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Secretions Magnifique

post #1 of 48
2/4/12 at 7:32am
Thread Starter 
In preparation for my sampling of SM tomorrow I'm curious if anyone actually owns or wears this in public.... Or in private come to think of it

TIA
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post #2 of 48
2/4/12 at 7:34am
Just tried it in store out of curiosity. Enjoy your unique experience tomorrow.
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post #3 of 48
2/4/12 at 7:58am
I received a sample of it from a dear BNer once. Unsolicited too lol.

I'll classify it as a Concept art.
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post #4 of 48
2/4/12 at 8:49am
I do own a full bottle of it. As hedonist said, conceptual art.

In no way should it touch the skin, though.

cacio
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post #5 of 48
2/5/12 at 3:43am
I have an official sample and test it at home from time to time.

If you're able, leave it on your skin for the day as its development is very interesting.

Yes, the opening is challenging though.
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post #6 of 48
2/5/12 at 5:57am
Thread Starter 
See today's commentary in female frags section
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post #7 of 48
2/5/12 at 1:58pm
I am down for challenging. I am down for art. But I could not help but have a very visceral reaction to this. In order:

1. Sneezed (x4)
2. Sat very still for 30secs trying not to barf
3. Scrubbed (x3)
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post #8 of 48
2/5/12 at 10:00pm
Yes, I wear it in public.
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post #9 of 48
2/5/12 at 11:38pm
I used to wear it in public, and I even got compliments on it. But then one day I wore it around my girlfriend and she almost vomited. She told me in no uncertain terms that I must not even have that fragrance in the house anymore.
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post #10 of 48
2/6/12 at 9:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by L'Incandescent View Post

I used to wear it in public, and I even got compliments on it. But then one day I wore it around my girlfriend and she almost vomited. She told me in no uncertain terms that I must not even have that fragrance in the house anymore.

That's not surprising since it's unpleasant up close. it's not a good idea to smell it on a smelling strip or spray it on your wrist and hold it up to your nose, nor is it a good idea to wear it around people you're likely to get close to. But it's interesting "in public." It has a strange radiant milky-metallic glow unlike anything else I've ever worn.
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post #11 of 48
2/6/12 at 4:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ROtto View Post

That's not surprising since it's unpleasant up close. it's not a good idea to smell it on a smelling strip or spray it on your wrist and hold it up to your nose, nor is it a good idea to wear it around people you're likely to get close to. But it's interesting "in public." It has a strange radiant milky-metallic glow unlike anything else I've ever worn.

It's the milky note that made my girlfriend so nauseated. For whatever reason, my nose doesn't pick up anything milky at all. If I did get milk, I'd never even dream of wearing it; I actually haven't had milk in probably twenty years because it makes me extremely nauseated. When I used to wear Secretions Magnifiques around the house, I held my wrist up to my nose all the time!
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post #12 of 48
2/12/12 at 7:23pm
I was hesitant to try SM because of the overwhelming negative feedback. Truth is I don't find it repulsive at all. Actually I kind of like it. I have to confess though I only applied a small amount, about two drops from the mini bottle. The opening reminded me of the smell of cilantro. Then it began to smell slightly like coconut but more creamier. Three hours later it smells like I had been swimming in the ocean with just a trace of the smell of suntan lotion. Would I wear this in public? Yes although I wouldn't wear this to work because it smells too casual.
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post #13 of 48
4/10/12 at 9:31pm
So I finally tried this. In fact I'm wearing it now as I ordered the set of ELdO 16 minis from Lucky Scent. Reading the reviews here and on Luckyscent I was expecting something terrible. I was expecting a mix of blood, urine, and semen. Now wearing this I do get a hind of blood and semen but only if I hold my nose right up to my arm. Further away I smell steamed milk, coconut, and something floral. This scent isn't that bad. I've only had it on for 30 minutes but I'm definitely not getting the gag reaction that some report.
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post #14 of 48
4/10/12 at 9:43pm
I've recently revisited this myself and find it far less off-putting than before. I used to get a strong "wet dog" note, but now that note seems very faint and is more of a wet dog/egg white type of note, with a thick and milky substance. It is mildly disconcerting but does not venture into the realm of unpleasant. What is pleasant, however, is the radiant metallic iris/sandalwood/coconut accord.

