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Results from my Drugstore fuming today....

post #1 of 14
6/10/12 at 11:04am
Thread Starter 
So in my quest to find that hidden gem among cheap-o drugstore frags, I spent the better part of this morning testing the following....here are my humble opinions:

The Good:
Vanilla Musk: this one surprised me; came thisclose to buying it...very rich without being overtly heady
Britney Spears Fantasy: being old enough to have a teeny bopper of my own, I was reluctant to try this....I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
Skin Musk: another one that surprised me....thought it would be another one of the 80's frag drones, but I enjoyed it
Sand & Sable: was better than i thought....probably wouldn't add to my wardrobe, but its o-k
Prescriptives Calyx: ding ding ding!! We have a winner! Snatched this one up

The Ugly:
Emeraude: o where do I begin? My first clue that this would be a disaster should've been the enormous size of the bottle; smells very outdated, very cheap
Exclamation: conjures up memories of my childhood in the 80's...how is it that I liked this when I was 13?
Wind Song: terribly heady, outdated, and cheap smelling
Chantilly Lace: overwhelming outdated floral
Loves Baby Soft: may as well just douse yourself in baby powder
Tabu: outdated, musty, un-original
Stetson: o hell no

On The Fence:
Jovan Musk: will have to wear this one to get an idea of it will work...not quite sure. Not very original.
Vanilla Fields: yawn
Wild Musk: once again, another o-k frag, nothing wow-able

Please be gentle with your responses. I'm still very new to this. Would love your opinions!!

Heather
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post #2 of 14
6/10/12 at 12:28pm
Welcome to the travels, Heather! Please do not buy everything you like or everything that smells good on you right there in the store. Sleep on them, come again and spray and again, go home. If you can't wake up the next day without it, if it whispers poetically, shouts your name or sings enticingly -- then buy, no matter what the price is. Oh, how many bottles have I had just sitting there, only because the first spray was sort of pretty.

(Cheap smellies are the worst -- they will be sitting forever and eternity, nobody will be interested in swapping with you. Trust me, I know first-hand).
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post #3 of 14
6/10/12 at 1:14pm
I love drugstore sniffing! Some of the ones you mention are horrible now but are very nice in vintage versions (Emeraude) . I didn't know Prescriptives Calyx is now sold in drugstores. That was such a cheery, great scent. I hope they didn't degrade the quality. I agree with Wolfie: only bring home the one(s) you really love, or they will sit there languishing forever. It's nice to find the dusting powders in the drugstores if you enjoy those. There is an old pharmacy I like to visit sometimes, though it is a bit of a hike, a day trip, from here, to buy soaps and talcum powders in particular. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find those in drugstores, as everything is celebuscents and body sprays now. My current love is Chantilly - in any form. Enjoy!
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post #4 of 14
6/10/12 at 2:06pm
Fully agree with Calyx - a great perfume and, to me, the best by far in the set.

Emeraude and Tabu used to be wonderful perfumes (I've smelled some vintage), but they have been sadly cheapened and are only shadows of what they were.

I've never had the chance to smell Lady Stetson. Steson original for men is very good, and a steal for the price; it is a floral oriental, and it would work very well for women too.

There's just so much at drugstore unfortunately. The two other great perfumes I have seen at some are Guerlain Shalimar (regular) and Dior Dune.

cacio
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post #5 of 14
6/10/12 at 5:13pm
The only drugstore frags I like (I think) are Jean Naté and Old Spice (it's actually very nice lavender). There may be others but I can't think of them.
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post #6 of 14
6/10/12 at 7:09pm
hi Heather! Welcome to Basenote....

I certainly admire you enthusiam to sniff all that in one day!! And glad you found something that YOU like. Also surprised to hear Calyx is in a drugstore- I thought it was discontinued. Very nice summer scent and definitely the best of your "Good bunch IMO"

LOL- I will be gentle with you even if you did trash 3 of my all time favorite scents (cheap cost or not) as UGLY- Windsong (see my review on the scent's page), Chantilly (fist bumping you Lillybelle), and Love's Baby Soft (which actually has a lot of musk in it and doesn't sit like baby powder on my skin)

Poor Emeraude- it is a synthetic shadow of it' former self, make no mistake. I never wore it, but I some glorious vintage for reference.

Tabu was a bombshell of a scent in her heyday- My aunt rocked this in her winter mink coat. Nowadays Ms Tabu is a bag lady due to cheap reformulation. So sad.

Stetson and Lady Stetson are well constructed, just might not be "you"

Haven't smelled any of your "on the fence" scents.

Keep sniffing and posting.
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post #7 of 14
6/10/12 at 8:29pm
Oh, Chantilly is beautiful! I've tried this fragrance many times, loved it every time, but never bought.
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post #8 of 14
6/10/12 at 11:14pm
The last drugstore buy was Tim McGraw Southern Blend. Not too bad for a drugstore brand:

Grapefruit, star annis, bergamot, lavender, violet leaf, whiskey, vetiver, amber and tobacco.
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post #9 of 14
6/11/12 at 12:29am
Calyx was Prescriptives which Estee Lauder started, they discontinued the brand. I loved their makeup, hate Calyx but I don't do fruity. Then Estee Lauder re released Calyx on its own, I see it in department stores sitting randomly with other mixed brands.
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post #10 of 14
6/11/12 at 4:47am
Yay for the Chantilly love! I only have Wind Song in the cute metal spray can, but I like it very much. There is something cooling about it. Knit, you have inspired me to try Babysoft now.
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post #11 of 14
6/11/12 at 11:22pm
Chalk me up as another Chantilly fan! Try that one again in a few months, why don't you? As much as I adore it now, I didn't "get" it when I first tried it - repeated exposure was necessary.

Another drugstore fragrance I'll admit to liking a whole lot is, of all things, Pamela Anderson Malibu Night. Pomegranate, orchid, greens, patchouli, a little dark chocolate, and something that I'm sure is graham cracker even if they call it chai.
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post #12 of 14
6/12/12 at 12:19am
blkbrd, someone else mentioned the Malibu Nights recently- sounds like I must sniff that one out. Especially since Malibu is a 20-3o minute drive from chez moi
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post #13 of 14
6/24/12 at 7:31pm
Tabu probably smelled original in 1932...
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post #14 of 14
6/24/12 at 7:37pm
Calyx in drugstores?! Not in my neighborhood, not so far. Must take another look, tho.

Nice reviews.
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