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MI longevity and Creed 'Bloom'

post #1 of 38
5/28/12 at 11:17am
Thread Starter 
Yep, MI longevity/ batch thread...

I have recently purchased a bottle of Millesime Imperial. This is lot # c3311n01, which I have read is among the best of 2011. It smells fantastic. I am though experiencing the same longevity issues that everyone complains about with every batch of MI. I do find a modest skin scent that seems to last forever if sprayed in the inside of the bend of the elbow which leads me to believe that this could wind up lasting much longer as it ages.
I know that Creeds are expected to become richer as they mature. I have experienced it with other fragrances (Creeds/ Amouages etc).

Question-
Do you typically find that longevity increases with MI as it 'matures'. I don't see a lot of people who are reporting longevity issues reiterate this 3 months in, a year in etc...
Just curious.

ps- Kron/ Hepherd, if you are reading this, I am very interested in your take.

Thanks,

Seth
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post #2 of 38
5/28/12 at 11:24am
will be very interested also what people have to say about this...

on a side note does anyone know if the gold bottle MI is available still in selfridges?
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post #3 of 38
5/28/12 at 11:44am
Thread Starter 
I have experienced this quite noticibly with Le Labo Vetiver 46 (strength & longevity), Amouage Memoir Man (becomes much richer over time) and GIT (becomes richer, greener, lasts longer).
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post #4 of 38
5/28/12 at 12:48pm
I've had similar experience with two of the Creeds...I have a gold plated bottle of MI which is probably 8-10 years old, and it still has lots of vitality, shall we say. The saltiness note is still very present, even more so than in my more recent MI. Same is true for what must now be a 7 year old black bottle of GIT...still going strong to the last remaining ounce.
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post #5 of 38
5/28/12 at 12:57pm
I only have the large gold bottle and personally have never had longevity problems with it.
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post #6 of 38
5/28/12 at 1:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hednic View Post

I only have the large gold bottle and personally have never had longevity problems with it.

ditto.

Originally, i thought it didn't last, but i was wrong, it's actually very long lasting but probably just doesn't project as much after a long period. My wife sometimes comments on it 8-10 hours after application.

I would say it aged well, more or less the same scent as 8 years ago, but that might have to do with how I stored my fragrances.
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post #7 of 38
5/28/12 at 1:06pm
Thread Starter 
I have a feeling that this is going to get stronger in the coming weeks, and that this phenomenon (as evidenced with the other Creeds, Le Labo, & Amouage) may be contributing to the issues that folks report initially with projection and longevity. I am just looking for a more experienced board member or someone who has lived a while with an initially 'weak' batch to confirm it or report their experience (genuine bad batches aside). Or others who I have read others report that they get great longevity from this batch and I know that it is a good one.
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post #8 of 38
5/28/12 at 1:08pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks HackerX/ hednic/ cologne connoisseur.
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post #9 of 38
5/28/12 at 2:51pm
As with most of my Creed fragrances, I can`t smell them after a while, but others can :-) I always spray some directly on my shirt.
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post #10 of 38
5/28/12 at 5:25pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks! Has anyone experienced this with MI? That as it matures the longevity increases along with the richness of the fragrance?
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post #11 of 38
5/28/12 at 9:21pm
I have A3211N01 and the smell and longevity is fantastic. THe juice is much darker than other 2011 batches i've seen...
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post #12 of 38
5/28/12 at 9:30pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks,

