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Jicky - a safe blind buy?

post #1 of 42
9/20/10 at 4:43am
Thread Starter 
I've seen all of the reviews: 60 positive against 7 negative. Its described as a complete masterpiece among many but I havent tried it. My question is if Jicky is a safe blind buy?
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post #2 of 42
9/20/10 at 4:46am
I`d say it isn`t a safe blind buy. It`s a fragrance that has something animalic on it, due to the use of civet as one of the main notes of this one, so I`d tell to try it first to see if you like at your skin. This one one me goes on a pastry direction and on a woody animalic too, depending of the day...
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post #3 of 42
9/20/10 at 4:51am
Thread Starter 
Ok. But is there any difference between the EDP and the EDT? What is to prefer?
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post #4 of 42
9/20/10 at 5:01am
Jicky is yes truly a masterpiece....it is quite a unique scent....BUT I wouldn't recommend blind buying this one. For a lot of people, the civet note can be off putting. Must try first!!!!
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post #5 of 42
9/20/10 at 5:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by volley2 View Post

I wouldn't recommend blind buying this one.

Nor would I.
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post #6 of 42
9/20/10 at 5:22am
I think it's a risky blind buy . . . I love it (Extrait) but the civet component can be a bit of an acquired taste if this is not a note you have previously experienced in scents.
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post #7 of 42
9/20/10 at 5:40am
No one should blind buy 'Jicky'.

Not even if you love the smell of a powdered baby who's pooped in his nappies.
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post #8 of 42
9/20/10 at 5:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gupts View Post

Not even if you love the smell of a powdered baby who's pooped in his nappies.

And we all know, that that is an exquisit smell, with it's own huge fanbase!

I love civet, but as for all older frags, there will be no blind buys for me either!
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post #9 of 42
9/20/10 at 5:51am
Thread Starter 
"Civet - a yellowish, fatty substance with a musklike scent, secreted by a gland near the genitals of the civet cat and used in making some perfumes." Well that sounds nice.
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post #10 of 42
9/20/10 at 5:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siifter View Post

"Civet - a yellowish, fatty substance with a musklike scent, secreted by a gland near the genitals of the civet cat and used in making some perfumes." Well that sounds nice.

That might sound nice, but the question is, does it smell nice?
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post #11 of 42
9/20/10 at 6:00am
I definitely wouldn't suggest a blind buy for this one...
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post #12 of 42
9/20/10 at 6:04am
I hate Jicky because I adore it. I wear the EdP (new revamped) PdT and the extrait (vintage and new) if you see my stock of it, you'll think I need help. I could bathe in it and still want more. Unfortunately, it just doesn't last no matter what strength it is.

About a year ago, I spilled half of a PdT bottle on me in my car and went up to the office... Everybody in the 5-floor building was raving about it and I gave them a lecture about it. Unfortunately, after 6 hours one girl was wondering why there was a smell of *toilet* in the air. Must have been the ton of civet I was sheathed in.
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post #13 of 42
9/20/10 at 6:04am
Unless you know you like civet, the answer is no, it is not safe.

One has to like civet and lavender to like Jicky (I would think). And if you do, I would still say get a sample.
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post #14 of 42
9/20/10 at 6:08am
Thread Starter 
It doesnt sound nice, and I would definitely not like the civet by itself. But who would?
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post #15 of 42
9/20/10 at 6:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siifter View Post

"Civet - a yellowish, fatty substance with a musklike scent, secreted by a gland near the genitals of the civet cat and used in making some perfumes." Well that sounds nice.

The funny thing is; it does indeed smell nice ... to some!
It's the most sexy and skanky note ever!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Killer_Vavoom View Post

I hate Jicky because I adore it.

Talk about contradiction!

'Do I love you because you're beautiful,
or are you beautiful because I love you?'
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post #16 of 42
9/20/10 at 6:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Grand Duc View Post

Talk about contradiction!

'Do I love you because you're beautiful,
or are you beautiful because I love you?'