I pick up some of that same radiant accord in Reflection Man, but in SM it is less adorned and, perhaps better off because of it. It's a wonderful accord, if a bit synthetic.
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post #15 of 48
4/10/12 at 10:40pm
It's an interesting scent that any fragrance fan needs to try once.

The metallic notes were too much for me.
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post #16 of 48
4/10/12 at 11:04pm
My one real perfume regret (aside from giving/throwing away lots of perfume over the years before I knew any better) is that I didn't try this perfume before I read and heard all the hype. It's hard to know what I would have thought coming to it completely open and ignorant, because other people's opinions have an effect whether we like it or not.

Still, my reaction wasn't as violent or dramatic as Katie Puckrik's or many others'. I definitely didn't like it; it's got lots of that metallic salty aquatic thing that I don't like even in small doses, and I thought the floral notes came off as weird and cartoonish against that background. To me, it smelled categorically bad, but then if forced to choose between that and the awful musk from Narciso Rodriguez for Her, I'm honestly not sure which I'd wear.
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post #17 of 48
4/11/12 at 2:43am
I found Fils de Dieu to share similarities with Secretions Magnifique only it's much more wearable as it's loaded up with citrus fruits, more coconut and rice. It's hiding in the base though.
I also found that Humiecki and Graef's Bosque had a strong SM vibe in the base only much more wearable.
I do like to sniff SM from time to time, I find it pleasant in small doses, I love the sharp metallic twang, but applied liberally it's quite unbearable, these are good alternatives for anyone in the same boat as me.
I also need to give a full wearing to Lutens' Bas de Soie as I've heard comparisons with this also.
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post #18 of 48
4/11/12 at 3:41am
I guess I'm with those who think that SM is more sort of conceptual art than a proper fragrance but I also strongly believe that if this juice would have been called "Les Fleurs Marine" or whatever other non-provocative name and released by one of the billions of anonymous brands available on the market, almost nobody would have cared about it.

Oh, the power of suggestion (aka marketing).
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post #19 of 48
4/11/12 at 4:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by forfreddie View Post

I found Fils de Dieu to share similarities with Secretions Magnifique only it's much more wearable as it's loaded up with citrus fruits, more coconut and rice. It's hiding in the base though.
I also found that Humiecki and Graef's Bosque had a strong SM vibe in the base only much more wearable.
I do like to sniff SM from time to time, I find it pleasant in small doses, I love the sharp metallic twang, but applied liberally it's quite unbearable, these are good alternatives for anyone in the same boat as me.
I also need to give a full wearing to Lutens' Bas de Soie as I've heard comparisons with this also.

Totally spot on w/ the Bosque thing. And that ties into what Alfarom said. I think that if they listed 'semen accord' in Bosque's notes list, we'd hear people mentioning it in all sorts of reviews. As far as I know, I'm the only one that has ever mentioned that accord (although at least you too have picked it up, forfreddie ).

My many years here have taught me that fragrance is not just what we smell, or rather, what we smell is truly influenced by things like notes lists, marketing, word of mouth and general community opinion re: the scent, and brand clout (or lack thereof).
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post #20 of 48
4/11/12 at 4:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

Totally spot on w/ the Bosque thing. And that ties into what Alfarom said. I think that if they listed 'semen accord' in Bosque's notes list, we'd hear people mentioning it in all sorts of reviews. As far as I know, I'm the only one that has ever mentioned that accord (although at least you too have picked it up, forfreddie ).
).

Thanks. Yeh on my first wearing of Bosque (which I think is fantastic), the opening blew me away, and then the salty/milky/metallic vibe going on in the base, oh man. I reviewed all the H&G samples in my blog doing like, initial impressions, I think they missed out a lot of accords in their notes list... "Feet" in Askew I noticed was missing :')
I consider Bosque what Secretions Magnifique should have been if it were a wearable fragrance.

I'm not too sure about the marketing thing. That can be said about tons of stuff... some of the Comme des Garcons line, and maybe even in the opposite sense, we could sniff Amouages blind and be totally unimpressed without the packaging and huge pricetag. Whilst the ELDO marketing may be over the top at times, they're doing it right!
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post #21 of 48
4/11/12 at 4:27am
Is this the one with the penis on the bottle? I shall resist the hype.
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post #22 of 48
4/11/12 at 4:32am
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Originally Posted by Rüssel View Post

Is this the one with the penis on the bottle? I shall resist the hype.

