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What was your first niche fragrance? How did it make you feel?

post #1 of 60
10/27/12 at 7:23pm
Thread Starter 
The other day I bought a bottle of Aventus, and just before leaving, I took a whiff of Silver Mountain Water at the Creed Counter. It immediately brought me back 4 years, to when I first got into fragrances, and above all, into niche fragrances.

I remember smelling SMW for the first time and not even knowing what to think. I wasn't sure if I liked it or hated it, but I immediately realized there was a whole new world to discover, with each scent taking me to a different and beautiful place. A good analogy would be the first time I heard "Smells like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana when I was five years old. It was new, stimulating and although I didn't understand it yet, I knew it was part of something amazing (the grunge movement, which I later learned to love).

Anyway, I just felt the need to blab about that a little.

What was the first niche fragrance you tried and how did it make you feel?
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post #2 of 60
10/27/12 at 7:33pm
Aventus was my first "niche" fragrance. My then-gf had just broken up with me and I decided to treat myself. I was blown away by the smokiness and pineapple. But now it just brings back the sad memory of the break up so I have a hard time wearing it now.
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post #3 of 60
10/27/12 at 8:45pm
It was so long ago and too too many to recount but I am sure it made me feel great.
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post #4 of 60
10/27/12 at 9:18pm
Musc Ravageur was my first. I really enjoy it, and look forward to wearing it this winter.
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post #5 of 60
10/27/12 at 9:39pm
For me, it was a blind buy.....Montale Black Aoud.
The first time I used it, it made me feel ill. It was a summer day, and went for 6 sprays......I won't do that again.
Now that I know how strong it is, I go easy with the sprays, and I love it.
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post #6 of 60
10/27/12 at 9:46pm
My first niche fragrance was Creed's Green Irish Tweed. I purchased it at the Manhattan Creed shop and was so excited. That was several years ago. I love it then and continue to love G.I.T. today. I remember how chic it felt to go inside of the Creed Boutique and walk out with my bottle. Good memories for me. Thanks for starting the thread.
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post #7 of 60
10/27/12 at 9:48pm
Acqua di Parma Colonia, around 1995, made me feel pretty good. Still does.

Green Irish Tweed, 1997, had the same effect at the time, altho I don't wear it now - it's not the same and I have moved on a bit in terms of personal taste.
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post #8 of 60
10/28/12 at 2:45am
First Niche: Knize Ten
When: 2005
Made me feel: Unique
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post #9 of 60
10/28/12 at 3:29am
Seems like Green Irish Tweed has been a gateway to niche for many as well as myself. Coming from designer fragrances years ago and smelling this for the first time the scent totally wowed me. And it was this scent that started my fragrance journey and been here on basenotes.
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post #10 of 60
10/28/12 at 3:35am
I am trying to think which one it was as it was many years ago... But I *think* it was Floris JF. I still like it, but I remember back then I thought the scent was exceptional... I don't really feel that way anymore and can easily recognize its influences borrowed heavily from the likes of Green Irish Tweed and others.
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post #11 of 60
10/28/12 at 3:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by L'Aventurier View Post


What was the first niche fragrance you tried and how did it make you feel?

I think my first was CdG Incense Series Avignon. I admired how a fragrance can smell so identically similar as a catholic cathedral. But right away i understood, that this is a fragrance that i can't wear at all... nowhere but home.
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post #12 of 60
10/28/12 at 5:28am
It feels really lame to say, but it was Aventus for me. I got on basenotes and heard all of the hype after only owning a few fragrances that were designer. I was on vacation with my friend and I kept saying to myself (and occasionally to him), "I can't believe any cologne could be worth over $200." But, eventually when I got home I ordered a 5mL sample from someone on here and when I got it, the first wearing I was in love. It was so complex, so woody yet slightly sweet with the fruit in the opening. I was hooked. Of course, I had to wait a while before I ran out and wanted to buy more, but I ended up getting more Creed carded samples (one of which was Aventus) just to make sure what I got was authentic.