Don't you know love is such a hateful thing - Hate myself for lovinng you - Love kills slowly...
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post #17 of 42
9/20/10 at 7:20am
Jicky is about the furthest possible thing from a safe blind buy. And I say that as an admirer of it.
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post #18 of 42
9/20/10 at 7:40am
Jicky or whatchamacallit - blind buys are seldom 'safe' imo. Unless of course they're purchased with someone else's money!
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post #19 of 42
9/20/10 at 8:16am
Jicky is definitely not a safe blind buy - gotta test all the concentrations first to see which you prefer. My preference is the extrait first ,then the EDP. I think it's kind of an acquired taste.
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post #20 of 42
9/20/10 at 9:06am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mimi Gardenia View Post

My preference is the extrait first ,then the EDP.

Extrait? I've never understood what that is. Is that the EDT or is there something else besides EDT and EDP??
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post #21 of 42
9/20/10 at 9:13am
Extrait or extract is parfum = 'extrait de parfum' - the highest concentration.
I love the parfum extrait - it's smoother- I get the most 'zing' of civet from the EDP and more lavender /aromatics from the extrait.
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post #22 of 42
9/20/10 at 9:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siifter View Post

"Civet - a yellowish, fatty substance with a musklike scent, secreted by a gland near the genitals of the civet cat and used in making some perfumes." Well that sounds nice.

Hahaha, reminds me of ambergris, which is basically dried out whale barf. And I love the smell!
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post #23 of 42
9/20/10 at 9:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siifter View Post

Extrait? I've never understood what that is. Is that the EDT or is there something else besides EDT and EDP??

Extrait = parfum = perfume
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post #24 of 42
9/20/10 at 9:40am
I have Jicky, and love it. Purchased it blindly only because I was able to score a lot for a price that was worth the risk. This is a fragrance that by NO means should anyone purchase blindly (unless you are crazy like me!). IF you are going to be bold and do it, I would start with the EDT.
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post #25 of 42
9/20/10 at 11:42am
Another "no" to the blind buy. Definitely sample this one. Just because it's a masterpiece, doesn't mean you'll want to wear it. There are plenty of frags I recognize as wonderful, but would never want to walk out of the house smelling like them.
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post #26 of 42
1/2/11 at 5:31pm
Siifter; "Extract" (or Extrait as the French call it) is another term for "perfume": it's the hightest concentration of a scent. As you probably know, most fragrances are at their peak in perfume form. But not necessarily so for Jicky. Jicky is one of a kind and although it is bascially the same fragrance through all of its iteratiions, there IS a significant difference in nuance among the EDT, EDP and Extract. I discovered Jicky in the 80's and it was practically love at first sniff. But because it is really a singular and undefinable fragrance (reviewers can't decide how to catagorize it) it's something you either love or hate; rarely is anyone neutral about Jicky. That is why your fellow BNs suggest to test before buying. A decant from some kind soul will do the trick.

My guess is that you, like me, will have found the Holy Grail of scent.
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post #27 of 42
1/2/11 at 5:46pm
No I wouldn't say it's a safe blind buy. Jicky is VERY distinctive, it's like an amped up version of Mouchoir de Monsieur and is very much an acquired taste.

Oddly, despite it having what we call in the UK the Marmite factor (you love it or hate it) I am actually one of those rare people who is neutral about it.

I prefer MdM on the whole which when I am in the mood to wear it, I love.
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post #28 of 42
1/2/11 at 6:23pm
It is one of my most adored frags. I own all 3 concentrations and appreciate each one for what it is because all three really are variations on the theme.
I still have to say it is not a safe blind buy unless you are getting it for an incredible deal and wouldn't miss the money if you find you made a huge mistake.
All the descriptions in the world can't give you a true mental picture of it. You really have to smell it for yourself.
I know I've said this before, but I really didn't care for it at first. I would spritz the EdT on my arm if I was in Neiman Marcus at lunch. It just struck me as an odd smelling mess. Invariably my SO would comment with a "Wow you smell good." in the evening. That encouraged me to keep trying it and eventually I got to test the extrait and BOOM I was hooked. It all made wonderful fragrant sense to me.
Best of luck on your JICKY adventures!
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post #29 of 42
1/2/11 at 6:24pm
It depends What scent preference do you like
would you like an strong aromatic Lavender opening
then buy it
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post #30 of 42
1/2/11 at 6:30pm
I would not recommend buying Jicky blind. It comes in several concentrations (edT, EdP, Parfum Extrait) and each one is quite different. Though for a man, I would think Mouchoir de Monsieur a tad bit more palatable with much of the powder and civet of Jicky better blended with a whack of coumarin.
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post #31 of 42
1/2/11 at 7:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siifter View Post

I've seen all of the reviews: 60 positive against 7 negative. Its described as a complete masterpiece among many but I havent tried it. My question is if Jicky is a safe blind buy?