The juice is is fairly dark (for MI)in my batch as well. Todays wearing was lighter and also seemed to last longer. I think that I may be correct in my assessment, as the bottle does seem to be getting stronger after only a few days to 'breathe'.
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post #13 of 38
5/29/12 at 2:23am
same batch here. I think its gone around the 3 hr mark, but get compliments hours later
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post #14 of 38
5/29/12 at 3:44am
I have two different batches of MI, one is A3311UO2, the other is A3309W02 and they both last a minimum of 8 hours, and that's only around the time that I stop smelling it. In fact, last week I sprayed it at 5 in the afternoon, and a friend commented the next day at around 9 in the morning that I smelled lovely and said "that thing surrounds you like an aura", and that's some 16 hours later; by that time most on this forum would have you believe that even a police dog, trained to suss out MI, would fail to detect even the faintest trace of ambergris.
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post #15 of 38
5/29/12 at 6:02am
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I've also had good experiences in the few weeks that I've had it. Batch no. A3311U02 for me as well, 4oz bottle. As with some (most?) CREEDs this does seem to be related to olfactory fatigue after a few hours. It's 2PM here and I put some on at 8am. I get wiffs of it as I move around and this is despite going for a walk in the park at lunchtime. When I get home in the evening I can smell it on me when I jump in the shower.
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post #16 of 38
5/29/12 at 7:14am
It's primarily a load of crap.

I like a few of them but Creeds are so simple it really doesn't make a hell of a lot of difference anyway.
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post #17 of 38
5/29/12 at 10:51am
I can't smell mine after a few hours but others have commented on it. Most creeds act like "phantom" scents. Just when your convinced the scent is gone, other people can detect them. Aventus is the king in the olfactory fatigue department.
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post #18 of 38
5/29/12 at 6:59pm
Thread Starter 
Strange,

Slightly better longevity today. I do believe that in many instances it is just a matter of a bottle needing to be primed for a few days, weeks, etc that is causing such an unnecessary major panic for so many folks on these boards.
That said, I will agree that anything beyond a minor variation between batches is just unacceptable.
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post #19 of 38
5/29/12 at 7:14pm
I have a 2010 batch. It has a very prominent melon note and not too much salt. It lasted 4 hours on me when I first got it. Now, almost a year later...still lasts 4 hours. It could be my imagination, but I think it smells better now though.
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post #20 of 38
5/29/12 at 8:06pm
MI doesn't last on the skin period. It's not a batch issue it's the fragrance. 3 to 5 hours is about what your going to get on average. Even on clothing longevity is poor which is a sure sign it's not going to last on your skin.
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post #21 of 38
5/29/12 at 8:19pm
MI seems to be a "radiance" scent, like Timbuktu. That is, it does not go on strong and at first you hardly notice it but later on it "radiates" around you in an oddly indirect way. The phenomenon of others being able to smell it long after you can't seems to be common. This might be one you need to check with others to really test longevity.

The radiance phenomenon with Timbuktu is really striking and in this case you get a much stronger sense of the scent later on. It is like a kind of sorcery but quite nice.

There's a long thread here somewhere discussing the possible chemistry behind new scents not being very strong first out the bottle and firming up later. This also seems to be a common phenomenon.
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post #22 of 38
5/29/12 at 8:32pm
Thread Starter 
I would like to find that thread. I experienced an extreme case of this with Amouage Memoir Man. The tester in the store was rich and full. My purchase bottle seemed flimsy by comparison - for about a week. Then it became very full very strong. Going back to the store much later, the tester that sold me on it did not seem to me as satisfying as the purchased bottle.
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post #23 of 38
5/30/12 at 9:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by srellim1 View Post

I would like to find that thread. I experienced an extreme case of this with Amouage Memoir Man. The tester in the store was rich and full. My purchase bottle seemed flimsy by comparison - for about a week. Then it became very full very strong. Going back to the store much later, the tester that sold me on it did not seem to me as satisfying as the purchased bottle.

Here ya go:

http://www.basenotes.net/threads/299...t=#post2533140
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post #24 of 38
5/30/12 at 9:49am
My 2006 bottle is super rich and super salty, very floral and even borderline "fruity oriental" given how rusty/floral/rich the base is.

Contrasting to my 500ml flacon from 2010, which is lighter, more melony, and fresher. I'm thinking of buying another brand new flacon just to monitor the theory of Creeds getting richer with age.

