suggestions for a new perfume

Hello everyone !

Well, after reading you guys religiously for over 3 months (and discovering some great fragrances in the process) I've decided to take the next step and write my first post :-)

I am on my ever-searching quest for the perfect perfume for me, if that's possible. My favorite perfumes are the following:

1. Narcisse Noir parfum (Caron). I have a "vintage" from the nineties that sweeps me off. God nows what an old vintage could do to me. Doesn't stay long on my skin though, which makes me a bit sad. The current EDT nice, but tame ergo disappointing.

2. Cuir de Russie EDT (Chanel). I also own the parfum, but for some reason I like the EDT a bit better. the smoky drydown is to die for! Also, it lasts longer on my skin than the parfum.

3. Coco parfum (Chanel): I may be a guy, but I get compliments every time I wear this. This is as feminine as I to go though. It's a transgender madness! :-)

4. Duro (Nasomatto): I love the raw boldness of this one. It's just explosive, and dry, which I love.

5. Rien (EldO): I wish the florals where a tiny bit less overpowered by the animatics and the incense, but still it develops beautifully on my skin.

6. Cuir Fetiche (MPeG): I love this one for it's beauty and discreetness. I wear it to work every day, alternating with my beloved Cuir de Russie.

Other fragrances that I've worn/wear and like very much are Egoiste (Chanel) and Opium (YSL).

I guess you've realized by now that I'm not partial to fresh/herbal fragrances (which makes me loud in the summertime but oh well). I'd say my favorite notes are leather, wood / oud, animalics, and florals. I'm open to more notes though. I particularly enjoy florals and sweetness that are somehow restrained and attacked by the sourness of other elements. that creates a beautiful tension that I mostly find in Rien and Narcisse Noir and, to a lesser extent, in Coco and Cuir de Russie.

I'll be glad and grateful to read your suggestions. I'm pretty new to the technicalities of the perfume industry and I apologize if my descriptions are not as accurate as they should be. Thanks in advance!!

Thank you all so much for the welcome and the comments! I haven't tried Jolie Madame, Knize ten, Bandit, Boxeuses or Oud Cuir d'Arabie, so I guess I'll have to get hold of samples asap :-P. calcio I think you're right about Caron. I was at their NYC store (yes, I got to meet Diane lol) looking to try the praised Tabac Blond and it didn't do much for me, just a sweet luxury that smelled good but I could dispense with. I also tried En Avion, Poivre, Yatagan and Secret Oud and they didn't impress me either: the only ones I loved were Narcisse Noir parfum and Parfum Sacre (this one is too feminine for me so my mother will be getting it for Christmas lol). I've tried Tom of Finland and it didn't impress me too much either: of ELdO I loved Rien and, to my astonishment (based on the description), Delicious Closet Queen (but I had already spent a lot of money on perfume that day and I felt guilty about buying a bottle... It's still on my mind though).
You guys are awesome! Any more suggestions? :-P

Thank you all for the suggestions. My, do I have some samples to get lol. I think youre right silentrich, there's not a holy grail, but oh the adrenalin you feel while you look for it lol ;-) I have tried Sycomore, and I didn't really care much for it. I owned Antaeus a few years ago, but I grew tired of it: too overpowering and not playful enough for my taste. I have tried some of the Fahrenheit line but they all seem to be lacking something for me (I don't think I've tried Absolute though).
To be more specific, the notes that I seem to be most attracted to are: leather, amber, sandalwood, orange blossom, Oud, civet, tonka bean, vanilla, jasmine, ylang ylang (a la Chanel) and why not, a few spices for the perfect mix :-P

Edit: Kagey, thanks for the welcome and the compliments. I'll keep your suggestions in mind, they are intriguing indeed. I have tried bois des iles, smelled quite good on paper but my skin totally repelled it :-(

Thank you all for your suggestions!! Galwaygirl, as for Bal Ã* Versailles, it had been on my mind for a long time and I decided to blind buy, for a reasonable price, the EDC and the pure parfum for a reasonable price (and if I'm not mistaken the extrait might be vintage, since the cap is spherical, not violin-shaped). I'm still waiting for the parfum, but the EDC just arrived and I applied it 10 minutes ago. The box wasn't sealed (wtf???) but I think it might not have been used, since I had to press three times until the spray finally stopped working. I do think it's the real deal. I'm smelling a lot of powder and citrus, not really my thing. But as I'm writing this, a few notes are starting to kick in, I think it's amber and animalics (yaaay!!!) and I'm enjoying it more and more. I'll let it do its thing for a while, and see if I finally love it. So far, not disappointed, but I surely could be doing away with the citrus (perhaps that's unavoidable in an EDC?).

