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Suggestions for my girlfriend...

post #1 of 15
12/3/12 at 6:59pm
Thread Starter 
I'd like some suggestions for my girlfriend. My plan is to get her a whole bunch of samples to try out. A variety of niche and designer would be nice. Preferably stuff that I can order from myperfumesamples, theperfumedcourt, luckyscent etc.

She's been wearing Calvin Klein Eternity for a long time and it's time for something new.

Looking for something sexy and sensual (I realize this is subjective) that doesn't smell like something a teenager or an old lady would wear. She seems to like roses & florals, cinnamon, vanilla, berries. But I'm open to other suggestions.

I've been to Sephora and one of the department stores in my city and the SA's have suggested Chloe, Flowerbomb, Angel. But I would like some suggestions from some fellow BN'ers.
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post #2 of 15
12/3/12 at 7:36pm
I would suggest:
Portrait of a Lady- Fredric Malle
Chanel No 19
Black Orchid- Tom Ford
Chanel Coromandel
Chanel Cuir de Russie
Bottega Veneta
Bandit- Robert Piguet

There is a start!
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post #3 of 15
12/3/12 at 7:58pm
Welcome!

I take something a teenager would wear to be an airheaded fruity floral, and something an old lady would wear either a very powdery or a very musky scent (though most "old-lady" perfumes, to my nose also happen to be the best).

In niche, I second the expensive Portrait of a lady, a modern rose with lots of patch and synthetics. Also an avantgarde rose is CDG2, a transparent rose. The niche brand Parfums de Rosine offers rose in all possible variants; I'd recomment the deliciously dirty Twill Rose, or the classic, slightly green Rose d'Amour.

In other genres, I also second Bandit, one of my favorite perfumes; sexy it is, in the sense of a lady carrying whips in her bag. But something tells me it might be too much for her. Rather, as also suggested, Cuir de Russie, a supersmooth suede, what one could rightly call a skin scent. Similarly smooth, if you want to have some fun, Tom of Finland, a smooth saffrony leather with said drawings as a logo.

cacio
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post #4 of 15
12/3/12 at 10:15pm
Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose
Montale Vanilla Extasy
Bond No.9 Scent of Peace
V & R Flowerbomb
Dior Miss Dior Cherie

These are all my girlfriends favorites.

- - - Updated - - -

Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose
Montale Vanilla Extasy
Bond No.9 Scent of Peace
V & R Flowerbomb
Dior Miss Dior Cherie

These are all my girlfriends favorites.
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post #5 of 15
12/4/12 at 4:47am
Many wonderful suggestions above, I especially agree with Bottega Veneta. Great plan altogether: to go the sample route and let HER make a decision.

Vanilla, berries, roses, cinnamon:
-- (together with cacio's variants) Parfums de Rosine Poussiere de Rose, and also Roseberry;
-- (on a budget) MontBlanc Femme Individuel.
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post #6 of 15
12/4/12 at 8:48am
I used to wear Eternity... A LOT... back in the day.

Try the following.

Portrait of a Lady by Frederic Malle
Good Girl Gone Bad by Kilian
Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf
Gardenia Petale by Van Cleef & Arpels
Frangipani by Ormonde Jayne
Lady Vengeance by Juliette Has a Gun
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post #7 of 15
12/4/12 at 10:31am
What a lovely idea.

These are all great recommendations! One nice idea might be to get discovery packs, for example, both Parfums de Rosine and Juliette has a Gun sound like good ranges for your girlfriend to explore given her preferences. They both do sample packs of their complete range. It could be really nice for her (and you!) to play her way through them!

Good luck. Report back?
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post #8 of 15
12/4/12 at 8:13pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I got some googling to do tomorrow at work.