That's the one. It's worth smelling. Anyone who's interested in perfume should try and experience it at least once.
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post #23 of 48
4/11/12 at 4:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by forfreddie View Post

Thanks. Yeh on my first wearing of Bosque (which I think is fantastic), the opening blew me away, and then the salty/milky/metallic vibe going on in the base, oh man. I reviewed all the H&G samples in my blog doing like, initial impressions, I think they missed out a lot of accords in their notes list... "Feet" in Askew I noticed was missing :')
I consider Bosque what Secretions Magnifique should have been if it were a wearable fragrance.

I'm not too sure about the marketing thing. That can be said about tons of stuff... some of the Comme des Garcons line, and maybe even in the opposite sense, we could sniff Amouages blind and be totally unimpressed without the packaging and huge pricetag. Whilst the ELDO marketing may be over the top at times, they're doing it right!

Oh, I maintain that the marketing thing IS at work on all of us, at all times. In fact, I remember a study posted here long ago that did brain scans as well as subjective reports of wine that they had the subjects taste. There was a cheap wine (something like $5 a bottle) and an expensive wine (something like $500 a bottle) and not only did people almost unanimously prefer the expensive wine, they also showed more brain activity in regions correlated with pleasure and satisfaction. The catch? Some of the subjects were given the $5 wine and told it was the $500 wine, and vice versa. Their subjective expectations literally impacted their objective experience.
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post #24 of 48
4/11/12 at 4:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

Oh, I maintain that the marketing thing IS at work on all of us, at all times. In fact, I remember a study posted here long ago that did brain scans as well as subjective reports of wine that they had the subjects taste. There was a cheap wine (something like $5 a bottle) and an expensive wine (something like $500 a bottle) and not only did people almost unanimously prefer the expensive wine, they also showed more brain activity in regions correlated with pleasure and satisfaction. The catch? Some of the subjects were given the $5 wine and told it was the $500 wine, and vice versa. Their subjective expectations literally impacted their objective experience.

I love stuff like that! It's so interesting

The other day at work, my boss came in (knowing I'm a perfume nut) and held her wrist up to me.
Sniffing I was like "Ooooh that's quite nice" I didn't really think anything of it but certainly wasn't repulsed, it was just a very synthetic tacky floral, very mainstream.
She laughed and told me she'd passed a rip off of Kenzo Flower in Poundland! And that was it.
I was like "...Oh"
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post #25 of 48
4/11/12 at 4:48am
I can't wear it as I had a really bad allergic reaction to it when I tried my sample... It caused my eyes to go blurry. I wouldn't wear it in public anyway though as I hated the smell to the extreme (albeit I did not associate it with some of the more risque elements many others do). Apart from the allergic reaction, like Primrose, the milky metallic notes were just too much, IMO. I definitely regret trying it on so many levels.
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post #26 of 48
4/11/12 at 5:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

Oh, I maintain that the marketing thing IS at work on all of us, at all times.

Of course, but what I meant is that while marketing is usually PART of the hype, in SM is mostly 90% of the whole game. SM is not the only fragrance to play a milky/floral/metallic/bilge accord but it's the only one that generates silly, sort of moralistic reactions that most of the time I find over-sized, quite annoying and depending entirely on the name of the fragrance...
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post #27 of 48
4/11/12 at 7:28am
Not for me. At first, I was very curious and eager to try it, but after the first wearing, I couldn't handle it. I definitely can't wear it in public, ever!
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post #28 of 48
4/11/12 at 11:17am
There is no way I'm going to try this. It's actually turned me off from the company, because it doesn't seem to exist for any other reason than to generate attention, and that just doesn't sit right with me. With the way they name their fragrances they remind me of the indie kids who go to starbucks to hang out. Maybe I can get over myself, Fat Electrician and Jasmin et Cigarette look promising...
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post #29 of 48
4/11/12 at 12:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by starshipvelcro View Post

There is no way I'm going to try this. It's actually turned me off from the company, because it doesn't seem to exist for any other reason than to generate attention, and that just doesn't sit right with me. With the way they name their fragrances they remind me of the indie kids who go to starbucks to hang out. Maybe I can get over myself, Fat Electrician and Jasmin et Cigarette look promising...

