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Great topnotes ruined with dull basenotes

post #1 of 32
8/31/10 at 3:39am
Thread Starter 
Have you ever bought a fragrance just because of the great opening notes?

I have!
I once bought Minotaure by Paloma Picasso because of the great orange/aldehydes opening.
Since it's a fragrance that's rather hard to find, I decided to immediately buy it without wearing it for a full day.
When I got home, I already disliked the basenotes.
Now I have my lesson learned: give every fragrance a full wearing, then you won't be surprised (and still have your money left )
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post #2 of 32
8/31/10 at 4:14am
Mugler cologne for me. Nice opening but once the top notes fade and all you are left with is the soapy soapy it gets too much for me. Saved the retail dollar by giving it a test wearing even if I added it later on a cheapo used score for a steal. Still makes it hard to wear but much more pleasing on the price of a lunch for two to get the 10oz bottle!
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post #3 of 32
8/31/10 at 4:49am
I find that many recent fragrances, let's say ones released over the past 5-10 years or so, suffer from this problem.

Decent top notes and middle notes give way to a weak, nondescript, slightly sweet base with little character or force.
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post #4 of 32
8/31/10 at 7:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by noggs View Post

I find that many recent fragrances, let's say ones released over the past 5-10 years or so, suffer from this problem.

Decent top notes and middle notes give way to a weak, nondescript, slightly sweet base with little character or force.

I agree with this. I think a good deal of fragrances are made on the premise that people will buy the fragrance based on the topnotes and so little is invested on making the base interesting or unique.
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post #5 of 32
8/31/10 at 7:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Desmond Hume View Post

Have you ever bought a fragrance just because of the great opening notes?

I have!
I once bought Minotaure by Paloma Picasso because of the great orange/aldehydes opening.
Since it's a fragrance that's rather hard to find, I decided to immediately buy it without wearing it for a full day.
When I got home, I already disliked the basenotes.
Now I have my lesson learned: give every fragrance a full wearing, then you won't be surprised (and still have your money left )

There's something about this fragrance that just smells like paint chips and glue to me, very chemically induced dry down.

as for the question though, there are quite a few with awesome top notes and "take it or leave it" base notes; and a select handful with the same but horrible base notes. One that comes to mind first, one that I recently finished a decant of, and although I wasn't thrilled with the top or middle, but they sure as hell had me more interested than the base was Oud Wood. What started off as a stripped down B*Men without all the sweetness, turned into a dry animalic and overly spicy wood, which I didn't care for at all.

Some that aren't as bad though are Adidas Moves and Halston Unbound. I looooove the opening of Moves, it's so underrated. It's 10 times better than Curve, it's like the biggest blast of citrus ever, fresh, sweet and sour and hits you right in the face and lights you up; but quickly fades into an off smelling soapy/floral that almost smells vile to me, I guess this one is more of a "fragrance ruined by the middle notes"; the base is then better but quite subtle. Unbound is similar, Fresh, very aquatic openings, into a more floral and cheap base that just doesn't go well with me. I've never been a huge floral fan to begin with, but the main reason is because most fragrances seem to only capture the boring floral notes, I guess because they're more versatile and safe.
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post #6 of 32
8/31/10 at 7:43am
I learned early on to never buy because top notes. In fact i often buy strictly because of the base notes, as that is what you'll smell the longest, unless we're talking ADG here which is practically pure top notes
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post #7 of 32
8/31/10 at 7:53am
YSL Jazz
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post #8 of 32
8/31/10 at 8:09am
Top notes have never really influenced any of my purchases.
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post #9 of 32
8/31/10 at 8:09am
Chanel Egoiste. The drydown is not exactly dull but it just doesn't appeal to my sensitivities.
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post #10 of 32
8/31/10 at 9:50am
Oh man, this one's easy: ROCABAR!

I used to wear Rocabar when it first came out, solely because the topnotes were (and still are) spectacular. I used up a whole bottle. But I find the middle and basenotes soapy and boring as hell, just a boring block of smell. Back then, I didn't care about this, but now I cannot wear Rocabar at all because of the lousy mids and basenotes. My current bottle is just sitting in a storage box, where I expect it will stay until I feel inspired to give it another go.
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post #11 of 32
8/31/10 at 9:53am
one of my favorite scent, (Frapin) Caravelle Epicee falls under this ..
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post #12 of 32
8/31/10 at 10:09am
I've never put much thought into it, but I think, shamu, that we share the same dilemma with Rocabar. Every time i've tried it I say to myself "hey, that's very nice!" then forget about it after the top notes burn off. I honestly can't remember what the drydown smells like, despite sampling it probably 5+ times on skin.

... and I can't think of many more. It seems 5 minutes of great top notes followed by hours of "blah" is a pretty good recipe for me to forget about it entirely!

I'm going to spin the topic around a bit. The fragrance I have in mind follows the formula "great topnotes, dull basenotes" but I think it's a credit to it's wearability and popularity. Caron Pour Homme. The lavender is alive and vibrant but, as anyone who has spilled lavender essential oil would probably agree, can be overwhelming after a while. Thankfully CPH's somewhat plain amber/vanilla base smooths things out over the long term. Masterful use of top and base, imho.
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post #13 of 32
8/31/10 at 10:18am
Sounds like Aventus - which is why I would never buy it.
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post #14 of 32
8/31/10 at 11:08am
This one is easy for me too. Hugo.

