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Amouage Memoir Man is starting to seduce me

post #1 of 53
12/24/11 at 10:29am
Thread Starter 
Walking around with a sample sprayed on paper the other week, Memoir Man wasn't wowing me the way I'd hoped it would from descriptions. Rather than absinthe in the opening, I got a sort of rich light chocolate, and didn't discover more. This morning, though, I decided to use a bit on my wrist from a sample I ordered. I still get the almost-chocolate feel, but something about the scent is drawing me in. It's quite different than anything else I have, or have smelled so far. I'm curious to see how this develops, because if it goes to even more interesting places I may have to put it on my buy list.

Epic Man also disappointed me on the paper strip -- I expected it to be darker off the bat. Maybe that one deserves the skin test too.
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post #2 of 53
12/24/11 at 10:56am
I blind bought Memoir Man and I've been unable to fully grasp what I like about it. It's one of those fragrances that I love to wear and I don't care if someone else likes it or not. I feel invigorated when I wear it and also mysterious at the same time. This fragrance really threw me for a loop, it's very complex, and a bit too serious to be a signature scent. I've tried other fragrances that I assumed were similar, like Encre Noire and CDG Avignon, but nothing compares to it. It's brilliant and I will always have a bottle of it on hand.
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post #3 of 53
12/24/11 at 11:25am
Love this fragrance, best of the amouage line IMO (although I'm waiting on a sample of honor man). Memoir is dark rich woody and green with just the right amount of sweetness to balance everything. The vetiver note in this is amazing. But omg the price
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post #4 of 53
12/24/11 at 12:00pm
testing on skin is the only way to really appraise a scent ...
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post #5 of 53
12/24/11 at 12:06pm
I would love it too but too bad im allergic to tobacco notes so Honor man and Reflection man are currently the best from this house to me. Looking forward to get Lyric Man soon.
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post #6 of 53
12/24/11 at 1:31pm
Santa's bringing me Memoir tomorrow! Love this stuff. Took a few wearings though before it clicked. Mysterious and beautiful.
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post #7 of 53
12/24/11 at 2:01pm
Thread Starter 
Mysterious is a good way of putting it. It's not a love-at-first-sniff for me, but it's feeling like a grower.
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post #8 of 53
12/24/11 at 3:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dollars&scents View Post

testing on skin is the only way to really appraise a scent ...

Absolutely! The only proper way to evaluate a scent. I get a kick out of reviewers like Luca Turin and Octavian Coifan testing scents on paper. You really only get some of the story from paper.
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post #9 of 53
12/24/11 at 4:18pm
It was love at first sight for me, as well as Epic Man, but if compared to Amouage Attars or even more complex compositions such as Gold, Jubilation or Ubar this is probably among the paler deliveries from this house.

Said that, the ONLY way to properly evaluate a fragrance is on your skin IMO. Some fragrances are completely different on paper-strips (i.e. Guerrilla 1 which is awuful on paper and terrific on the skin or, let's say, Papyrus De Ciane which I love on fabric/paper and detest on my skin). If possible, give the fragrance a full wear.
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post #10 of 53
12/24/11 at 6:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Homura View Post

I would love it too but too bad im allergic to tobacco notes so Honor man and Reflection man are currently the best from this house to me. Looking forward to get Lyric Man soon.


My favorite Amouage fragrances are Memoir Man, JXXV, Reflection Man and Ciel. I do enjoy Lyric as well, but since I purchased it my wife wears it more than I do. Lyric Man smells great on my wife and thus she's adopted it as her own. I wore it once in the office and I recall a woman asking what that "beautiful rose" scent was, but strangely another woman took credit for the scent being her own. It would have been more awkward if I interjected and explained it was actually me. It was so odd that I haven't worn it since.
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post #11 of 53
12/24/11 at 8:13pm
Lol you should wear Lyric sometime soon again and they will definitely notice its you. Well the only only frag that a guy thot I was wearing a feminine perfume was L'instant Extreme due to the coco vanilla drydown. Lyric has a rose vanilla drydown so it might get a similar comment as L'instant Extreme. But who cares as long as they smell heavenly right?
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post #12 of 53
12/25/11 at 11:03am
Dubai airport dutyfree had a sale with 20% off their fragrances recently. No prizes for guessing which one I bought. My bride loves it on me!
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post #13 of 53
12/25/11 at 1:58pm
Fantastic fragrance.
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post #14 of 53
1/10/12 at 1:34pm
He's starting to seduce you? The Traitor! (I married this bottle over a year ago).

