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Basenotes Sweethearts

post #1 of 47
9/1/10 at 3:37pm
Thread Starter 
Over the two years I have been here there have been a couple of frags that were overly hyped and got admittedly undeserved attention.
I dont mean those that are constant favourites but rather those that get their two months rave and then disappear again.

What fragrances like that can you think of and when were they popular?

Two that immediately come to mind are Rive Gauche PH, overly popular about a year ago, I think, and L'air du Desert Marrocain (last fall?).

Sure they are great frags so the paid respect was well deserved but the hype, quite frankly, was over the top.

Anyone else?
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post #2 of 47
9/1/10 at 3:42pm
The ones I can think of right now may also (although not exclusively) include: Dior Homme, Encre Noire, YSL M7 (although these are rather constant favorites, or, equally likely, frags which get the "on-and-off-and on again..." kind of hype)
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post #3 of 47
9/1/10 at 3:45pm
Encre Noir, Cuiron, M7 and Knize 10 come to my mind. These were specially endorsed by "heavy posters" in the recent past. Some other niche scents are part of this "game", so to speak, but I cannot recall anyone in particular.
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post #4 of 47
9/1/10 at 3:49pm
Thread Starter 
Aaaw, right, how could I miss out those?
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post #5 of 47
9/1/10 at 3:53pm
Everything Ken russell listed, but do add Terre D' Hermes, Musc Ravaguer, Amouage Jubilation, and Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille.
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post #6 of 47
9/1/10 at 4:13pm
Amouage always gets a nice reception here, and I think that Epic has done very well within that. Not undeserved, either, IMO.

Creed Vintage Tabarôme is treated like a demi-god here, too - and I'll admit being one of the fanboys of that, too.

Right now, though, I think Bleu de Chanel is stirring things up like the next hurricane, and REALLY doesn't deserve it. It's kind of a sweetheart in the sense of Paris Hilton being a media "sweetheart". Famous for being famous. If anybody else would have made it, it would have dropped off the charts with Givenchy Pi Neo, the Marc Ecko frag, and the Ed Hardy scents. The Chanel name, like Hilton, got it media attention. Now I may like the scent, and I love discussing it, but when is the last time a fresh scent pushed up against nine pages around here? NO WAY. I predict it will be back in comfortable semi-obscurity with lesser royalty and the Allure flankers by next summer.
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post #7 of 47
9/1/10 at 4:40pm
As for fleeting sweethearts, when I first started here, everyone constantly gushed about Montale Aouds and I don't hear much about them any more. I'm also suprised at how long that Bang thread has stayed at the top of page one.

I think that's a whole different thing than the ongoing buzz that actual quality scents like Encre Noire or LADDM get.

EDIT: Oh, I forgot Windsor! Manufactured scarcity + the Creed name = a veritable orgy of BN hype. It's already dying down though, now that we all have Aventus to sniff...
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post #8 of 47
9/1/10 at 5:08pm
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I don't think that Rive Gauche PH was ever really hyped up. It's just a solid scent that is very versatile so it always comes up when posters ask for recommendations...
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post #9 of 47
9/1/10 at 5:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larwiz View Post

Everything Ken russell listed, but do add Terre D' Hermes, Musc Ravaguer, Amouage Jubilation, and Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille.

Overly hyped?

Is this overly hyping them?: Some of the greatest fragrances ever made!!!
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post #10 of 47
9/1/10 at 5:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rogalal View Post

EDIT: Oh, I forgot Windsor! Manufactured scarcity + the Creed name = a veritable orgy of BN hype. It's already dying down though, now that we all have Aventus to sniff...

Creed plays that market like a piano. And I'm singing along for sure! They simply know how to generate hype.

Quote:
Originally Posted by KMF View Post

I don't think that Rive Gauche PH was ever really hyped up. It's just a solid scent that is very versatile so it always comes up when posters ask for recommendations...

I do agree that it has real long-term quality (well, Windsor does, too, but there really was hype on that one.) I agree that RGPH wasn't so much super-hyped, but I do remember about a year and a half or so ago, RGPH went through this period where it got a lot of threads, and it got "discovered" and pretty much swept through all the noobs at that time.
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post #11 of 47
9/1/10 at 7:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by boosh View Post

Overly hyped?

Is this overly hyping them?: Some of the greatest fragrances ever made!!!

None of the fragrances I listed are great or even close.
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post #12 of 47
9/1/10 at 7:58pm
Body Kouros, Terre d'Hermes, Chanel Allure Homme/Sport come to mind
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post #13 of 47
9/1/10 at 8:33pm
Gosh, there was the era of Lonestar Memories c.Jan 09 Idole made an appearance then, too.
Then it was Cuir Ottoman.
Then the Curion love.
Scentemental played a one-man fanfare for vintage Givenchy Gentleman that lasted years...
Then Chergui, whew, that one was intense!!
And MKK was hot on its heels!



Not that any of these were unworthy.... but sure, there are Zeitgeist scents...
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post #14 of 47
9/1/10 at 9:34pm
^ Yeah, it's interesting how vintage Givenchy Gentleman cycles through here periodically. A bunch of people buy it, then it dies down until enough new people arrive to start asking around about it and the people who have it start talking it up. It gets a few threads, including bottle pics, and then the new people stock up. Everybody's happy and it slumbers until the next time.

