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No. 88 / Cuba are disgusting.

post #1 of 56
1/30/11 at 12:30pm
Thread Starter 
Dear fellow basenoters,

I have bought a decant of No. 88 and I find it absolutely horrible, I never thought I could say that a fragrance smells like a corpse, but this is it. If you want to play a prank to someone, get No. 88. I tried to wait, I tried to get whiffs maybe maybe I'll get the idea, but every time I was dissapointed.

I also tried Cuba and had very high expectation , and with high expectations come very disappointing impressions. A very fine fragrance with a FECAL note. I wouldn't wear Calvin Klein underwear if someone already crapped in them. Really.

Can anyone explain the attraction to these 2 ? What are their secrets ?
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post #2 of 56
1/30/11 at 12:34pm
Everyone's sense of smell is different. I love both of the fragrances you mention.
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post #3 of 56
1/30/11 at 12:38pm
Thread Starter 
Maybe my samples are 'off', who knows ?
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post #4 of 56
1/30/11 at 12:40pm
Don't know about Cuba but have tried 88 and didn't like it.
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post #5 of 56
1/30/11 at 12:50pm
No88 is such a beautiful fragrance, I wish I will smell of bergamot, rose, geranium, sandalwood.. when I'm dead and decayed.
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post #6 of 56
1/30/11 at 12:50pm
No 88 is not bad to my nose it just smelled like a rose joss stick that I did not care for.

Cuba though is a fragrance I enjoy. Now that fecal note you speak off smells like the tobacco of a Cuban Cigar if you were to smell the leaves before smoking it. I smoke a lot of Cubans and I have actually worn the fragrance while smoking a Montecristo cigar so for me I understand the fragrance. The guy who actually made the frag was inspired to create it after his travels in Cuba. Though I can understand how that tobacco/fecal note can be offputting though it does not last long.
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post #7 of 56
1/30/11 at 2:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack Hunter View Post

No 88 is not bad to my nose it just smelled like a rose joss stick that I did not care for.

Cuba though is a fragrance I enjoy. Now that fecal note you speak off smells like the tobacco of a Cuban Cigar if you were to smell the leaves before smoking it. I smoke a lot of Cubans and I have actually worn the fragrance while smoking a Montecristo cigar so for me I understand the fragrance. The guy who actually made the frag was inspired to create it after his travels in Cuba. Though I can understand how that tobacco/fecal note can be offputting though it does not last long.

I agree w/ above re: No 88. Very rosy, not bad, but not incredible IMO.

I get a little fecality out of fresh dry tobacco sometimes, just like a real cigar. I didn't get this vibe from Cuba, but it didn't really last long on me, so I didn't find that to be a big winner either.
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post #8 of 56
1/30/11 at 2:24pm
I'm not a fan of No.88, although I don't find it disgusting. It smells like some sort of scented store to me, not like something I'd actually wear. Now, I can understand someone finding Cuba disgusting, although I really like it sometimes. It has lots of notes I really like all sort of battling it out to the death. I don't find it in any way smooth or well-blended, but I do find a somewhat perverse joy in it and I found it FBW, although I must confess I rarely wear it. It's definitely not for everyone - lime, peppermint, tobacco, bay rum, and a bit of good ole skank. I think I'll go put some on right now.
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post #9 of 56
1/30/11 at 2:24pm
Strange, as this is exactly why I did like No. 88...it starts too sharp and sour, but dries down smelling like Rose-scented Incense sticks..........
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack Hunter View Post

No 88 is not bad to my nose it just smelled like a rose joss stick that I did not care for
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post #10 of 56
1/30/11 at 2:32pm
Thread Starter 
After more tests I have come to the conclusion they aren't that bad. Cuba still has that unpleasant note, but on my skin , it has transformed into a subtle sweat note (no shit), and accompanied by the spices Cuba has become extremely masculine and i'll definitely try to give it a full wear, but as for No. 88 I'm very sorry, I never try to like a perfume, but I try to discover it, and it's superficially blended, has a lot of downs, and that zesty rose reminds me of something very old, something in the style of Fracas.
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post #11 of 56
1/30/11 at 2:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hednic View Post

Don't know about Cuba but have tried 88 and didn't like it.