Memoir is is so many things to me... my favorite wet & woody, my favorite cool incense, my favorite resinous frankincense, and a top summer frag (alongside the salty marine-noted Regio by Xerjoff/ Casamoratti). I know, I know; Memoir in the summer just sounds wrong. In spite of the fact that the house hails from such a HOT geographical hub, something about the richness of Amouage and summer really should not click so well, BUT, if you don't take Memoir Man for a spin in the late afternoon of a dry summer day - you are missing out.

After a year of constant wear, I might just say that Memoir is my favorite Amouage scent period (yes, even against the 3 attars I so love that, while perhaps more beautiful in their full bouquet, travel little in their trajectory and thus tend to bore after a few hours). I still wish the opening would hold on more tightly, but have grown to appreciate that the dray-down is far more interesting than many give it credit for - especailly as the vetiver and tobacco notes emerge.

Memoir is just so freaking beautiful! The dark notes here have turned me on to many other fragrances recently that, though perhaps released earlier, feel like knock-offs to the Amouage release. Memoir is hands down the best blend of Absinthe, woods, and incense I have ever experienced. This is the one I'll never be without.
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post #15 of 53
1/10/12 at 4:49pm
Thread Starter 
I haven't pulled the trigger on a full bottle yet, but I've ordered a more generous spray sample from The Perfumed Court to live with this one a little bit longer to see if its seduction remains. My concern is that dabbing from my earlier sample vial, as opposed to spraying, deprived me of the fullness this one may provide. Can't wait to try it again.

Meantime, surely I'm not alone in getting a similar feeling from this that I get from outright gourmand scents like New Haarlem or L'Instant de Guerlain Extreme. A gourmand complicated by other notes of course (just like New Haarlem and LIDGE, of course, only potentially even deeper).
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post #16 of 53
2/27/12 at 9:24pm
Just curious how the OP feels about memoir after living with the decant for a little while?

Thanks!
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post #17 of 53
2/27/12 at 9:25pm
Duplicate post.
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post #18 of 53
2/27/12 at 10:01pm
Memoir and I hit it off from word go. So good.
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post #19 of 53
2/27/12 at 10:02pm
Completely agree...
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post #20 of 53
2/27/12 at 10:06pm
Thread Starter 
I gave it a full wear from a larger spray decant a few weeks ago. I'd be all for it if it weren't for that dusty, ashy note that hangs around. Does anyone else get that? I'll give it another try but it really threw me off.
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post #21 of 53
3/2/12 at 7:27am
I get it, but tend to enjoy the dust and ash.
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post #22 of 53
3/19/12 at 5:03am
Amouage Memoir Man is one of my favorite.
It is so deep, dark and secretful.
If Batmen wore a fragrance, Memoir would be his choice.


I also get lots of compliments from women when I wear this fragrace. They don´t say that it smells good on my skin, but they always ask what I wear and they are just curious.
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post #23 of 53
3/19/12 at 9:51am
Awesome scent - it's on my to buy list as well, albeit a few months from now after the warmer weather.
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post #24 of 53
3/19/12 at 10:04am
Love at first sniff for me as well and my favorite Amouage. On this year's Christmas list for sure!
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post #25 of 53
3/19/12 at 12:51pm
Fantastic fragrance, everyone should at least sniff
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post #26 of 53
3/19/12 at 1:27pm
I've sniffed it on a few occasions but just felt it wasn't as good as some others out there with the incense note that I like in many scents.
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post #27 of 53
3/20/12 at 5:59pm
I would be tempted to blind buy Memoir Man if anyone knows of a super deal. Anyone?
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post #28 of 53
4/10/12 at 9:11pm
Thread Starter 
An update: I wore Memoir all day today, sprayed from my decant, and it was thoroughly pleasurable. This time the ashy or dusty quality didn't bother me. I think I've come around to it, because the same quality initially put me off Gucci pour Homme (2003), and now I really like that one. In fact, though not the same fragrance obviously, Memoir Man has a similar vibe to GpH in its mix of a smooth, almost edible sweetness and the dry, dusty woods. Both give me a similar rich, sensual feeling. In fact, that I have a full bottle of GpH on its way is the only thing keeping me from ordering Memoir right now -- I see them as variations on a theme. It's a theme I'm starting to really enjoy.
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post #29 of 53
4/10/12 at 10:57pm
I absolutely love this fragrance and will always have some.
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post #30 of 53
4/10/12 at 11:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by onethinline View Post

