougère
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Top Notes: Pepper, Carnation, Citrus Middle Notes: Lavender, Jasmine, Lilac, Lime Base Notes: Musk, Bergamot, Leather
------------------

From the duty free shop: Amouage Man miniatures box set.

Creed Green Irish Tweed
Scents of Time Ankh
Guerlain Homme L`Eau

Pre-ordered Bleu de Chanel by Chanel as well. Daddy likes...

The older bottles look much better, IMHO. Great find, Matt!

I agree Trebor, I like the look of the old ones.

I could not resist buying a 10ml bottle of:


and a 30ml bottle of:

Did the babe come with the 30ml bottle? I hope you haven't discarded her in the trash - I'd gladly take her off your hands...

Guerlain - Coriolan

Yesterday, actually. I was at Barneys, where the day before I had sniffed it, and went back to buy:

Parfums DelRae Coup de Foudre (2010) Yann Vasnier Fresh Floral
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Top Notes: Pink Peppercorns, Lemon, Pink Grapefruit Middle Notes: Rose de Mai, Peony, Jasmine, Magnolia Base Notes: Tonka Bean, Vetiver, Moss, Musk
------------------
Starts of with a very pronounced centifolia rose note, sharpened by citrus and musk. It gives an immediate "lady's handbag" impression, and the first time I tried it on my skin, that put me off so much that I wrote it off as "not for me." After just five or ten minutes, however, that impression completely disappears, leaving a balanced, fresh and beautiful rose de mai floral perfume with fresh accents. That stage lasts a while, and then it slowly fades, keeping the citrus notes in play along with the rose and base notes, while the other florals take a back seat. Sillage is killer at first, becoming more moderate during the middle stage, and then this becomes a skin scent. Vasnier has done a great job of blending this. I only wish the middle stage lasted longer and it didn't drop off so steeply in sillage toward the end, but given the quality of this juice, that's not so bad. By that point, you'd want to be pretty close to your honey anyway, I guess...

In the mail yesterday



ARABIE

Santos de Cartier CONCENTREE

Amazing stuff.

Many thanks, Treb.


The only issue I have with the older bottles is that the spray releases quite a punch, I'd liken it to a Creed spray. The newer bottles spray out just the right amount. Just something to take note of, in case.

Paco Rabane Tenere

Blind buy, USD 20. I didn't realise till I got home that this is discontinued, I'd just seen it mentioned in the same breath as Insense and other interesting 80s scents and was keen to try it. It has a pretty rough and tumble opening but that seems to be par for the course with some of the 80s ones, but already I'm enjoying it and just happy for the lucky find.The spray mechanism is a disaster - it might just as well be a splash - it's like taking a shower in the stuff.

After hemming and hawing for days, I went ahead and bought two bottles from the limited-edition Six Scents series: No. 3: The Spirit of Wood by Philippe Paparella-Paris for designer Cosmic Wonder, from Series 1; and No. 5: Nicoll No. 17 by Rodrigo Flores-Roux for designer Richard Nicoll, from Series 2.

The latter is one of the most beautiful dry-herbal scents I've ever encountered, and I would have snapped it up immediately except that its longevity is quite poor. However, I can't get the memory of it out of my head, and ultimately I decided that that's the kind of longevity that matters most. (Plus I got both bottles half price at the Apothia sale!)

Bang. Sorry, I am a sucker for funky bottles.

Guerlain Homme Intense

Aveda Men Pure-Formance Aroma Spray and Aveda Men Pure-Formance Grooming Clay

I love the spearmint/vetiver combo here.

The gift box version of Xerjoff's Uden. Should get here Monday, can't wait!