But hard to believe that Lonestar Memories was a sweetheart! That stuff is....... interestingly unwearable.
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post #15 of 47
9/1/10 at 9:36pm
DC1913 was the board's sweetheart for awhile. Now it's barely mentioned.
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post #16 of 47
9/1/10 at 9:46pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

DC1913 was the board's sweetheart for awhile. Now it's barely mentioned.

C&S No. 88 as well...
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post #17 of 47
9/2/10 at 12:23am
Lol, yeah. I never expect the generic-styled Bleu by Chanel to generate 9 pages (and counting...)

I suspect Marc Jacobs BANG might be the next...
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post #18 of 47
9/2/10 at 3:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMF View Post

C&S No. 88 as well...

Many being sold in the Sales thread. Did you notice?
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post #19 of 47
9/2/10 at 4:18am
Aramis - Havana (all the time, until the relaunche)
Less obvious: D&G By
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post #20 of 47
9/2/10 at 4:30am
Divine L'Homme Sage
fell off as it should have.
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post #21 of 47
9/2/10 at 5:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larwiz View Post

None of the fragrances I listed are great or even close.

Because they were hyped?
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post #22 of 47
9/2/10 at 5:05am
I don't think there's a predicatble relation between hype and the actual "worth" or significance of a scent. Mediocre stuff gets hypred as well as potential classics in the context of forum psychology. Rive Gauche, Terre d'Hermes, LDDM, dior homme, Knize Ten are brilliant fragrances, the latter three unquestionable milestones in perfumery, whether one personally likes them or not.
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post #23 of 47
9/2/10 at 5:29am
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don't forget the GIT religion also...
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post #24 of 47
9/2/10 at 5:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DULLAH View Post

Divine L'Homme Sage
fell off as it should have.

I agree, this scent is too rich.. it becomes a bit sickening. There's not enough counterpoint against the sweetness and heaviness. A similar cardamom/green/lychee scent that is much better is the very underrated Azzaro Now Men.
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post #25 of 47
9/2/10 at 5:47am
I haven't seen the 'Geir' love train for a while now.
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post #26 of 47
9/2/10 at 6:14am
Aqua di Gio
Rive Gauche
Armani Code
Creed <fill in the blank>
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post #27 of 47
9/2/10 at 6:27am
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Was Black Aoud overhyped? I seem to remember seeing so much of it in multiple posts/threads from a year or 2 ago, but that reign seems to have blown well away. Now it only appears in "Best Longevity" threads.
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post #28 of 47
9/2/10 at 6:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ubergeek View Post

Aqua di Gio
Rive Gauche
Armani Code
Creed <fill in the blank>

Acqua di Gio and Armani Code Basenotes Sweethearts? That's like seeing McDonald's being 'highly recommended' in GaultMillau...
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post #29 of 47
9/2/10 at 8:05am
I have to agree on Bleu de Chanel. Boy, is it average! I have given it 3 full wearings and I am not at all impressed. Birthday scent or not, I wish I had selected a different scent. Which one? I dunno.
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post #30 of 47
9/3/10 at 5:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by matthewfoo View Post

Was Black Aoud overhyped? I seem to remember seeing so much of it in multiple posts/threads from a year or 2 ago, but that reign seems to have blown well away. Now it only appears in "Best Longevity" threads.

We must have started reading/participating at around the same time Matt. The Montale Aoud craze was unlike anything I've seen since when I first joined. Almost every other thread seemed to be about them.
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post #31 of 47
9/3/10 at 6:26pm
Back when I came to Basenotes it was Santa Maria Novella.....SMN everything.....Bvlgari Black also seemed to get way more attention than it gets now.....Sure.....some still talk about it.....but not like they used to talk.....Gary
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post #32 of 47
9/3/10 at 6:43pm
I don't think the "hype" was overkill for Bulgari Black, it is still one of my all-time favorites. (especially layered with Bandit)...it is still unique and notable enough, but perhaps the rush of "wow, this is an unusual scent!" is over. I do think though that Serge Lutens' scents may have been overhyped, as they're a little "too niche" at least for my tastes, although intriguing, and some of them very good.
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post #33 of 47
9/3/10 at 6:56pm
Creeds, Habit Rouge, TdH, Knize Ten, M7, Kouros, ...
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post #34 of 47
9/3/10 at 7:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by the_good_life View Post

I don't think there's a predicatble relation between hype and the actual "worth" or significance of a scent. Mediocre stuff gets hypred as well as potential classics in the context of forum psychology. Rive Gauche, Terre d'Hermes, LDDM, dior homme, Knize Ten are brilliant fragrances, the latter three unquestionable milestones in perfumery, whether one personally likes them or not.

Forgive me but leisure suits and clip on ties were milestones as well, whether one personally liked them or not.
One thing that I've often wondered about Dr. Luca Turin is whether or not he's a bit of a nutcase when he goes overboard praising anything that is innovative.