An update: I wore Memoir all day today, sprayed from my decant, and it was thoroughly pleasurable. This time the ashy or dusty quality didn't bother me. I think I've come around to it, because the same quality initially put me off Gucci pour Homme (2003), and now I really like that one. In fact, though not the same fragrance obviously, Memoir Man has a similar vibe to GpH in its mix of a smooth, almost edible sweetness and the dry, dusty woods. Both give me a similar rich, sensual feeling. In fact, that I have a full bottle of GpH on its way is the only thing keeping me from ordering Memoir right now -- I see them as variations on a theme. It's a theme I'm starting to really enjoy.

Must go and try GPH, if it holds at least any resemblance to Memoir it must be great.
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post #31 of 53
4/11/12 at 4:24am
I don't get this watered down EDP.
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post #32 of 53
4/11/12 at 4:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by shahor View Post

Must go and try GPH, if it holds at least any resemblance to Memoir it must be great.

It is similar in some regards, although I find their moods to be completely different. Memoir is more introspective and dark, almost brooding, while GPH is also slightly introspective, but in an almost casual or indifferent manner. GPH is a serene walk through autumnal woods just as the sun is setting. Memoir is that same walk, hours later plunged into the dark heart of the forest, with a storm brewing overhead.
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post #33 of 53
4/11/12 at 4:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebeck View Post

I don't get this watered down EDP.

I don't get how you can call this watered down. It lasts well over 24 hours on me, and I know many others report similar monstrous longevity with this scent.

Have you ever tried Hermes' Eau des Merveilles, and if so, what kind of longevity do you get from it? The same synthetic is featured prominently in both, so my guess is that if you've tried it you find EdM fleeting, too, and that it's an anosmia issue.
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post #34 of 53
4/11/12 at 5:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

I don't get how you can call this watered down. It lasts well over 24 hours on me, and I know many others report similar monstrous longevity with this scent.

Have you ever tried Hermes' Eau des Merveilles, and if so, what kind of longevity do you get from it? The same synthetic is featured prominently in both, so my guess is that if you've tried it you find EdM fleeting, too, and that it's an anosmia issue.

I don't even get 24 minutes, let alone 24 hours. Never tried Eau des Merveilles. I just call them as I see them. I'm always seeing fellow basenoters get great longevity from scents that don't last IMO. I don't have any anosmia issues, just issues with Amouage's recent lackluster EDP's. He'll, I get fantastic longevity from Homage, Tribute, and Epic Woman Extrait has awesome longevity on me. The quality of raw materials used by Amouage in their EDP's just isn't on par with their prices.

If you get monstrous longevity, I'm happy for you. Because I don't, doesn't mean something is wrong with me.
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post #35 of 53
4/11/12 at 6:50am
So strange, I also get 10+ hrs from memoir. There are many that are supposed to have great longevity which simply do not last on me.
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post #36 of 53
4/11/12 at 6:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

It is similar in some regards, although I find their moods to be completely different. Memoir is more introspective and dark, almost brooding, while GPH is also slightly introspective, but in an almost casual or indifferent manner. GPH is a serene walk through autumnal woods just as the sun is setting. Memoir is that same walk, hours later plunged into the dark heart of the forest, with a storm brewing overhead.