This was one of my first purchases when I started my fragrance journey in earnest, and it is also the one that taught me not to buy based on top notes. I actually still really like the top notes, but the base is just a dreadful musty, dank, basement smell on my skin.
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post #15 of 32
8/31/10 at 11:23am
I still love them but the openings of L'Homme de Coeur and Gucci Pour Homme are by far the best part.
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post #16 of 32
8/31/10 at 12:40pm
I'm one of those people who has to absolutely love a fragrance from start to finish, as opposed to those of us who don't mind waiting around for some disagreeable top notes to burn off. In other words, if I don't like the top notes, I'm not going to like the fragrance.

Of the very few fragrances with truly amazing top notes, I've found that most wind up disappointing me with some lame-ass drydown to a bland, boring base.
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post #17 of 32
8/31/10 at 1:37pm
Safari
Great topnote, but simple drying down IMO.
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post #18 of 32
8/31/10 at 4:32pm
Not bought, but sampled.

I really wanted Aramis 900 to work. Top notes are fantastic. But the basenotes ( and generally the dry down) really turn me off. It just comes across as depressing. Not sure why. But I dislike it.
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post #19 of 32
8/31/10 at 4:50pm
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YSL M7
I love the Dr Pepper / Oud intro, but can't stand the vanillic Twinkie dry down.

Guerlain Vetiver
The soapy dry down just kills this one for me
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post #20 of 32
8/31/10 at 5:01pm
D&G Anthology 6, I liked to top notes but it dissipated SO quickly, I wondered if they had even bothered with any base notes.

Thank the wonder of free samples saving me from that one.

Yep, now buying a fragrance can take a whole day!

Ho hum
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post #21 of 32
8/31/10 at 9:45pm
Concentre D Orange Verte

the orange juice blast was amazing but the leather handbag drydown was dissapointing. Luckily i didint invest in a FB yet.
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post #22 of 32
9/2/10 at 5:15am
Gotta add this, since it's gonna be my SotD. Bvlgari Aqva Marine. Mind you, the top notes are not extraordinary, but they do a good job. Aquatic, citrus, crisp, some melon. Nice projection as well, but after the first 15-20 minutes it's just like WTF. Those top notes are just fresh, crisp and inoffensive, while the middle and base are just paper smelling.
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post #23 of 32
9/2/10 at 6:30am
This one isn't going to be popular, so I'll go ahead and put up my

But I just don't like the base of Himalaya or Green Irish Tweed. I wore them both again this week for the first time in a long time. I had hoped I would "get" the hype now that I'm a bit more experienced. However, I did enjoy the top notes of both, but once they hit that Creed house base I was just ready to wash them off.

Many like that base, and I think that's great. It's just not for me, or doesn't agree with my skin one.

Oddly enough, though, I think the base is excellent in Erolfa and very good in SMW also.
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post #24 of 32
9/2/10 at 6:54am
Gucci Envy - Lovely in the beginning, but after a while I start to smell like some old geezer who stirred vanilla pudding into his Brut.
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post #25 of 32
9/2/10 at 11:18am
Bambou-Roger & Gallet
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post #26 of 32
9/2/10 at 12:14pm
Eau Sauvage (LOVE the topnotes)
Lacoste Booster
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic
Entire Bond no.9 line (CORN SYRUP BASE !!! MMMMM)
Many Penhaligon's scents.
Many popular designer scents. Cool Water for example.
Newer formulations of Polo Sport.
Kiton Black (great top and heart)
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post #27 of 32
9/2/10 at 12:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by noggs View Post

I find that many recent fragrances, let's say ones released over the past 5-10 years or so, suffer from this problem.

Decent top notes and middle notes give way to a weak, nondescript, slightly sweet base with little character or force.

As I started to reply I realized the fragrances that came to mind are those matching this category -- released in the last dozen years or so. John Varvatos, Armani Code, etc.
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post #28 of 32
9/2/10 at 11:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Desmond Hume View Post

Have you ever bought a fragrance just because of the great opening notes?

I have!
I once bought Minotaure by Paloma Picasso because of the great orange/aldehydes opening.
Since it's a fragrance that's rather hard to find, I decided to immediately buy it without wearing it for a full day.
When I got home, I already disliked the basenotes.
Now I have my lesson learned: give every fragrance a full wearing, then you won't be surprised (and still have your money left )

Minotaure was one of my all time favorites. I don't know if the bottle changed or I did because as time went by I found the end of it to be quite bitter.
I haven't re-bought.
Perhaps I just left the juice unused for too long?

(I wish I could say I left it in the hottest sunlight but I know I didn't)

Two from 1994:

Tongue in cheek? The reformulated Nicole Miller for Men. The top notes smell exactly like the great classic it once was. I haven't the foggiest as to what the middle and basenotes smell like, nor does anyone else, because the scent evaporates in about 5 minutes.

On the level: Vetiver by Lorenzo Villoresi. The top notes are freakin' amazing! The rest is just . . .there

*sigh*

Mario
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post #29 of 32
9/3/10 at 11:40am
L' Artisan's Voleur de Roses has what is, IMO, the most georgeous opening of any of my fragrances. Beyond that, 9 times out of 10 the mid and drydown is somewhat sour and unpleasant.
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post #30 of 32
9/3/10 at 1:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hedgehog View Post

Gucci Envy - Lovely in the beginning, but after a while I start to smell like some old geezer who stirred vanilla pudding into his Brut.

The HORROR! one of my favourite fragrances. Actually think you have a point, it does go a bit pants, I just use loads of the stuff. Think this means I have really bad taste in fragrances.

Ho - hum
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post #31 of 32
9/3/10 at 3:24pm
I'd say this problem keeps Pino Silvestre from being great, especially for the price. The herbs, pine, etc., are great., but the generic woody/amber base does not excite !
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post #32 of 32
9/3/10 at 7:53pm
Aventus, i loved the top notes to death but the drydown was sad.
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