I remember going on a long rant a year or two ago about whether batch variation or "blooming" was really the cause behind so much creed inconsistency. The Jury is still out imho.
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post #25 of 38
5/30/12 at 4:18pm
Dullah,

I am extremely skeptical on the Creed "Aging" theory. I had a bottle of GIT from 2010 that lasted me about a year and it was extremely synthetic, it never bloomed into the GIT I remember from years ago. Contrast that with a 2011 batch that smelled fantastic from the first day I bought it. The two batches were like night and day. Since Creed uses natural ingredients I have become inclined to believe it depends on the quality of the harvest. I love creed and it seems to me their batches have been more "consistent" over the last year..hopefully the trend will continue.


Nick
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post #26 of 38
5/30/12 at 5:04pm
I dont think ive had any MI long enough to know if it gets better with age. None of the batches really last on me, but i am not a good person to ask because nothing lasts on me except really, really strong spicy scents like TFs, Montales, Zino, M7.....

If you ask a "normal" person who owns a Creed and has never been on internet fragrance forums, they will tell you that they have no problem with the longevity of the fragrance.
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post #27 of 38
5/30/12 at 6:51pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the link to that thread. VERY interesting. I appreciate all of the serious responses.

Heperd- I also lean toward darker heavier fragrances (a lot of Tom Fords, a few Lutens, Amouages, patchoulis, ambers etc). My desert island fragrances would likely be Memoir Man or Amber Absolute. I also enjoy a few Creeds though. Moving directly to Bois du Portugal. But for what it is MI smells great and we are moving toward summer so...
I mentioned you and Kron in my original post because you both (along with Dullah and several others) seem to be pretty level headed and I've learned a great deal from your posts. I just think that-perhaps folks are too quick to jump to a panic point based on information that they read on these boards. I do agree that if I were a 'normal wearer, and had not been exposed to say Epic Man of Tobacco Vanille, I might just think that it smelled great but didn't last quite as long my GIT or whatever then reapply at the 4 hr mark. No big deal.
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post #28 of 38
5/30/12 at 7:04pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by checker View Post

Dullah,

I am extremely skeptical on the Creed "Aging" theory. I had a bottle of GIT from 2010 that lasted me about a year and it was extremely synthetic, it never bloomed into the GIT I remember from years ago. Contrast that with a 2011 batch that smelled fantastic from the first day I bought it. The two batches were like night and day. Since Creed uses natural ingredients I have become inclined to believe it depends on the quality of the harvest. I love creed and it seems to me their batches have been more "consistent" over the last year..hopefully the trend will continue.


Nick

I don't think that the aging theory would have anything to do with a bad batch being, well a bad batch. 2010 seems to be the year that everyone agrees was a bad year for production. If a so so batch gets richer with age, than wouldn't just be a richer, stronger so so batch? I have a 2008 bottle of GIT that is very strong very sharp with an abundance of violet. I also have 50ml from a Kron split 2011 batch that smelled great at the outset. 6 weeks later it is much greener. Really beautiful.
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post #29 of 38
5/30/12 at 7:29pm
I like light, aquatic, fresh frags including almost all of the Creeds, but none of them last on me. I hope they all get richer with age.
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post #30 of 38
5/30/12 at 9:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by srellim1 View Post

I don't think that the aging theory would have anything to do with a bad batch being, well a bad batch. 2010 seems to be the year that everyone agrees was a bad year for production. If a so so batch gets richer with age, than wouldn't just be a richer, stronger so so batch? I have a 2008 bottle of GIT that is very strong very sharp with an abundance of violet. I also have 50ml from a Kron split 2011 batch that smelled great at the outset. 6 weeks later it is much greener. Really beautiful.


Excellent post and I totally understand where your coming from. My point is I'm skeptical that some creeds get "Better" with age like some people have claimed in the past. I'm not disputing the fact that some batches may get stronger over time.
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post #31 of 38
5/30/12 at 9:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by srellim1 View Post

Question-
Do you typically find that longevity increases with MI as it 'matures'. I don't see a lot of people who are reporting longevity issues reiterate this 3 months in, a year in etc...
Just curious.