Now, I own 50mL's of it from a split on here and I couldn't be happier. Now I'm already in the world of niche sampling, and I have several waiting for me that I have yet to try, not to mention the fact that I will probably be buying NH today.
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post #13 of 60
10/28/12 at 5:38am
Serge Lutens Chergui was the very first niche fragrance I smelled. It was late in 2009. I remember sitting outside the store sniffing at my wrist, completely floored. It truly felt like luxury personified then and took me a lot of willpower to walk away without splurging on a bottle. I've been on the hunt for this vintage ever since.
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post #14 of 60
10/28/12 at 6:08am
Serge Lutens Borneo 1834....Damn, this bottle is really small for $120.....it took a little while to get over the shock value of having spent so much money, but I justified it by telling myself that I had found my signature scent and would no longer need to sample. That didn't last for long:-)
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post #15 of 60
10/28/12 at 6:29am
My first ever niche was West Side by Bond No9. Although it smelled nice, I didn't have enough wow to "switch" me. I only decided to explore the niche world after smelling Chergui
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post #16 of 60
10/28/12 at 7:09am
In my case, my first (and, so far, only) niche fragrance is Knize Ten and as soon as I got it, I felt decadently, luxuriously pampered in an "Old World" style.
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post #17 of 60
10/28/12 at 8:38am
It was Silver Mountain Water for me as well. It was incredible. Then I inquired about the price and was devastated at the time. I had no idea a fragrance could retail that much. I just continued to spray myself with the tester one last time and walked away from the counter in disbelief.
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post #18 of 60
10/28/12 at 8:54am
It was GIT for me too. Back in 2005. It just made me feel so confident.
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post #19 of 60
10/28/12 at 8:56am
GIT for me. Was in love from first sniff & felt so classy & confident wearing it. Really springboarded my love for fragrance in general. Before that, however, I had only ever purchased low to mid-end designers, so my wife thought I was a bit nuts spending that much money on a cologne.
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post #20 of 60
10/28/12 at 9:48am
My first niche was Comme Des Garcons EDP original back in 1994. It felt groundbreaking and I felt cool
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post #21 of 60
10/28/12 at 9:56am
Comme des Garcons EDP, late 90s. Didn't know niche from designer pre-Basenotes, but thought it was unusual, as well as strong.
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post #22 of 60
10/28/12 at 10:00am
Mine was Green Irish Tweed.
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post #23 of 60
10/28/12 at 10:35am
I bought this a few months ago and I haven't tried it yet. I'm waiting for a special occasion but I have no idea why. Felt great getting the bottle in my hands.

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post #24 of 60
10/28/12 at 10:49am
when was a kid, several Creed's were at my parent's house... not sure about the first; but among with others, Eau d'Hadrien (1981) was the first fragrance from a niche house I have choose myself, and all of them make me feel like the first time: happy.
Great topic.
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post #25 of 60
10/28/12 at 11:29am
Green Irish Tweed will be the gateway to 'niche' for many people and is set to be the gateway for many more.

My mother has a friend who works at John Lewis' and she says it is literally flying off the shelves just lately - selling more than Issey Miyake and Aqua Di Gio.

All you GIT lovers ... congrats, you have managed to spread the word and the love to the masses and can now look forward to smelling it on every other person in the queue at Aldi.
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post #26 of 60
10/28/12 at 12:06pm
CDG Wonderwood...thought technically not niche...awesome stuff. First, I couldn't believe that I spent $125 on a 100ml bottle of cologne, even though now that sounds so cheap (weird), but not only that but I loved how it was a little literal in it's woody smell, but I loved the slight sweetness to it and spiciness that made it what it was. I just couldn't believe that there was a whole other world of fragrances out there that I didn't even know existed.
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post #27 of 60
10/28/12 at 12:28pm
Probably Eau d'Hadrien for me. How did it make me feel? I think that my reaction to it was different from a lot of other people's reactions to niche fragrances, in that I enjoyed it and it didn't make me want to get on the internet and argue with people in order to defend my choice.
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post #28 of 60
10/28/12 at 12:38pm
Tobacco Vanille, it was awesome and still is awesome. Every time I wear it I feel like a boss
Attachment 17268
LL
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post #29 of 60
10/28/12 at 1:30pm
I am fortunate enough to have a father who also enjoys the various scents of the world, my dad introduced me to the world of cologne as a teen and guided me thru the rough periods of being a teenager with trying the Curves, Armanis, Calvin Kleins, Kouros, and Joops of the world. Especially the Tommy Hilfigers as one of the unfortunate side effects of being named Tommy is being showered with Tommy Hilfiger colognes and clothes, as if name by association somehow makes you a fan of the designer and fragrance, but I digress.