I LOVE how you describe scents! *hats off*
Though the picture I get from MM is entirely different. It's not dark at all. To me it smells like a small wooden church (think Eastern Europe) on a hot summer day. With white linen cloth on the altar and field flowers in small vases. Very quiet and peaceful.
Memoir Woman on the other hand is an entirely different beast. Continuing with church related associations this would be a Gothic cathedral - dark, cold, uninviting, but stunningly beautiful.
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post #37 of 53
4/11/12 at 8:30am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

It is similar in some regards, although I find their moods to be completely different. Memoir is more introspective and dark, almost brooding, while GPH is also slightly introspective, but in an almost casual or indifferent manner. GPH is a serene walk through autumnal woods just as the sun is setting. Memoir is that same walk, hours later plunged into the dark heart of the forest, with a storm brewing overhead.

Very well put. I really like how that connects the two, as well. The flâneur keeps walking...
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post #38 of 53
4/11/12 at 8:34am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebeck View Post

I don't even get 24 minutes, let alone 24 hours.

My wearing yesterday easily went from around 7:30 AM, through the day and into the evening with little loss of presence, though the scent did evolve of course (much more of the dusty woods toward the end). I could still smell it a bit when I woke up this morning. It's rich stuff.
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post #39 of 53
4/11/12 at 8:34am
Thread Starter 
Duplicate.
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post #40 of 53
4/11/12 at 11:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by onethinline View Post

My wearing yesterday easily went from around 7:30 AM, through the day and into the evening with little loss of presence, though the scent did evolve of course (much more of the dusty woods toward the end). I could still smell it a bit when I woke up this morning. It's rich stuff.

Agreed! It is tenacious in a good way!
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post #41 of 53
4/11/12 at 12:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by onethinline View Post

My wearing yesterday easily went from around 7:30 AM, through the day and into the evening with little loss of presence, though the scent did evolve of course (much more of the dusty woods toward the end). I could still smell it a bit when I woke up this morning. It's rich stuff.

I'm glad Memoir Man works for you. I do get great longevity from some scents like "M", Absolue pour le soir, Richwood, Black Aoud, Oud Luban, & Xerjoff Homme. I just mentioned a few because some people think nothing lasts on me, which isn't true.
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post #42 of 53
4/11/12 at 1:05pm
I had Memoir Man. It is really good. I liked the dark woody scent from Memoir Man.
I have never tested XXV, but Memoir is the best Amouage line by far I have ever tested (I haven´t tested attar lines).
Unfortunately, I got bored of it after four months, so that I sold it.
But I do admit, that it smells luxurious with its complexity.
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post #43 of 53
4/11/12 at 3:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shahor View Post

Must go and try GPH, if it holds at least any resemblance to Memoir it must be great.

Trust me: there isn't much resemblance. I have a tiny bottle of gucci pour homme, and it isn't very similar, and isn't anywhere near as satisfying as Memoir!
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post #44 of 53
4/11/12 at 4:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larwiz View Post

Trust me: there isn't much resemblance. I have a tiny bottle of gucci pour homme, and it isn't very similar, and isn't anywhere near as satisfying as Memoir!

Both mix a dusty cedar/guaiac wood with incense and a somewhat sweet, almost gourmand overtone. In both cases the woodsiness feels "creamy." I'm not saying they smell the same -- obviously they don't -- but for me at least they occupy the same general space.
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post #45 of 53
4/11/12 at 5:07pm
I think I might just splurge and get myself a bottle of Gucci PH thanks to this thread. I love Memoir, it has become my #1 (or maybe it was since I first met it, but I was just unable to accept the idea and the dethroning of my previous favorite at the time), and it will be nice to have something suitably similar but different.

TheBeck: do you get bad longevity with any of the scents that are known to have high amounts of iso e super:

LL

(Also, I remember reading in an interview somewhere that Fahrenheit was one of or maybe actually the first to overdose ies, and had it at like 25% of the composition).

I'm wondering if it's the IES causing olfactory fatigue, because I do suspect that Memoir is about 25% ies.
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post #46 of 53
4/11/12 at 6:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

I think I might just splurge and get myself a bottle of Gucci PH thanks to this thread. I love Memoir, it has become my #1 (or maybe it was since I first met it, but I was just unable to accept the idea and the dethroning of my previous favorite at the time), and it will be nice to have something suitably similar but different.