I've had multiple MI sample vials for quite a while. The longevity stayed the same. I get around 4 hours. IMO, MI is the Creed with the worst longevity.
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post #32 of 38
5/30/12 at 11:56pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by checker View Post

Excellent post and I totally understand where your coming from. My point is I'm skeptical that some creeds get "Better" with age like some people have claimed in the past. I'm not disputing the fact that some batches may get stronger over time.

I understand and agree with you. I have been fortunate in that I haven't wound up with anything from 2010. I think that I would be extremely disappointed/angry if I had spent good money on what I know is a quality bottle of wine only to find later that it is nothing but sediment & vinegar (ok bad analogy). What a drag.
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post #33 of 38
5/31/12 at 1:31am
MI is a tricky one. After a few hours I really can't detect much of it, but my girlfriend confirms it's pretty much "there" after at least six hours. It's not strong, do mind, but it's still there. Seems to be olfactory fatigue on my part, but I'm happy to report that it still smells good long after I think it's gone.

Get someone to smell you after you've lost trace of it yourself - I can almost guarantee you it's still there.
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post #34 of 38
5/31/12 at 3:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hreple View Post

MI is a tricky one. After a few hours I really can't detect much of it, but my girlfriend confirms it's pretty much "there" after at least six hours. It's not strong, do mind, but it's still there. Seems to be olfactory fatigue on my part, but I'm happy to report that it still smells good long after I think it's gone.

Get someone to smell you after you've lost trace of it yourself - I can almost guarantee you it's still there.



Yes it's still there on my skin after I lose sense of the smell. My girlfriend and others have confirmed this as well. It's not a projection monster by any means, bit people will definitely be able to detect it.
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post #35 of 38
5/31/12 at 9:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by checker View Post

Dullah,

I am extremely skeptical on the Creed "Aging" theory. I had a bottle of GIT from 2010 that lasted me about a year and it was extremely synthetic, it never bloomed into the GIT I remember from years ago. Contrast that with a 2011 batch that smelled fantastic from the first day I bought it. The two batches were like night and day. Since Creed uses natural ingredients I have become inclined to believe it depends on the quality of the harvest. I love creed and it seems to me their batches have been more "consistent" over the last year..hopefully the trend will continue.


Nick


All fragrances change over time; the change is quite rapid at first, usually before it is shipped for sale, then tends to slow down unless the bottle is exposed to light or excessive heat. But they all change (see thread mentioned above for a professional perfumer saying this...)

Also, almost all fragrances, including Creed, are mostly synthetic these days for a variety of reasons (cost is a fairly minor factor; more importantly, many traditional naturals are either unavailable or banned). The whole history of modern fragrance, as has often been pointed out here and elsewhere, is founded on synthetics that were not available before the 19th century. GIT is, in fact, mostly based on and inspired by modern, lab-created ingredients. Creed does use more naturals than some houses and buys higher-quality ingredients, so some variation in sourcing could affect the smell.
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post #36 of 38
6/5/12 at 8:06pm
I to have that batch#a3311U02 and it has a melon note to it...I sprayed five spray on my shirt just to test its projection and I must say very good. Also this batch has a slight green tint to it, which is darker than my other MI juice! I could smell this juice in my closet four four days straight! The first two days was fairly loud! I bought two bottles. I'm very happy with this batch...
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post #37 of 38
6/5/12 at 9:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by smells View Post

I to have that batch#a3311U02 and it has a melon note to it...I sprayed five spray on my shirt just to test its projection and I must say very good. Also this batch has a slight green tint to it, which is darker than my other MI juice! I could smell this juice in my closet four four days straight! The first two days was fairly loud! I bought two bottles. I'm very happy with this batch...



I find that the stronger batches of MI do have darker juice, my A3311N01 batch has a strong melon note as well. Some of the 11x02 batches are clear juice and smell mostly of salt.
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post #38 of 38
6/5/12 at 9:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by checker View Post

I find that the stronger batches of MI do have darker juice, my A3311N01 batch has a strong melon note as well. Some of the 11x02 batches are clear juice and smell mostly of salt.

I agree! The darker the juice the better the melon note as well as longevity...
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