Sample Pass: Aldehydics - Page 3

Mike, I've never noticed a nail varnish note in 22 but then, I just might if I go sniffing for it. I'll wear it again soon and see if I notice. It makes sense to me that it could be the one you're thinking of as 22 is as loaded with aldehydes as they come. And I'd be so honored to use your LS next pass! No hurry on that, think we'll wait until late summer/early fall for the next one. I think this bunch may want a break from fizzy bombs after this! Now, I'm itching to grab a current LS from Wal-Mart so we can do a comparison with your vintage!

jujy, I'm just dying to see how you'll get along with Chanel! I think you'll at least like, if not love, some of the No.5s. But the ones I'd really recommend you to try most would be Cuir de Russie, Bois des Isles and the greens. All the greens, too-No.19, Bel Respiro and Cristalle (EDT, EDP & Eau Verte). I'll send some Cristalle EDT for you, I'm working on ideas to keep you busy this summer! Will be the perfect time to try that one!

Had to laugh, I just tried Infini myself and indeed thought of you, j.! Completely agree with the Chamade association, exactly what I thought of, too. Minus Guerlainade, of course!

Hello, lovelies! I haven't abandoned you! Been in bed with a virus all weekend but I've been peeking in on you all from my Kindle. All sorts of interesting posts! Will comment more when I'm at the computer.

I do want to report that the L'Interdit EDT from Genie is in fact the re-issue. I think I'm about to be kicked out of the vintage club as I do like Genie's sample better! Feel better, Genie and take your time in getting your rest. This monster pass will still be going when you've fully recovered!

My goodness, what a thing to wake up to! Hilarious pic, Schilling-and I see you used the most flattering photo of Mr. Rotten you could find! No, they were not nice guys but I do admit to having a fondness for that era. I can't believe Sex Pistols made it into your top three! I really love it, too. Agree with Mike, Rossy de Palma is wonderful and SM is utterly sickening. Could not wait to get that thing out of my house!

Schilling, you have really wowed me. I knew you were a great sniffer and writer but my socks are knocked off by your posts! I'm so happy other BNers have had the chance to get to know your nose and especially your personality. You're going to make lots of great friends here. I know you were nervous but you didn't let me down one little bit! Very proud of you and you should be, too! I've had a blast reading your thoughts, thank you so much for joining us. Now that you've done a big scary pass, you're going to feel much more confident. Again, it thrills me to hear you recognize aldehydes! All I wanted from this pass was to give some beloved BNers more confidence in their noses. I believe we're achieving that! I appreciate your efforts so much, my dear!

Mike, I'm wearing a bit of 22 today and guess what? Yep, it seemed a bit nail polish-y to me at the opening. Not something I'd have picked out on my own but I do believe this is the one you were thinking of!

I've been thinking about the Nocturnes discussion you all had, will give that another wear tomorrow. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking I'd put it in the middle range in relation to this particular grouping. Certainly not the sparkle bomb that 22 is but more aldehydic than say, the No.5 Elixir or Eau Premiere. I'll know what I think better after re-visiting Nocturnes.

Oh, that's one of my favorite reviews in The Guide! Sometimes I agree with LT/TS, sometimes not- but I can fully support that review. Sure wish I'd heard the radio show, sounds very interesting. How fun would it be to call in and talk with them?!

After paying attention, I can totally see the nail varnish association. Seemed most pronounced at the opening but I did get whiffs off that note throughout the day. Like the caller in the radio show, I enjoy it, too!

I wish I had a bit more 22, Mike, I'd mail it to you today if I had enough to bother! The current Exclusifs version will do if you're near a boutique; it's been tweaked but it's still recognizable and still beautiful. I wouldn't turn away current or vintage 22!

Yes, Schilling, we must do this again! I hope we get to participate in lots more passes together!

I have a bit of vintage 19 parfum here and I had to re-visit it yesterday after Mike got me thinking about this nail polish vibe. I did pick it up on application but it was gone within seconds. To me, the heart and drydown in my sample is a perfectly manicured English garden in the countryside, with one of Coco's ciggies smoldering nearby. Very clear florals. With 22 EDC, I found the nail varnish to be woven through the entire development. Also have some No.5 EDC that I can now pick out nail varnish from in the opening and well into the heart. I'm glad you shared that anecdote, Mike; it's so refreshing to notice something new in scents I thought I knew well! I do have some current No.19 EDT, now I must find out if there's a nail salon in there as well. And yes, I do enjoy this note! As a cosmetologist, these cosmetic-y smells were my bread and butter. Will always have a soft spot for those weird but good smells.

I must regretfully inform you all that Southerngardens will not be able to join us after all. I will miss his input. But it does mean that there will be much more than just leftovers for jujy. Since we were cutting it a bit close on juice, I won't bother adding another member. Sjg3839, please note that you will now be mailing to jujy54!