For my 18th birthday my parents got me a bottle of Creed Orange Spice as it was my favorite scent that my dad owned himself, while the scent itself today is nothing really extraordinary, I still have a fondness for the scent as it was my introduction into niche scents.

Even today, my dad still surprises me by introducing me to scents I have never heard of before and I sometimes surprise him as well although its tough to one-up the old man, haha
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post #30 of 60
10/28/12 at 1:49pm
Amouage Gold Men

Sparked my in-depth interest in Fragrance in 2008
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post #31 of 60
10/28/12 at 2:00pm
Creed Millésime Impérial was my first sample (2.5ml) from ThreeKingsfragrances. Made me feel sexy and lots of class.
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post #32 of 60
10/28/12 at 4:13pm
Creed Millesime Imperial was my first niche fragrance too.
Just can say that when I smelled this, IMMEDIATELY decided to have it in my collection all time till I'm alive!
Really made a different experience to me.
can't forget how nice I felt when buying this stuff...
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post #33 of 60
10/28/12 at 4:55pm
I entered niche scents almost out of necessity a couple months ago. I only liked 5 scents in the entire Sephora collection (Tom Ford Extreme being the only amazing stand-out, imo) and started searching for other stuff online. I ordered ~15 samples of niche frags at lower price points and disliked almost all of them. I was feeling discouraged. Perhaps there just aren't many amazing scents? Then I found two I loved: Montale Full Incense and Knize Ten Golden Edition. After that I knew I had a whole new world to discover, even if it might take a while. It's now very exciting.
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post #34 of 60
10/28/12 at 5:32pm
My first niche was Chergui and I still am in love as I was when I first wore it.
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post #35 of 60
10/28/12 at 6:06pm
Creed Green Irish Tweed for me as well. I just wanted to smell what Cary Grant and other Hollywood guys smelled like.... that's the main reason I got it. It wasn't that I wanted to smell like them.... I was just curious. Turns out I love the scent on me as well. I had looked around at discount sites and ultimately decided to order it directly from Creed's online boutique and paid the full $285 for the bottle (seems like a bargain now). Since I've bought many other Creeds successfully from discount sites for much less. I felt a bit crazy. Before that, the most I had ever spent on a bottle of fragrance was about $70 for a bottle of AdG. I'm glad I did it. Since then I've bought and sampled many niche fragrances and while not all of them were something that I necessarily wanted to own, I appreciate the quality of all of them.

Ben
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post #36 of 60
10/28/12 at 6:15pm
It was GIT or Tuscan Leather. Can't remember. Both are so great. I've enjoyed each one for some time now.
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post #37 of 60
10/28/12 at 6:22pm
Creed Himalaya, which had a smell and vibe unlike anything I'd tried up to that point. Still just makes me feel good to wear that one, even though it doesn't "smell good" in the traditional sense. It's freshness in a bottle to me.
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post #38 of 60
10/29/12 at 4:41am
Tam Dao - Wow! Wood, pure and simple. I got some on my hand when spraying it on a card, and kept getting wonderful wafts of it throughout a meeting. I didn't know scents could be so dry, calm and contemplative. I went back and bought it a few days later. Still my most worn scent and my scent of the day today. Probably the only scent in my collection I'm almost certain I'll buy again when I finish my bottle.
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post #39 of 60
10/29/12 at 10:03am
Chergui was my first, it was definitely eye opening.
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post #40 of 60
10/29/12 at 10:05am
Something Guerlain. If that isn't niche enough, Knize (even though they make suits). I felt pretty awesome, just as when I wear designer, or nothing.
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post #41 of 60
10/29/12 at 3:22pm
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I'm more of a "mainstream" kind-of-guy, and I didn't really know about "niche" until I discovered Basenotes. Due to the hype, the first house that my wife and I explored was Creed. We both liked Silver Mountain Water at first sniff, and I was ready to buy. But FragranceNet ruined my plan when they offered a good deal for Aventus tester. Guess what happened next? :-P
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post #42 of 60
10/29/12 at 6:54pm
MI and Original Santal
I realized that niche simply isn't worth it, in my opinion.
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post #43 of 60
10/29/12 at 7:38pm
My first niche was Creed Green Irish Tweed and I bought it just this year. I'd been dying to get a Creed for years but nobody sold it where I was and I didn't trust buying online at the time. I moved to a different province for work and happened upon a store that had Creeds. I immediately went to try Green Irish Tweed.