I know what you mean, but don't let it totally put you off. The company's a bit out there with some of the names and the imagery, but there are some really good scents there. The two you mentioned, plus Putain des Palaces, Encens et Bubblegum, the new Fils de Dieu, etc. SM is a thoroughly nasty perfume, but we don't have to be hysterical about it. Some people are, and that's too bad.

I'm just glad there's someone out there foregoing the usual ultra-serious and "risque" marketing (and let's not even pretend that ELd'O's is the most provocative marketing or imagery out there in perfumeland) and having a bit of fun.
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post #30 of 48
4/11/12 at 1:26pm
Hmmm.
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post #31 of 48
4/13/12 at 9:02am
We whipped out SM at our meetup yesterday, and I have to say: every time I smell it, I acclimate to it a bit more. I almost like it now.
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post #32 of 48
4/13/12 at 9:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by alfarom View Post

Of course, but what I meant is that while marketing is usually PART of the hype, in SM is mostly 90% of the whole game. SM is not the only fragrance to play a milky/floral/metallic/bilge accord but it's the only one that generates silly, sort of moralistic reactions that most of the time I find over-sized and quite annoying and depend entirely on the name of the fragrance...

I don't mind this, to be honest. It very effectively pulls up the goal post and sets it out miles away from where it used to be, in terms of what qualifies as a fragrance and what can be wearable. The hype aspect draws attention to this...broader playing field, if you will. I think it can be eye-opening for people who only think about fragrance as some sort of sprayable fashion accessory that it can be much more. Most of us on here don't need to be convinced of that fact, so it seems redundant and silly. But I appreciate what it does in terms of advancing the art form of scent-making (and representing it, from a marketing perspective).
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post #33 of 48
4/13/12 at 8:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by forfreddie View Post

I also need to give a full wearing to Lutens' Bas de Soie as I've heard comparisons with this also.

Its really interesting that you bring this up- as soon as I read it, a lightbulb went off in my head.

I find Bas de Soie difficult to wear for this very reason. There's something about it that comes of smelling like a big hunk of cold meat, but not just any meat- its what I imagine human meat to smell like. Its blander, strangely warmer and not as metallic as say a steak or pack of ground beef.

With SM I get freshly gutted fish. No fishy smell, more like metallic, salty, cold innards.

I definitely get the connection between the two.
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post #34 of 48
4/16/12 at 5:39am
Any time I smell this I want to run away! I have no doubt that it changes after time - I've read so many reviews saying as much - but that opening! To me, it smells like lemon juice spilt on tin foil. I once got a little tin foil in my mouth (I'd sliced a freshly-baked cake and got a little foil caught on the cake by accident) and when I bit down on the foil it felt as thought someone had fired an electric current through my teeth. Extremely unpleasant and exactly the same physical reaction I had when I smelled SM. Eugh, eugh, eugh!
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post #35 of 48
4/16/12 at 9:23am
I don't know, guys...I do agree that marketing is at work in all of us, however, I WANTED SM to be edgy and "dirty" when I smelled it. I wanted it to be really avant-garde. But literally, it made me almost wretch......twice! It smells like a wound that has finished bleeding and is trying to heal, IMO.

That said, I believe the disparity is that SOME PEOPLE JUST DON'T PICK UP ON THOSE ROTTEN ACCORDS BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN DNA. For example. I had two fragrance dummies over to my house the other night. I was letting them test my frags so I could buy them perfumes for their wedding. I warned them ahead of time about SM, and told them that I just wanted to let one of them smell it just for a gag. Therefore, he knew going in that it was going to be horrible. He sniffed it a few times and said, "What's the big deal?"

Yes, the hype can be compelling, but seriously, to the right person, SM (on its own) makes me want to toss my cookies. (And ELdO is my favorite house).
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post #36 of 48
4/17/12 at 3:02pm
Anyone ever try tasting it?
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post #37 of 48
4/17/12 at 3:08pm
Tasting? Like tasting an oyster that will send you to ER within the next hour.