They're on the way, jujy! I can't wait for you to get these, either! So excited to see what you'll think! Have been wanting to share my No.5s with you ever since sampling your Antilope. Hope you have fun with these!

Bingo, jujy! Was just about to mention the chemical connection but you beat me to it! Yes, was thinking about acetone last night, which would explain TS' polish remover reference for 19; many removers contain acetone. Full strength acetone is used to remove artificial nails. Now it makes perfect sense why some of us see these Chanels as nail salon-ish. Also interesting, since we're discussing aldehydes-formaldehyde is a typical component of nail polish. But formaldehyde is not the same as fragrance aldehydes, just a neat little coincidence in name. I do also get a polish-like note in some of these Chanels, though. However, I do NOT mean to imply there's a formaldehyde note in any Chanels! There isn't. That would be yucky.

Mike, yes you are right about my 19 EDT! The nail salon is much more pronounced than in parfum. I have yet to try EDP myself. Am really digging this little exploration! It makes sense to me as Chanel perfumes have always been about artifice and abstraction. Remember, No.5 was meant to smell of woman, not of flowers or courtesan's boudoirs. Most feminine Chanels have something soapy, powdery, make-upy or varnish-like about them. Always a nod to all the things we do to primp and pretty ourselves up. I've learned a tremendous amount about why this line speaks to me so much through this conversation. Thank you so much for opening my eyes to this, Mike!

Yay! The samples have reached their final destination-success!

I have thought about how I'd tackle this group. If it were me, I'd sample in three groups. One would be classics, two would be modern/niche and the Chanels would get the third group all to themselves. I do recommend sampling the various No.5s close to the same time as 22. Both were part of the original set of samples presented by Ernest Beaux to Coco Chanel. These two are variants on the same scent. Apparently, as close as science can tell, the aldehydics Beaux made for Chanel were based on an earlier creation of his: Bouquet de Catherine, aka Rallet No.1.

You'll grasp these no matter how you choose to go about it, jujy! Your nose definitely has the experience to handle this group. I think a few will be right up your alley! Enjoy-and relax and take your time! These babies are yours now, no need to rush yourself!

Haha! I just love the thought of these big, glamorous scents all wrapped up in cartoon characters! So funny! Schilling, I've just been to a CVS pharmacy and saw they carry the roll of Nexcare bandage tape, as does Walgreen's. Not hard to find but a bit overpriced at almost 6 bucks a roll. Still worth it for our sample securing purposes. But for first-aid, I'll always take the cheaper options.

Yep, two L'Interdits, jujy! The Surrender to Chance sample is the vintage parfum. The other is the 2003 reissue. However, these two have only the name in common, entirely different scents.

Honestly, if I had to choose a scent for the Miss Texas pageant contestants, I'd give them Rive Gauche. That thing is every bit as obnoxious as beauty pageants and their contestants. I should note, as a child, I did participate in a pageant. So I know how annoyingly nerve-grating the whole mess can be. I won- but I didn't like it one little bit! That memory and RG get no love from me!

Hahahaha! Yes, fembots come from Indiana! What a beautiful child but a creepy pic! No, that is not me- she's way too advanced for a 1980 contestant. We weren't doing the spray tan and highlights just yet back then! Most definitely no eyeliner; I'd remember being allowed to wear that (I loooove my eyeliner!). Schilling, you are really asking me to throw vanity out the window, aren't you? If I can find a pic, I'll post it! May take awhile, though; my house is a shambles as we've moved into the interior stage of our re-model. Right now, I'm lucky to find a clean coffee cup in the morning! But if I don't have a pic, there must be one at my dad's.

I do hope we haven't offended any Texans with our pageant comments; I know for certain no one here means to pick on Texas! For those who may not know, we're referring to a review of Caron Nocturnes written by Luca Turin in The Guide. He used the Miss Texas pageant as a metaphor for a bland, homogenized type of beauty. Turin is known for his somewhat snarky humor but I think he meant no offense, either- more likely he was simply trying to be humorous and entertaining, which his writing definitely is. I will post the review in its entirety soon as I realize not everyone has read the book and it is an interesting review, though I disagree with it. Just really wanted to say please don't be angry with us Texas! I love all of our great states and would never mean to pick on anyone!

30R, thank you so much for the link! I'm having trouble over there; I did create an account some time ago with the same info I used for my account here. But now it won't let me log in! It's always something, I'll get it figured out!

That's a real possibilty, 30R! I tried once to have the info sent to me but it wouldn't go through. If I recall though, I was on my Kindle at the time, may have something to do with that. Will try again from the laptop. I did use my same username but I could have easily messed up my password. I do a couple times a week just logging in here! My greatest typing skill is making typos.

Oh, my goodness! So many interesting thoughts since I've last popped in!

