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Recommendations Needed

post #1 of 7
9/29/10 at 3:18pm
Thread Starter 
Hello all,
I'm a relative perfume newbie and need advice as to what to try next. I'm looking to expand both my knowledge of perfume and get a better idea of what I like/dislike (or at least a vocabulary to describe it). I like a wide variety of scents and what I wear varies a lot depending on mood, weather etc. I tend towards unisex fragrances for day wear, but I am not opposed to something womanly or even girlish. On any given day I might wear two (or three) different perfumes in succession (e.g. Russian Caravan in the morning, Sycomore in the evening, Enlevenment Au Serail after bathing and before bed (yes, I wear perfume to bed), so lasting power is not terribly important. Price is not a huge factor (perfume is my one luxury, even if I can only afford samples/decants) but I don't have near enough money to buy blind. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! --Katherine

For reference, I love:
Gucci EDP II
Chanel Sycomore
Chanel No.19 (unsure of age)
CB I Hate Perfume Russian Caravan
Hermes Eau D'Orange Verte
MDCI Enlevenment Au Serail

I like:
Bronze Goddess
Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey
YSL Opium
Elizabeth Arden Green Tea
Different Company Charmes et Feuilles
Guerlain Vetiver
Hermes Eau Des Mervielles
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post #2 of 7
9/29/10 at 7:47pm
CB I Hate Perfume Russian Caravan and YSL Pour Homme are similar in that lemony sweetened Nestea Iced Tea powder mix kind of way. It's surprisingly unisex, a lot of women wear it. You can find it for around $35

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post #3 of 7
9/30/10 at 1:03pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks Adonis! I never noticed the Nestea element but now that you've pointed it out I can't stop smelling it. I used to drink gallons of that stuff as a kid. Maybe that explains my love of that particular fragrance.
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post #4 of 7
10/1/10 at 12:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kadora View Post

Thanks Adonis! I never noticed the Nestea element but now that you've pointed it out I can't stop smelling it. I used to drink gallons of that stuff as a kid. Maybe that explains my love of that particular fragrance.

Me too! Caffeine freak by 11. That woosh of sweet, lemony powder as you unscrew the top of the glass jar ... that's Russian Caravan.
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post #5 of 7
10/3/10 at 7:01am
To continue down the smoky avenue; try Bulgari Black for smoke, rubber, vanilla. Since it's being discontinued now is the time to get it. And maybe you should start testing stuff from Commes des Garcons: I recommend "2", lightly smoked Japanese ink.

hmm. what else.. How about Dune from Dior? Luca Turin called in "an unsmiling beauty", and it's a hard one to pin down, as it's very abstract, doesn't really reference any other scents. Resinous, warm, dry, a skin scent that is amazing when it works, horrible if it doesn't.
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post #6 of 7
10/6/10 at 6:49am
Nice meeting you on Basenotes, Kadora! I am still enjoying my bottle of Eau d'Orange Verte received from you.

Here are a few recommendations:

Since you love Chanel Sycomore maybe you could experiment with other incense fragrances as well. such as:
YSL Nu EDP, which is a warm, soft incense
Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet, again a soft incense with hints of neroli
If you want something more austere and dry then try the CdG incense series.
Bond no. 9 Silver Factory is an incense loved by many, I haven't tried it myself yet.

TDC Bergamote is a great bergamote scent. Not as dry as Eau d'Orange Verte, but surely worth a sniff.
Hermes Un Jardin sur le Nil is a slightly soapy green scent.
Acqua Allegoria Herba Fresca and AG Eau de Camille are like a walk in the fresh grass. Very refreshing and great in the summer heat.
Ormonde Jayne Ormonde Woman is a very special green scent, unlike anything else I've tried before.
CdG Calamus is a milky green scent, has a similar wibe to it to Charmes et Feuilles. Dyptique's Eau Duelle is again similar but it also features a light but evident vanilla accord (thus sweeter).
L'Artisan The Pour un Ete is a soft green tea - white floral fragrance, again a refreshing summer treat.

Given that you like Opium, you might like some other orientals as well. Maybe Floris Mailmason which features a big dash of cloves? Or Boucheron Trouble? Bond no. 9 Chinatown with its spice overdose?

VC&A Les Saisons Automne is like Bronze Goddess without the coconut and milkyness (just the dry spices).

Have you explored woody scents yet? I am thinking of Feminite du Bois, Miller et Bertaux #1, M. Micallef Gaiac, Tokyo Milk Dead Sexy, CdG Sequoia - they are all fairly unisex imo.

Swapping for samples on MUA usually works great, you could give it a try.
Good luck with your search!
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post #7 of 7
11/12/10 at 1:44pm
A few friends of mine have fallen in love with Miller Harris fragrances, especially the "Je t’aime, moi non plus" L´air de Rien (that evokes her father's pipe, floor polish, old forgotten house...), and a wonderful wonderful Figue Amère (bitter, green figs found on the coast of Ibiza! anyhow, great fragrances.

I also love Ortigia line, besides having a great line of perfumes (wonderul Melograno, beautiful Fico d´India and, my personal fav, a poem of dry aromatic Mediterranean plants, Corallo), Ortigia fragrances are wonderfully designed and do have that oldskool yet modern character.

And, of course, Comme des Garcons.
One of my friends fav is KYOTO from the Incense series (but not that churchy and harsh, really meditative and calm but with this unavoidable Comme twist-and-shout
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