I smelled Cool Water first, so to me it smelled like a carbon copy of that (even if the reverse happened) and I wasn't sure if I wanted to get it or not. Upon second sniff, I felt that there was something about it that smelled way better than Cool Water. I figured that since I wanted it long enough, why shouldn't I get it?

I'm really glad I did. It's now one of my favourite scents and it's gotten me the most compliments this year. Green Irish Tweed was something of a "gateway" niche for me because a few weeks later I added Silver Mountain Water (bought it more for hype/the name, but I'm slowly growing to love it) and Aventus (hated it at first, love it now) to my collection. I'm stopping there, though, because no other Creeds really appeal to me as much as those three do.
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post #44 of 60
10/29/12 at 7:50pm
First and only: Tea for Two by L'Artisan Parfumeur. Made me feel blissfully comfortable and cozy. In fact, I think I'm going to go use a small spray right now.
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post #45 of 60
10/29/12 at 8:00pm
Well the first niche happened on a trip to Holt Renfrew. It was a cold winter day. I had nothing planned so I decided to check out this Creed brand that I kept reading about at Basenotes. The first sales person passes me to another sales person who deals with Creed. We arrive at the Creed counter and there I see it, the black bottle of Green Irish Tweed. I spray GIT, hmmmm. Well that was nice but not that special and it smelt similar to something else. My eye catches the white bottle with a silver label, a bottle called Silver Mountain Water. So I spray SMW. WOW, what the heck is THIS stuff. I have never smelt anything like it.

