I am in Los Angeles this week for work, and had the opportunity to meet up with some wonderful Basenoters.
On Sunday, I spent the day in Beverly Hills with arwen_elf, Asha and Astaroth. We hit the three big stores there – Barneys, Saks and Nieman Marcus. I tried the new L’Artisan Coeur de Vetiver Sacre, which I really liked. I got a sample of it to test further - but feel this could definitely be a not too distant in the future purchase. I was very underwhelmed and disappointed with Diptyque Eau Duelle, which just ended up being a very light vanilla fragrance. I also tried Guerlain La Cologne du Parfumeur. This was very nice, but it reminded me a lot of Mugler Cologne – which I already own. We ended up all having a very nice late lunch/early dinner at the Barneys rooftop restaurant, where we chatted about fragrances and other things.
On Monday, I went to Scent Bar with arwen_elf, Socalwoman, browneyes776 and StylinLA. I felt like I hit the jackpot! There was so much great stuff to sniff and sample. To me, the standout fragrance was Masion Francis Kurkdjian Absolue pour le Soir – which I ended up purchasing. I tried several Xerjoff fragrances – Odon, Nio, Dhofar, Kobe. I thought they were “nice”, but nothing spectacular. I got a bunch of samples of some fragrances I want to do further testing of including Masion Francis Kurkdjian Absolue pour le Matin, Andy Taeur Une Rose Vermeille and Eau d'Epices, and Mona di Orio Les Nombres d’Or Cuir and Ambre.
After Scent Bar, StylinLA had to return to work. So the rest of us headed to Fred Segal. They had several fragrances on sale, including the Six Scents series. I tested all of the Six Scent fragrances and ended up purchasing two of them: Six Scents Series One - Fragrance 3: The Spirit of Wood and Six Scents Series Two - Fragrance 3: Solar Donkey Power. We then had a delicious lunch at Fred Segal, compliments of socalwoman (thank you again). We were surprised by socalwoman and browneyes776, who had brought goodie bags full of fragrances for us to choose from. I ended up walking away with a few things including a decants of Roja Dove Enslaved, Caron Tabac Blond EDP and MDCI Invasion Barbare, as well as a partial bottle of Caron Narcisse Noir EDT. It was very generous of them to do this – and I am greatly appreciative of it.
I want to send a special thank you to Astaroth and arwen_elf, who acted as my chauffeurs during my visit. It was very gracious of them to do that – and again I greatly appreciate it.
I look forward to my next trip to Los Angeles, and to spend some more time with the new friends that I made while I was here – and maybe even some other Basenoters if they are available.
On Sunday, I spent the day in Beverly Hills with arwen_elf, Asha and Astaroth. We hit the three big stores there – Barneys, Saks and Nieman Marcus. I tried the new L’Artisan Coeur de Vetiver Sacre, which I really liked. I got a sample of it to test further - but feel this could definitely be a not too distant in the future purchase. I was very underwhelmed and disappointed with Diptyque Eau Duelle, which just ended up being a very light vanilla fragrance. I also tried Guerlain La Cologne du Parfumeur. This was very nice, but it reminded me a lot of Mugler Cologne – which I already own. We ended up all having a very nice late lunch/early dinner at the Barneys rooftop restaurant, where we chatted about fragrances and other things.
On Monday, I went to Scent Bar with arwen_elf, Socalwoman, browneyes776 and StylinLA. I felt like I hit the jackpot! There was so much great stuff to sniff and sample. To me, the standout fragrance was Masion Francis Kurkdjian Absolue pour le Soir – which I ended up purchasing. I tried several Xerjoff fragrances – Odon, Nio, Dhofar, Kobe. I thought they were “nice”, but nothing spectacular. I got a bunch of samples of some fragrances I want to do further testing of including Masion Francis Kurkdjian Absolue pour le Matin, Andy Taeur Une Rose Vermeille and Eau d'Epices, and Mona di Orio Les Nombres d’Or Cuir and Ambre.
After Scent Bar, StylinLA had to return to work. So the rest of us headed to Fred Segal. They had several fragrances on sale, including the Six Scents series. I tested all of the Six Scent fragrances and ended up purchasing two of them: Six Scents Series One - Fragrance 3: The Spirit of Wood and Six Scents Series Two - Fragrance 3: Solar Donkey Power. We then had a delicious lunch at Fred Segal, compliments of socalwoman (thank you again). We were surprised by socalwoman and browneyes776, who had brought goodie bags full of fragrances for us to choose from. I ended up walking away with a few things including a decants of Roja Dove Enslaved, Caron Tabac Blond EDP and MDCI Invasion Barbare, as well as a partial bottle of Caron Narcisse Noir EDT. It was very generous of them to do this – and I am greatly appreciative of it.
I want to send a special thank you to Astaroth and arwen_elf, who acted as my chauffeurs during my visit. It was very gracious of them to do that – and again I greatly appreciate it.
I look forward to my next trip to Los Angeles, and to spend some more time with the new friends that I made while I was here – and maybe even some other Basenoters if they are available.
) It's hard to believe that it's been around for 15 years. I also decided that John Varvatos Artisan Black is not as good as the original Artisan (which I really like). Another scent which underwhelmed me was Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Bergamotto di Calabria. It didn't really come up to the level of previous offerings, such as Fico di Amalfi. Later moving down to the first floor, I gained a bit more appreciation for Tom Ford Noir de Noir, which somehow had gotten under my radar in the past. I've also decided that I like Jo Malone Lime Basil and Mandarin.
I always love going to The Scent Bar, and I'm sure they have a whole bunch of new things there by now.