But at first glance, decided to look into Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady. Yikes, $8.99 for 1ml sample?!
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post #9 of 15
12/4/12 at 9:27pm
Feminite du Bois Serge Lutens
Trish McEvoy 9 Blackberry & Vanilla Musk
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post #10 of 15
12/7/12 at 7:06pm
Narciso Rodriguez For Her
What we do in Paris is a Secret by A Lab on Fire
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post #11 of 15
12/8/12 at 9:23am
Go away, troll, and eat your spam yourseff!

EDIT: no offence to the OP, it was addressed to the spammer who posted a link to their sale site.
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post #12 of 15
12/8/12 at 12:58pm
Based on the fact that this girl has been wearing one fragrance for a very long time I'm guessing she's going to be predisposed to finding a signature, and not overly interested in starting a collection.

That would suggest something flexible to me, then. In which case I think the SA's suggestion, Chloe, seems like a decent idea. They do a lovely mini pack, Parfum de Roses, really nice presentation. You get two minis of the Chloe EDT, two of the EDP and one of the EDP Intense.

Or take a look at Kelly Caleche by Hermes.

As an admitted vanilla whore (you mentioned vanilla) I think Comptoir Sud Pacifique's explorer pack represents a seriously awesome deal: http://www.europerfumes.com/discover...-30ml-bottles/

Also the femenine fragrances by Rance all have some rose presence and the presentation and bottles are gorgeous if you do decide to go for the buy after sampling.

I feel a bit wary of suggesting Montale because so many of their fragrances are, well, really abstruse. However the page I linked above sells seven vial sample packs for $10 a pop (which is taken off the price of a full bottle if you end up buying one)

Now if you're happy to lay out Portrait of a Lady-type money. Take a look at Opulent Shaik no.33. I'm not even going to try to describe how I feel about it.
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post #13 of 15
12/10/12 at 7:24pm
Thread Starter 
Alright, so I'm compiling a list and going through some reviews although I'm not sure if that's the best way to make a judgment. Since, I'm looking at Shalimar reviews and it got 146 positive. Maybe I just don't get it, but I'm not a fan at all. Shrug.

Will report back on what I decided to sample.
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post #14 of 15
12/11/12 at 8:38pm
Quote:
Alright, so I'm compiling a list and going through some reviews although I'm not sure if that's the best way to make a judgment. Since, I'm looking at Shalimar reviews and it got 146 positive. Maybe I just don't get it, but I'm not a fan at all. Shrug.

You're not alone. Most recent versions of Shalimar either make me gag or if they are nice then it's only because no real attempt has been made to make them smell like Shalimar and they're just generic gourmands. Vintage on the other hand, that's another matter and I can see why it's so universally appreciated.
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post #15 of 15
12/11/12 at 10:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Miket View Post

You're not alone. Most recent versions of Shalimar either make me gag or if they are nice then it's only because no real attempt has been made to make them smell like Shalimar and they're just generic gourmands. Vintage on the other hand, that's another matter and I can see why it's so universally appreciated.

Unfortunately the one I had a chance to smell was at Sephora. Would love to smell the vintage and see how it differs.

- - - Updated - - -

I pulled the trigger and here are the samples I decided to order from Surrender to Chance:

Bottega Veneta EDP
Chanel Cuir de Russie (Les Exclusifs)
Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady
Hermes Kelly Caleche EDP
Thierry Mugler Angel EDP
Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP
Juliette Has a Gun Lady Vengeance
Chanel Coromandel (Les Exclusifs)
Robert Piguet Bandit EDP
Yves Saint Laurent Opium EDT


For me

Chanel Sycomore (Les Exclusifs)
Tom Ford Private Blend Noir de Noir
Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Ambre Precieux
Guerlain L'Art et La Matiere Tonka Imperiale
Christian Dior Homme Intense

Hoping to get these in a timely manner. Although I know this is the busiest season for mail, I'm crossing my fingers.

Never ordered from Surrender to Chance but heard good things about them.

I'll try and report back and give an update. My gf and I are both newbs and not that great at describing the scents. It's either good or bad lol.
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