I have added so many bottles to my collection in the past two years but I still like SMW. Creed's SMW was the niche that made me question future purchases of main stream scents. MI and Adventus have solidified that decision. I wont say Creed is the best as there are other bottles that have captured my attention. But the one that influenced me the most was SMW.
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post #46 of 60
10/29/12 at 8:37pm
Guilty. Green Irish Tweed.
I was looking for my next one bottle after I finished my A*men. I discovered this site and wanted to see for myself what the hype was all about. After the first sniff off the paper I was transported somewhere else, I didn't know if I liked it cause I have never smelled anything like that. It was amazing how it just kept smelling better as the hours passed by. most of all it was so unforgettable, I could smell it in my mind for days. I have like 1/2 a ml. now left in that bottle, don't know if to buy an other one or get Millesime Imperial.
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post #47 of 60
10/29/12 at 9:37pm
Creed Vintage Tabarome - reminded me of my father.
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post #48 of 60
10/29/12 at 10:52pm
A couple of years ago my wife and I were in Saks on Fathers Day. I had been sniffing around basenotes and I knew that I wanted to try some Creeds. I tried GIT and Aventus which had just come out. Interesting, but wasn't sure. I tried Neroli Sauvage and I realized it had the vibe of the vintage Eau Sauvage I used to wear in the late 70's as a teenager. I knew I had to have it that moment - the others could wait. Meanwhile my wife was falling for Silver Mountain Water (it reminded her of her favorite Bvlgari Au The Vert). We went to buy both bottles having never paid that much for fragrance EVER. And they wouldn't take credit cards! We marched off to the ATM, got out $500, marched back like two giddy bank robbers and scored. Never looked back. Now she takes me to Scent Bar and buys me Amouage on my birthday.
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post #49 of 60
10/30/12 at 6:53am
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For me it was Acqua di Parma Colonia (original). I had no idea that this was 'niche' or even what that meant. It was long before I started on this forum. Looking back it just felt like I was buying a good-smelling cologne, to my nose at least. The compliments followed not long after my first few wears, so I knew I had invested my money in something worth while.
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post #50 of 60
11/19/12 at 10:26am
My first was millisime imperial and GIT.
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post #51 of 60
11/19/12 at 10:31am
My first was GIT .... I felt like a men in parfume world...
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post #52 of 60
11/19/12 at 1:01pm
My first niche was Diptyque Tam Dao back in 2004. I still have the same bottle. As for how it made me feel, I first recognized that it was like a perfume I tried when I was in 8th grade - it was called Canvas or Kanvas and have never heard of it since. But Tam Dao had a purity and high-quality simplicity to it that hooked me.
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post #53 of 60
11/19/12 at 6:56pm
my first was a sample of Premier Figuier from The Perfumed Court. I tried it because reportedly Christina Hendricks wears it. It made me feel lush and velvety.
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post #54 of 60
11/19/12 at 7:14pm
Jicky, and I felt like Roderick Usher, from Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. For it was was a very humid day, and an old, dusty bottle - the civet was at its most depraved. Horrified thoughts of doomed last scions, nauseous legacies, and decay competed with presentiments of addiction and delight. Ah, what a day that was. I've not had another like it since. Perhaps because I have not smelled Jicky since then. I had not realised before that day the heights that perfumery could reach - and I began to look into into the productions of this art with interest.
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post #55 of 60
11/19/12 at 7:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Merely View Post

because I have not smelled Jicky since then.

oh no, why?!

As for me, I didn't even think about the difference between niche and designer until I got to Basenotes, so I have no clue. I still don't really distinguish them, especially now that I'm aware many of the artists do work for both. My collection is mostly vintage designer and new niche.
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post #56 of 60
11/19/12 at 7:55pm
I have yet to actually buy a bottle of a niche fragrance. I do own a decant of New Haarlem and I will be purchasing a bottle soon. Once I get enough funds, I may buy a few more different niche bottles because I feel one bottle doesn't represent the market.
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post #57 of 60
11/19/12 at 7:56pm
My first niche was Creed's Green Irish Tweed.
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post #58 of 60
11/19/12 at 8:25pm
My first "niche" fragrance was Creed GIT. I remember smelling it at Neimans and falling in love. My friend that works there then bought me a bottle, which is the only way I was going to own it.

When I wore it the first time, I remember being very disappointed at longevity though. He then brought samples from the creed line, and although a lot of them smell amazing, most have terrible longevity.

My latest I suppose would be "Oud" by francis kurkdjian. Absolute stunner.
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post #59 of 60
11/19/12 at 9:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MonkeyBars View Post

oh no, why?!

That I was able to test it at all was like unto one of those tales in the vein of the Arabian Nights, of mysterious stalls that appear from nowhere in the bazaar, sell some enchanted lamp or monkey's paw, then vanish in a swirl of dust. Similarly, the tester was a dusty bottle of unknown concentration that a sales assistant discovered at the back of a disordered drawer when I mentioned that perfume by chance.

When I went returned to try it a second time, I learned that the shop didn't actually sell Jicky, and that the bottle would have been a tester retained from _at least_ a decade and a half ago when they last sold it! That sales assistant seemed to have exclusive knowledge of its location, for no one else had ever seen it, nor knew where it might be. Such is the mystique of Jicky!

Jicky's eau de parfum is frightfully expensive compared to Mouchoir de Monsieur. Not caring to risk a blind purchase of that magnitude, I instead cultivate friendship with her louche brother. (But yes, I should send for a sample.)
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post #60 of 60
11/19/12 at 11:53pm
Creed GIT, Original Vetiver and Millesime Imperial were my path to the niche world. They started my love and collection of fragrances, and this site keeps it going.
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