I've seen many threads here and in other forums I belong to that discuss this a lot. My conclusion is that some ingredient in some of the C&S scents hits some people as inordinately foul. I don't know what it is, but I get it in brief bursts when I wear No. 88. I mostly like 88, but every hour or so, I get a waft of something that disgusts me. Never tried Cuba as result.
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post #12 of 56
1/30/11 at 2:42pm
WOW! I especially disagree on the Cuba. Such a refined, nice fragrance...
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post #13 of 56
1/30/11 at 2:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by timaru View Post

WOW! I especially disagree on the Cuba. Such a refined, nice fragrance...

I'm sure it is - probably for the majority of people. But I've seen enough threads on both of these scents to not discount the fact some of us get slammed with a disgusting fecal note with Cuba and No. 88. I do not believe it is a note you are ignoring or find acceptable- I don't think you smell it- or rather, your nose doesn't interpret the way that mine does.
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post #14 of 56
1/30/11 at 2:51pm
I think they are both quite fantastic - and glad they are in my wardrobe.
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post #15 of 56
1/30/11 at 2:53pm
I don't get the big deal about No. 88 either. Didn't like it at all.
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post #16 of 56
1/30/11 at 2:58pm
It smells really old. I personally don't like it. Black Aoud is a much better option!
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post #17 of 56
1/30/11 at 4:27pm
I like both a lot, although I had sort of forgotten No.88 until this thread. Think I'll wear it tomorrow. If No.88 has a secret it's that it can read as gothic: heavy, dramatic, redolent of something ancient. I know it strikes some people as being a dandy's scent but I like to associate it with dark drama.
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post #18 of 56
1/30/11 at 4:58pm
I don't feel one way or another about No. 88 - I'm not a huge fan of rose. Cuba is one of my favorite fragrances.

Cuba has a strong fecal note to me, but it loses most of its impact in 15 - 25 minutes. The reduced fecal note stays in ever lessening strength for most of the run of the fragrance, but I don't smell it in the silage, only close to the skin.
It's a great fragrance.
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post #19 of 56
1/30/11 at 5:38pm
No. 88 is a style of rose fragrance that is just too formal and opulent for me to enjoy. I've heard the funereal reference before about No. 88, but I don't get that myself. I appreciate the excellence in 88, I just don't like it. The No. 88 stick incense is a very good one, but I can not handle the fragrance either.

C&S Cuba is a fragrance that I like very much - sorry to disagree with you Trapper. It smells better in slightly warmer weather and it takes some getting used to, but it is an odd combination of very different notes that after some time mellowing out work well together to create some rustic freshness. It has attitude! Cuba's not for everyone but I like the individuality that it has. There is a boozy, lime shot with cigar tobacco with some bay rum spice as a kicker. Very fresh - kind of raw. Nice.
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post #20 of 56
1/30/11 at 5:59pm
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you need to love rose (88) and tobacco (cuba) while i love 88, cuba is pretty average this is smelling like very popular Polish medicament and really here its strange to wear this for me
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post #21 of 56
1/30/11 at 6:51pm
No 88


Cuba
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post #22 of 56
1/30/11 at 6:56pm
Everyone is entitled to their opinion; nonetheless, we must remember that most of Czech & Speake's fragrances, though modern creations, strongly imitate traditional styles from the 19th and early 20th Century when people's ideas about what smelled good were different than are now. I imagine that vintage CS from the 80s would be heavenly. Anyway, I've not given Cuba much thought, but 88 is one of the top traditional extant roses along with the powdery, languid Hammam Bouquet and the conservative more staid Black Tie by Washington Tremlett. CS often uses strong incense and spice in their fragrances.
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post #23 of 56
1/30/11 at 11:40pm
Just a matter of personal taste and preference. I own and love No. 88.

I like Cuba but it's just not wearable for me.
I do get the slightly fecal opening which I attribute to the particular tobacco note (I get this in some other tobacco fragrances also). I think it comes through when a wet/fresh tobacco leaf is represented and some cigars actually do smell like that too.

Neroli and Oxford & Cambridge (Lavender) are wonderful too.