TheBeck: do you get bad longevity with any of the scents that are known to have high amounts of iso e super:

LL

(Also, I remember reading in an interview somewhere that Fahrenheit was one of or maybe actually the first to overdose ies, and had it at like 25% of the composition).

I'm wondering if it's the IES causing olfactory fatigue, because I do suspect that Memoir is about 25% ies.

Exactly what I was thinking, there are SO MANY frags with lots of IES these days.

Memoir has a pretty large dose and it sticks out prominently in the drydown, which pretty makes short longevity with this frag an impossibility. But I could definitely see it seeming to fade away after an hour or two if you're anosmic to IES.

Also, GpH 1 is gross, a total IES bomb combined with other mostly synthetic ingredients, including the same smoky incense note used in CDG 2Man. I sold mine pretty quick.
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post #47 of 53
4/13/12 at 3:21am
So, I went shopping today and wanted to test GPH. 'Not available anymore' - was the official answer in two shops that I visited. *snif* It must have been a good frag. They always discontinue the good ones.
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post #48 of 53
4/13/12 at 8:57am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by shahor View Post

So, I went shopping today and wanted to test GPH. 'Not available anymore' - was the official answer in two shops that I visited. *snif* It must have been a good frag. They always discontinue the good ones.

I just nabbed a bottle, but had to resort to getting it from eBay, because I'm seeing the same thing: it's out at Sephora (local store and online) and "backordered" on the Gucci web site. Looks like this one may indeed be deleted, as we'd suspected was going to happen. Quite sad; this is an excellent commercial fragrance.
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post #49 of 53
4/13/12 at 4:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shahor View Post

So, I went shopping today and wanted to test GPH. 'Not available anymore' - was the official answer in two shops that I visited. *snif* It must have been a good frag. They always discontinue the good ones.

CDG 2 Man is almost exactly the same thing, but slightly better IMO.

I dislike both of them, but if you like iso-e super based frags you may love them.
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post #50 of 53
4/13/12 at 5:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorje123 View Post

CDG 2 Man is almost exactly the same thing, but slightly better IMO.

I dislike both of them, but if you like iso-e super based frags you may love them.

I find there to be a lot of differences between 2 Man and Gucci PH. Sure, they're both woody/incensey/smooth frags, but 2 Man's emphasis is on a frankincense accord accented with vetiver and a candle wax note, while Gucci is more smooth creamy woods accented w/ incense (barely) and spices.

I wonder if the IES is blurring the differences for you. I know I've had that kind of thing happen, and still do, when certain chemical sensitivities of mine flare up. I can often pick out the same use of a particular synthetic in frags that nobody thinks are similar, such as for instance, the same amber aromachemical/accord is used in Saks Fifth Ave for Men by Bond, and Fahrenheit 32, although other than that the frags smell nothing alike. Another one is the use of a particular ambergris/labdanum synthetic used by PR Ultraviolet Man and Tauer's LddM, although in this case, I maintain that the frags do share some similarities.
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post #51 of 53
4/13/12 at 5:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

I think I might just splurge and get myself a bottle of Gucci PH thanks to this thread. I love Memoir, it has become my #1 (or maybe it was since I first met it, but I was just unable to accept the idea and the dethroning of my previous favorite at the time), and it will be nice to have something suitably similar but different.

TheBeck: do you get bad longevity with any of the scents that are known to have high amounts of iso e super:

LL

(Also, I remember reading in an interview somewhere that Fahrenheit was one of or maybe actually the first to overdose ies, and had it at like 25% of the composition).

I'm wondering if it's the IES causing olfactory fatigue, because I do suspect that Memoir is about 25% ies.

This could be my problem, I'm not sure, but the 10 scents listed I do have problems with longevity on all 10. Thanks for drawing that to my attention. I'll just stay away IES.
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post #52 of 53
4/13/12 at 10:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebeck View Post

I'll just stay away IES.

Sadly, in the modern market (niche included.. double plus sad), that's a sisyphean task.
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post #53 of 53
4/14/12 at 9:36am
Woman's better; and that's coming from a bloke.
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