I tried Tabac Blond at Caron NYC and wasn't impressed: smelled good, but too nice and sweet on me.

I haven't tried the rest of your suggestions but they sure sound great, especially Sarrasins, Jolie Madame, Black Orchid and Knize Ten.

Thanks again for the suggestions!!! Keep in mind that I don't necessarily need a leather note (I have a few perfumes that do not have it). I like leathers, but my main interest is basically dark florals (more sour than sweet, darkened by either leather, animalics, woods, resins, oud, a mixture thereof... teheh :P

Edit: On second thoughts, I'm not sure I'd like Black Orchid if it's as strong in chocolate as people say. Not a fand of gourmands here ... :-(

I tried the extrait. Maybe it was just my skin chemistry. Diane was impressed with how my skin brought out all the sweetness of Tabac Blond. Cuir de Russie is by far less sweet on my skin. God knows why...

- - - Updated - - -


I can't wait to get it. It's only 0.25oz though I'm still wearing the EDC, and it's developing quite beautifully. Now it's powder with lots of amber and some sweaty flowers...

Thank you all (yes, again) for your suggestions! Some of them seem a tad too masculine for me. I'm more into butch with a feminine side, or both sides coexisting together in harmony . I find Azuree intriguing (from EL I've only tried Pleasures for men, not me at all). I'm also VERY excited about Amouage Gold: both the feminine and masculine versions sound like something I would terribly enjoy. one question: Do you think I'd enjoy Shalimar? It gets rave reviews here and I'm attracted to the notes at first sight. Also, what about Ambre Fétiche? That one sounds awesome too...

I just ordered samples of Amouage gold men & women, Knize ten, black afgano, lonestar memories, intrigant patchouli and al Oudh. I only wish that lucky scent had more choices to sample; I couldn't find Bandit or Jokie Madame, among others I can't wait for them to arrive. I'll keep you posted! :-P

Thanks dollars&scents for the suggestion! It does sound amazing, I'll have to get hold of a sample of that :P. btw, my Bal Ã* Versailles parfum (vintage, I believe, with the round cap) just arrived. It was sealed and everything, but half the bottle was spilled! I don't know if I'll be able to return it... Anyways, I tried two drops on and I find it quite similar to the EDC so far, only that it wears closer to the skin. I just love it's decadency. One of my best findings ever!

Well half of it was missing, so I assumed that's what happened. Also there was a strong smell of the perfume as soon as I unsealed it and even a bit before that. However, I did not find the inside of the box soaked (but the bottle did feel greasy), so maybe it did evaporate and not spill after all. Do you think that it's possible for half of the 0.25oz perfume to evaporate? It seems like a lot of fluid, doesn't it?

Hi everyone!

So far I've tried Knize Ten (hated it), Lonestar Memories, Black Orchid and Intrigant Patchouli (meh). Then a few days I finally decided to blind buy vintage Jolie Madame EDT. So glad I did, it's just GORGEOUS. It opens on me with a blast of burnt sugar boozy sweetness and then morphs into a mossy violet leather that I love. However, the scent doesn't last so long on me and the projection is only so so. The box was opened but the bottle apparently never was, and the seller had thousands of nothing but positive reviews from reliable users so I guess it's the real thing (it definitely smells like it, perhaps it's just that I had too high expectations on longevity and sillage: it dries down so quickly!! . )
I ordered at the perfumed court some vintage narcisse noir, which I've never smelled in vintage formulation, vintage Jolie Madame (just to make sure I got the real deal), and some vintage shalimar, samsara, Mitsouko and Jicky. I still have Sarrasins to try, I know lol