First, yes juj, I had my hunches about you and 22! I can't say I was 100% certain you'd like it better than 5 but I did wonder. Mainly because of Antilope: I see similarities between it and 5 but Antilope is much heavier on those animalics that I know make you swoon. I thought you'd have fun with the 5s but probably not love any enough to own. Being well-stocked on Antilope, I just couldn't see you "needing" any 5. I know Antilope can scratch that itch better for you! And no, nothing is heretical here! We love what we love and there is simply no sense in spending money on perfumes that don't click with us, no matter how well-respected or historical they may be. These things are not to be forced!

No.22 on the other hand, is so very different, even though it was constructed much the same as 5. Thought you'd like the sweet, woody incense vibe there. And the sparkle! That EDC stays vibrant and fizzy on this skin through its entire progression. I don't believe I've seen coriander "officially" listed as a note but we all know that means nothing. I agree that there's a brightness there that absolutely could be coriander. Still some vintage 22 out there to be had should you decide you need some! And maybe try the new Exclusifs version sometime just for giggles; I do think it's still very good. But your nose will find the woods in the vintage far superior like mine does, I believe.

About vintages- I do agree they are more often than not the only way to really get to know the classics. But then there are classics that I prefer to wear in the current versions for my mundane daily activities. Jujy's second favorite No.5, the current EDT, is actually one of my go-tos. I find it easy to wear and conducive to gettin' things done. Up until last year, the reformulated Ivoire de Balmain was nearly indistinguishable from the original to some of us here. So, there have been some darned good reformulations. They are just few and far between. Far more of my early loves are ruined or just gone for good. I was able to stick with my Shalimar from the 80's all the way up to this latest reform in the Jagger bottle. Many people still love this new version, though. For me, some reformulations are just fine; many more I never want to sniff again. In many cases, I think discontinuation is a better option. I'd never want to smell a re-done Antilope for instance; it was already timeless to begin with. If you love a classic, it's definitely worthwhile to explore all the vintage you can get your hands on. But it's perfectly ok to not like them better for daily use. Vintage is its own separate perfume rabbit hole. The main thing is that designer or niche, vintage or new-our own noses must be the ones to decide what's for us. I have a few scents in both vintage and modern and when the modern is still good, this is the arrangement I like best. This way, the current can be worn freely but I always have my vintage for special times, or times when I just want to sniff the artistry.

Also, I agree, cumin is one modern answer to "how to dirty this thing up?" Have worn MFK's Lumiere Noire a lot this past winter, which features cumin. Have found it very satisfying in the same way that perfumes used to do it for me back in the 80's. Really adds the depth that so many modern perfumes lack; will explore this note more. Yes, there is still some dirt to be found in the niche world-of course, for a price!

That was a brilliant way to explore the No.5's jujy! I love the baggie idea, this is new to me. Still have the one with the cotton ball of your Sarrasins and it still smells divine! I may just do this myself with all the No.5s. I think it would be a great way to sniff out the differences after allowing them to concentrate the scent within the baggie. Bet I'll find something new myself this way.

And one last thing for now: I did know you'd love the vintage L'Interdit! Plush and animalic but I thought different enough from all of your collection to really grab your nose! Yes, I nailed that one!

(((Genie)))!!! I'm so happy to see you! I've missed you! Expect a PM from me before the week is out; have been wanting to chatter at you!

Excellent sniffing, jujy! I love your thought process during your note taking! Yes, of course you may consider yourself finished! I knew you'd know a lot of these already.

Thank you for offering to send to another sampler! I do have someone in mind who would have liked to join us originally: a wonderful gal called heavenscent1. If no one has grabbed your kind offer, I will check to find out if she's still interested. That's great we have some leftovers! I was worried we'd run short.

And I live right between you two, and I know our BN Mommy Quarry is up for Chicago! Yes, let's all go watch Schilling sniff jujy! Then maybe go find some perfumes to sniff!

Jujy, I keep going back to your thoughts on Gold. This one was new to me, too and have been working with my sample from 30R as the pass progressed. I've been getting a tea-like vibe with the florals but wasn't sure why. Osmanthus could be the answer; tomorrow I'll wear it again and see if I can finally pin my thoughts down. It really is beautiful, or was at least. Our sample is pre-reformulation.

Congrats on the Chamade, I just love the look of the disc bottles! Think they're so cool looking. Have only worn current EDP on skin myself. Some time ago, cacio sent me a vial labeled with a question mark. At first, I thought he was messing with me (now, would our sweet guy do that?!), a test maybe. Turned out, he was hoping I knew what it was! It feels so familiar though blurred a bit by age but my mind keeps going back to vintage Chamade. Maybe not the answer but a clue to the identity of the mystery vial. Still have some of the question mark sample so yes, I'm very curious about your lovely find, jujy. I bet cacio will be interested to hear about it as well.

Have not heard back from heavenscent1, so I'll put the call out one last time: anyone else like to join us? Please contact either jujy or me if you'd like the aldehydes, we'd be happy to have another sampler!