I think it's a legitimate question to ask whether a frag that is innovative should get praised because it smells great
( I know, what a silly standard for judging fragrances )
Or because it has a gimmick that's caught on.

My own hypothesis is that if it is great, it will stand the test of time.

But, I'm a bit of a nutcase too, so . . .

Pax,

Mario
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post #35 of 47
9/3/10 at 7:46pm
About 8-9 years ago we had a penchant for Casran's Chopard and LV Piper Nigrum.
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post #36 of 47
9/3/10 at 8:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Desmond Hume View Post

Acqua di Gio and Armani Code Basenotes Sweethearts? That's like seeing McDonald's being 'highly recommended' in GaultMillau...

LMAO

Whipping boys is more like it.

Although I have to say two things...

(1) If you're a fellow Yank, I highly recommend McDonalds in other countries. McDonald's in Tokyo has some awesome pastries, and the ones in Rome have these excellent ham panini things that you must experience - simply for perspective.

(2) If you're a BNer who loves to rag on AdG and Code, I highly recommend throwing your critical faculties at these puppies, the next time you're bored at the counter in Macy's. Yeah, yeah, yeah - you smelled them before. But give them a closer sniff to see what makes them tick, and why they're making boo-koo bucks. It's not all due to the shallow tastes of your fellow man, or advertising that has hypnotized the buying public. Compare AdG to any of the imitators, side-by-side. Compare Code with a variety of other mainstream scents. I think you'll discover several aspects of each which speak of good perfumery, pure and simple. Agreed - they've spawned legions of generic imitations. But they still have some good stuff under the hood.
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post #37 of 47
9/4/10 at 3:57am
The two that spring to mind for me are:

Straight to Heaven & L'Homme Sage.

No redeeming features in my mind - sorry.
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post #38 of 47
9/4/10 at 4:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redneck Perfumisto View Post

LMAO

Whipping boys is more like it.

Although I have to say two things...

(1) If you're a fellow Yank, I highly recommend McDonalds in other countries. McDonald's in Tokyo has some awesome pastries, and the ones in Rome have these excellent ham panini things that you must experience - simply for perspective.

(2) If you're a BNer who loves to rag on AdG and Code, I highly recommend throwing your critical faculties at these puppies, the next time you're bored at the counter in Macy's. Yeah, yeah, yeah - you smelled them before. But give them a closer sniff to see what makes them tick, and why they're making boo-koo bucks. It's not all due to the shallow tastes of your fellow man, or advertising that has hypnotized the buying public. Compare AdG to any of the imitators, side-by-side. Compare Code with a variety of other mainstream scents. I think you'll discover several aspects of each which speak of good perfumery, pure and simple. Agreed - they've spawned legions of generic imitations. But they still have some good stuff under the hood.

(1) I happen to prefer Burger King (in any country)
(2) AdG and Code are two of my favorite fragrances I just thought it was weird to see them here mentioned as Basenotes Sweethearts, while they get bashed all the time simply because they are so popular.
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post #39 of 47
2/7/11 at 8:39am
Right now it's fair to say that New Haarlem is the current BN sweet(literally)heart. Those auctioning the frag on eBay can expect a pretty hefty boost
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post #40 of 47
2/7/11 at 8:45am
Green Irish Tweed comes to mind. But I think it hasn't gone out of fashion here yet.
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post #41 of 47
2/7/11 at 9:07am
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Surprised that I'm the first to mention... Pure Malt
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post #42 of 47
2/7/11 at 9:17am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rumblefish View Post

Right now it's fair to say that New Haarlem is the current BN sweet(literally)heart. Those auctioning the frag on eBay can expect a pretty hefty boost

Is it? I dont see that much discussion on it around...

Right now, Reflection man.
Yeah, its great, I love it myself but boy, is there a lot of raving
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post #43 of 47
2/7/11 at 9:46am
I think there's a difference between Sweethearts and Overhyped...

Sweethearts are ones like Rive Gauche, Guerlain Vetiver, etc... ie good basic starter frags that we all know and love and are easy to plug in as a recommendation for anyone because they're generally liked.

Overhyped are ones that get huge airtime for a short period (and may be good, but they're just over-recommended) like Pure Malt, Black Oud, L'Homme Sage, etc... Ambre Narguile, Secretions Magnifique (?), etc
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post #44 of 47
2/7/11 at 10:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zgb View Post

don't forget the GIT religion also...

While i'll say that GIT is VERY hyped, i think that particular fragrance deserves the hype. It is, after all - a fantastic scent, but, that is just my opinion.
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post #45 of 47
2/7/11 at 2:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by timaru View Post

Right now, Reflection man.
Yeah, its great, I love it myself but boy, is there a lot of raving

I never thought I'd see the day. Hoo boy! And to think that I may have had some small part in it. *beams*

As I said to Larwiz though - all others have to get in line behind me. It was my signature scent first!
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post #46 of 47
2/7/11 at 3:35pm
At the moment it seems to be that Malt thing.....to the max.
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post #47 of 47
2/7/11 at 4:07pm
At one point several years go, Geir, Envy and GIT was the rage.
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