Indeed, I'm with lionheart about the genetics. I joked some time ago that people with very strong reactions to SM likely had coast dwelling ancestors who were selected to avoid eating past-its-prime seafood.

cacio
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post #38 of 48
4/17/12 at 3:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

Oh, I maintain that the marketing thing IS at work on all of us, at all times. In fact, I remember a study posted here long ago that did brain scans as well as subjective reports of wine that they had the subjects taste. There was a cheap wine (something like $5 a bottle) and an expensive wine (something like $500 a bottle) and not only did people almost unanimously prefer the expensive wine, they also showed more brain activity in regions correlated with pleasure and satisfaction. The catch? Some of the subjects were given the $5 wine and told it was the $500 wine, and vice versa. Their subjective expectations literally impacted their objective experience.

I've read whole books on this wine test thing. Partly as a result, I never pay $500 for a bottle of wine. I wonder how a similar test with fragrances would turn out. I personally have found absolutely no relationship between price and quality and enjoyment.

They teach you in marketing that setting the price is part of the marketing strategy, e.g., never but a bargain price on a luxury brand no matter how little it costs to make. This is why Apple products have the highest markups in the industry.
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post #39 of 48
4/17/12 at 4:11pm
Nobody can taste a price, but I can certainly tell the difference between a poor bottle of wine and a fine bottle of wine. It should also be noted that $500 bottles, when purchased retail, are almost never intended to be drunk immediately. Most of them will taste like tannic cat piss without at least a decade in the cellar.

I do agree that price does not correlate to quality in any predictable way. Except one: at higher price points, you are more likely (but certainly not guaranteed) to get better quality. Being educated about what you enjoy, whether it be wine or fragrance, is what will allow you to circumvent marketing and identify both the amazing bargains and the high-priced bottles that are actually worth their high price.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BurgundyMarsh View Post

I've read whole books on this wine test thing. Partly as a result, I never pay $500 for a bottle of wine. I wonder how a similar test with fragrances would turn out. I personally have found absolutely no relationship between price and quality and enjoyment.

They teach you in marketing that setting the price is part of the marketing strategy, e.g., never but a bargain price on a luxury brand no matter how little it costs to make. This is why Apple products have the highest markups in the industry.
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post #40 of 48
4/17/12 at 4:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

Anyone ever try tasting it?

If you do it, I'll do it. But I want to see video!
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post #41 of 48
4/17/12 at 4:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

Anyone ever try tasting it?

Go on then!
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post #42 of 48
4/17/12 at 7:00pm
I wanted to like this as I appreciate well done quirky fragrances. I sprayed and 60 seconds later the tester was in the trash and I was scrubbing my arm. This is a terrible fragrance imo. Too much for me.
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post #43 of 48
4/18/12 at 11:34pm
I own "Vulva Original"...that doesn't count though?
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post #44 of 48
4/19/12 at 2:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sensual View Post

I own "Vulva Original"...that doesn't count though?

Ewwwww, you're so gross!
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post #45 of 48
7/7/12 at 2:26am
Just got a sample of this from Alityke!

I've had it on for a few hours now and it's starting to get tedious and outstay its welcome. By no means is it the anti-Christ which it's made out to be, but it's far from pleasant and wearable! It does indeed resemble the smell of the image on the bottle, underpinned with a green floral note and it has a rather vivid and interesting metallic note, which I'm assuming is what gives it its blood vibe. Overall it's pretty nasty and I think I'm going to scrub it off now
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post #46 of 48
7/7/12 at 5:37am
Smelled like melon to me. Salty, sandy melon.
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post #47 of 48
2/4/13 at 4:39pm
I firmly believe that much of the repulsion people experience when first smelling SM is down to hype and expectation. If you were to sample it completely blind, not having heard of its reputation or seeing the big spunky phallus on the packaging, I'm sure you wouldn't be nearly so disgusted.

I've just revisited SM a month or so after first sniff and granted, it's a very challenging fragrance with some very unusual milky, marine, light metallic floral accords, but it's not the instant gag reflex activator that I'd originally convinced myself it was.

I still wouldn't wear it though.
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post #48 of 48
2/4/13 at 4:51pm
Pass
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