I'm not crazy about all of C&S titles but they are high quality.
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post #24 of 56
1/30/11 at 11:42pm
Had samples from C&S on both and I loved No. 88. Will be getting a full bottle on this. Though I know it's a "rose" scent I don't get that scent in it. The smell of a lot of flowers including rose are quite awful to me. Don't know what it is about that.

Had high hopes for Cuba and like others, all I got was poop with spices. I'm gonna resample this tomorrow night and see if my opinion has changed at all.
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post #25 of 56
1/30/11 at 11:52pm
I think 88 can be challenging for a lot of people. It's a great masculine rose that does lean toward the gothic at times. It is an acquired taste for many people. You may want to give it a bit more time and keep your mind open... on the other hand it could very well just not be up your alley.
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post #26 of 56
1/30/11 at 11:54pm
I don't like both mentioned either but I do love Frankincense & Myrrh, Neroli and Oxford & Cambridge by Czech & Speake.
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post #27 of 56
1/31/11 at 12:16am
Noses and tastes differ indeed. I love both frags, but admit they are both challenging to wear, especially for those who lean towards the "safer" scents.
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post #28 of 56
1/31/11 at 1:09am
Thread Starter 
True true, everything is so true.

So I gave both more time, indeed Cuba is fantastic, the fecal note is transformed into a very strong tobacco note, but can't feel the same way about No. 88, I will still give it more time, it has that corpse-feel I don't know what's that and I can't get past it, and it's not skin chemistry to blame because it's still there on paper.
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post #29 of 56
1/31/11 at 1:22am
IMO 88 & Cuba (and O&C) are precisely the ones still worth bothering about since the switch to a new manufacturer. While C&S has lost the gothic darkness of the sublime vintage versions it is still a beautiful fragrance (more Beau Brummel than Huysmans now). I wore Cuba yesterday and thougfh it's changed dramatically, it is still a wonderful blend of fresh gentility and brawny Latin machismo.
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post #30 of 56
1/31/11 at 1:49am
Funny, when I had my sample I decided I wanted to get the splash bottle. I immediately just wanted to splash it onto my hands and mess it through my hair like an old-timey tonic or something.

I think this just might be my next purchase!
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post #31 of 56
2/21/12 at 11:47pm
[QUOTE=trapper;2064205]
I never thought I could say that a fragrance smells like a corpse, but this is it. QUOTE]

I know what corpses smell like, in different states of decay, believe me, and I can assure you, it's nothing like No88
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post #32 of 56
2/21/12 at 11:53pm
I hated 88 too! Awful stuff.
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post #33 of 56
2/22/12 at 12:11am
When my wife smells 88 on me, she starts purring like a cat...
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post #34 of 56
2/22/12 at 12:18am
These are great fragrances. People would be spending a lot more time in mortuaries and outhouses if corpses and crap really smelled this good.
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post #35 of 56
2/22/12 at 1:07am
I like rose scents but did not like No.88. I have not tried Cuba, but based on the notes it sounds like something I *would* like... I'll have to give that one a sniff...
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post #36 of 56
2/22/12 at 1:20am
Own both via the Czech and Speake traveller set.

I love Cuba but don't usually venture out of the house until it's been on for half an hour or so, as the "fecal" note disappears on me by then, and I am a bit self-conscious about it while it lasts.

I don't hate No 88, indeed it has grown on me, but it's a bit too "gothic" in feel for me to wear very often.
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post #37 of 56
2/22/12 at 1:25am
I like 88 but I have to be in the mood for it. I tried to like Cuba and gave it a fair wearing but in the end I had no choice but to scrub it off. I just found the dog shit note I kept getting a whiff of unbearable. Interestingly there were 4 of us in the office that day, 3 women and me. Myself and one of the women picked up the fecal smell really strongly and the other two females couldn't smell it at all. So obviously some people will like it but others, including myself will never be able to wear it. I have to say I found it truly disgusting.
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post #38 of 56
2/22/12 at 7:21am
Own and love both, but seldom reach for them. Like others have said, they're mood fragrances, ones you need to be in the mood for.
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post #39 of 56
2/22/12 at 7:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by petruccijc View Post

I think they are both quite fantastic - and glad they are in my wardrobe.