It's a great fragrance that bores the hell out of me. Still, I like to smell it every once in awhile because it smells great and it makes a good toggle switch for the olfactory system. Mouchoir de Monsieur is also excellent but it suffers from a little structural poverty.

Just buy it. Like many fragrances, you need an ounce or so to know how you really feel about it anyway. Your perceptions can change drastically over time, and it might be months or years before you figure it out. But you'll never know if you don't own enough to last.
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post #32 of 42
1/2/11 at 8:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siifter View Post

"Civet - a yellowish, fatty substance with a musklike scent, secreted by a gland near the genitals of the civet cat and used in making some perfumes." Well that sounds nice.

At least they didn't use the cats pee like Michael Kors.
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post #33 of 42
1/2/11 at 8:35pm
I loved the extrait. Thanks Mimi !!!

I wouldn't blind buy it though. Civet is a tough note for some people.
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post #34 of 42
1/2/11 at 8:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PuddleMonkey View Post

At least they didn't use the cats pee like Michael Kors.

Or try and convince you that smelling like a pineapple is a good thing.
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post #35 of 42
5/20/11 at 2:43am
It's an old thread but no. Jicky is not worth blind buying. It's a really, really confronting scent. On me, I get lavender (which I associate with my grandmother, who grew masses of the stuff) floating over the top of this animal scent, that.

Well, it's pretty much pure sex.

To give you an idea, I went perfume shopping with my mother as a 21 year old. I tried on Jicky. I couldn't work out whether I liked it or not. I asked Mum to smell my wrist, and her eyebrows went up into her hairline and she said "That's the kind of perfume you'd wear to bed. And wear nothing else. I'm not buying it for you."

Needless to say, now (a *cough* decade on) I'm thinking that I might buy myself a bottle...
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post #36 of 42
5/27/11 at 1:12pm
Well, I'm a newbie, and a chap and Jicky is - so far, anyway - just about the most beautiful thing I've ever smelled. If I had to choose just one frag for the rest of my life it'd be this. So yes, blind buy it, what the hell.
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post #37 of 42
5/27/11 at 1:17pm
I would say no. I just got a decant of it. Don't get me wrong. I LOVED the smell, and I wanted to like it so much. I mean, an old Guerlain frag with a cool name like Jicky! But imho, the longevity was not as much as I was looking for. However, some veterans on here recommended I try the EdP.

In short, this would not be a great blind buy.
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post #38 of 42
7/21/11 at 2:10pm
I smelled this for the first time today (never got around to it before for some reason). It's wonderful - very elaborate, ornate and complex in the Guerlain style. Absolutely beautiful.
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post #39 of 42
7/21/11 at 2:36pm
I have a decant on its way fro The Permume Court. I am looking forward to testing this one.
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post #40 of 42
7/21/11 at 7:16pm
THERE ARE NO SAFE BLIND BUYS (said as my stock of about 25 blind buys sits idly in my closet, waiting for a sales thread).

Sorry, I'll stop shouting now. And even if there were any safe blind buys, Jicky wouldn't be it. Ask yourself this: would Kouros be a safe blind buy? Think about your answer, then double down on it for Jicky.
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post #41 of 42
7/21/11 at 8:11pm
I would never recommend a blind buy for anything as particular as Jicky in any of its forms.

Do I think it is wonderful? Yes, but because of the strong civet, I would say sample first.

I would also recommend sampling the similar Mouchoir de Monsieur as well, due to the civet.
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post #42 of 42
7/21/11 at 8:46pm
Negative on the blind buy. A decant from TPC (or similar source) is well in order.
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