++++ 1111!!!
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post #40 of 56
2/22/12 at 8:38am
Cuba is just a gussied up bay rum. Don't buy the hype. Then again, it seems you already don't. You can get just as much brawny machismo wearing Old Spice, and for a lot less.
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post #41 of 56
2/22/12 at 8:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by phibess View Post

No88 is such a beautiful fragrance, I wish I will smell of bergamot, rose, geranium, sandalwood.. when I'm dead and decayed.

Beautifully put.
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post #42 of 56
2/22/12 at 10:57am
I like No.88, but couldn't see myself wearing it and wouldn't know when to where it either :\\.

I like cuba and own a decant, I literally just went to test it again after see the thread and suddenly noticed a strong fecal smell that I can't remember previously smelling...how depressing.
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post #43 of 56
2/22/12 at 11:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matkinson View Post

I like No.88, but couldn't see myself wearing it and wouldn't know when to where it either :\\.

Where and whenever you felt like it.
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post #44 of 56
2/22/12 at 12:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MOONB View Post

Cuba is just a gussied up bay rum. Don't buy the hype. Then again, it seems you already don't. You can get just as much brawny machismo wearing Old Spice, and for a lot less.

I don't get a single drop of brawniness or machismo from Old Spice. Just lots of powder and cheapness.
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post #45 of 56
2/22/12 at 2:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by monsieur_sparkle View Post

I don't get a single drop of brawniness or machismo from Old Spice. Just lots of powder and cheapness.

Try it again.
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post #46 of 56
2/22/12 at 4:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MOONB View Post

Try it again.

I've owned a few bottles. Sorry for not being taken in by the advertising for this fragrance. Did you know that it was originally marketed as a feminine scent?
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post #47 of 56
2/22/12 at 4:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by monsieur_sparkle View Post

I've owned a few bottles. Sorry for not being taken in by the advertising for this fragrance. Did you know that it was originally marketed as a feminine scent?

You find it cheap and crude but still found a reason to repurchase? Why?

There was originally a feminine version of Old Spice, but that was different from Old Spice itself. Due to the success of the feminine version, a masculine was seen as a logical follow-up.

http://www.discontinuedperfume-antiq...tail_DP256.htm
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post #48 of 56
2/22/12 at 5:01pm
I didn't say crude. The cheapness definitely shows but it's not bad at all for the price. Like I said, though, it's an oriental powderbomb. I don't consider it macho by any stretch of the imagination, but whatever floats your boat.
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post #49 of 56
2/22/12 at 10:58pm
Old Spice? Now that's disgusting.
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post #50 of 56
2/23/12 at 3:40am
I'm not sure how #88 smells like an old man. My wife says I smell like french hand milled soap when I wear it. The women at work say I smell clean.
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post #51 of 56
2/23/12 at 4:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ender View Post

Old Spice? Now that's disgusting.

the gates of hell open . . .
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post #52 of 56
2/23/12 at 5:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebeck View Post

I'm not sure how #88 smells like an old man. My wife says I smell like french hand milled soap when I wear it. The women at work say I smell clean.

The other day in was in a cafe and overheard a guy (loud) at the table next to me say:
The 911 turbo is no better than a Nissan skyline. Certainly not worth the double price.

Not everyone has experienced certain aspects of life to be able to properly assess a particular situation.
Your wife for instance is obviously well acquainted with fine soaps and was able to make that link.
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post #53 of 56
2/23/12 at 10:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebeck View Post

I'm not sure how #88 smells like an old man. My wife says I smell like french hand milled soap when I wear it. The women at work say I smell clean.

French soap! That was exactly my first thought, when I smelled it for the first time.
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post #54 of 56
4/14/12 at 11:15am
I am wearing C&S No.88 right now, and at first it exudes this wonderful soapy bergamot and rose opening. I'm about four hours into the scent and it is all rose, frangipani, vetiver and sandalwood. The geranium note is a little challenging to my nose when I first spray it , but as the fragrance develops, it has an absolutely fantastic, masculine, gothic, powerful dry down. Very good stuff.
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post #55 of 56
4/14/12 at 7:46pm
I tried Cuba again. Its moist, gooey fecal note is what makes it special.
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post #56 of 56
4/15/12 at 6:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zztopp View Post

I tried Cuba again. Its moist, gooey fecal note is what makes it special.

Miss your comments. Nice to see say something once in while zztopp.
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