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That one note that kills it for you...

post #1 of 77
Thread Starter 
Ok, I have been following a thread about Slumberhouse, and it has me thinking. There are frags. out there that I would love/wear if it wasn't for that ONE discordant note that kills it for me. Bond no 9 is a great example of a house that has some nice offerings, if it wasn't for "that one note" Bleeker st. and Riverside Drive have an artificial grape/plum chemical that kills an otherwise decent fragrance. I like Bn9 New Haarlem except for a strange "stale clove/cinnamon" note not listed, but irritates my nose, Slumberhouse Jeke smells good, except I keep getting a spiced "dill pickle" that lingers and kills it for me. ... Some people say the "fecal" top note in Montale's Cuir d'Arabie turns them off to an otherwise decent fragrance. anyone else have examples?
post #2 of 77
YES.

I've never smelled a real life Vetiver plant, and I'm fully aware that vetiver is in a ton of frags.

But 2 frags that i simply can not stand are Creed Original Vetiver and Encre Noire. Both of these have this bizarre almost sweet smell, that hits me right in the back of the throat. I'm assuming its the Vetiver in them.

It really nauseates me. Its a real shame for Encre Noire, because i really like where they were going with it. I can detect some other very interesting subtleties that are very nice. But the overpowering Vetiver kills it.
post #3 of 77
A*Men Pure Malt has something running through the middle of it that reminds me of the way the world smells when you're in the throes of a particularly bad hangover - appropriately enough. I would love Dzongkha if not for the rice vinegar/cucumber note that others have picked up. As it is I just like it a lot.
post #4 of 77
Anise in high doses. Absolutely gross! Black licorice is disgusting and reminds me of NyQuil.
post #5 of 77
Tuberose, I really hate this note.
post #6 of 77
Me too
post #7 of 77
Anything remotely fecal is a guaranteed no-no for me.
post #8 of 77
Calone.....I would be happy if the IFRA banned all aquatics LOL
post #9 of 77
I seem to be quite sensitive to calone and Iso E Super, in that I really don't like them if I can detect them. Tuberose is the blaring trumpet of florals so it really needs to be cut down by something else or it's a dealbreaker. Castoreum and patchouli in large amounts seem to be dealbreakers too. One accord that I really dislike, it seems, is patchouli, cedar, and amber, perhaps with lavender in there as well (Heritage, Versace l'Homme, etc.). And recent scents that have metallic, chemical, super-sweet, or screechy qualities are of no interest, though there are some exceptions. Cotton Club for Men begins outrageously sweet but that largely dissipates within the first hour, leaving behind a pleasant and well-behaved gourmand.
post #10 of 77
Quote:
Originally Posted by JON RODGERS View Post

Anything remotely fecal is a guaranteed no-no for me.

This is mine as well...
post #11 of 77
Not so much a note- but far more the misuse of a certain note.

Excessive cinnamon, cumin, incense, florals, grassy, leathery notes etc. can all be disturbing to me, if overused, rather than properly and subtly blended.
post #12 of 77
Not a fan of civet at all.
post #13 of 77
There is a note in many modern frags which is distinctly flyspray, sharp, medicinal and catches the back of the throat and is a bit sweet but not nice. It coats the back of the throat and almost tastes sweet like the nastier part of a saccharin tablet or aspirin. No idea what it could be yet. It isn't vetiver.

Anything too sharply chemical. I like frags to be gentle on the nose even when powerful.

Too gourmand in the amber direction and I'm off. Overly fruity sees me off too. I don't wish to smell like a sticky bun or a fruit salad. Tonka is another along those lines that only wins with a careful perfumers hand.

I also cannot stand tuberose in most frags if it is in any way dominant. Miller Harris did a pretty good job controlling it with Noix de Tubereuse but my dislike prevailed after I bought an FB.

Fecal can be ok when it's under careful control. It can be a good support for a flower if it isn't too dungheap.

I definitely veer towards dry/green, or deep/oriental in the main.
post #14 of 77
every synthetic note kills it for me

it can be detergent like musk, it can be sharp bitter synthetic civet, it can be metalic synthetic sandalwood, it can be synthetic powdery iris note, or shape synthetic citrus note,...and many times what kills the beauty for me is that i smell a perfumer was maximising his profit and not the beauty of a perfume when natural note is added in 0.00% so it smells all thin, so there is to choose between synthetic sharpnes or thinness (snythetics dont come so obvious)

notes i avoid 100% are moss(snythetic), because it smells sharp masculine and aldehydes (only one i like is La myrrhe)because they are too sharp smell of soap and soemtimes like acid (Dia), and mostly musks....but those its hard to avoid , modern animalics,.......it feels like i avoid too many basenotes lol....i am not a fan of ambery notes too


for me it is most important i have no reference about some note in my head , if i do then i compare it to the best, so
SLumberhouse Pear and Olive is perfect for me!! i so much love that frozen air smell rum icecream and bits of pears

from synthetic notes i must say i do like iso E super , and violets!
post #15 of 77
Quote:
Originally Posted by sjg3839 View Post

Not a fan of civet at all.

+1.

Also, anything more than a trace amount of tuberose quickly gets very cloying and feminine. And the fecal note in Dior Leather Oud and others - no way would I go out in public wearing anything like that.
post #16 of 77
Not a fan of strong cumin notes in fragrance. When I smelt PdE Bengal Fougre I nearly barfed...

Love cumin when cooking though!
post #17 of 77
Calone, ISO E Super, coconut, melon, apple, peach and too much cedar.
post #18 of 77
Tomato leaf, cinnamon to start. Theres a note in Oud Ispaben(?) from Dior that is super sharp and synthetic (to me) that I can't identify that destroyed that scent for me.
post #19 of 77
Anything in which coriander is too prominent. I hate cilantro!
post #20 of 77
Melon. Can't abide the fruit, can't abide the smell.
post #21 of 77
For me it's heavy amounts of leather and sometimes amber. If they are blended in with subtlety though, I'd be fine.
post #22 of 77
None to be honest. The issue I may have has more to do with the blending and counterbalancing within a composition. As long as a controversial note is used judiciously or well counterbalanced by other complimentary notes, I'm a happy camper.
post #23 of 77
Calone.

The synthetic "cedar / woods" note that so many modern 'masculines' devolve into after half an hour or so - a lot of the supposedly hip niche lines use this screechy bad varnish job on cheap plywood exposed to too much direct sunlight monstrosity as well - they just charge more for it
post #24 of 77
Tuberose is not my favorite note but it won't stop my buying something I want.
post #25 of 77
Tonka for me, cucumber notes for my wife.
post #26 of 77
Civet, Musc , fecal
post #27 of 77
I would have to say chemical or vegetal musks. They all smell like various kinds of pervasive soap to me.
post #28 of 77
Civet
post #29 of 77
Oud kills it for me. And Tuberose is problematic.
post #30 of 77
Strangely, having said against it earlier, Tuberose (and some oudhs) are quite lovely on their own.
post #31 of 77
I remember finding Mona di Orio's Tuberose interesting. The only Tuberose sample that's still here somewhere…
post #32 of 77
Quote:
Originally Posted by mr. reasonable View Post

The synthetic "cedar / woods" note that so many modern 'masculines' devolve into after half an hour or so - a lot of the supposedly hip niche lines use this screechy bad varnish job on cheap plywood exposed to too much direct sunlight monstrosity as well - they just charge more for it

This.
post #33 of 77
It very much depends on the fragrance, but the following can be difficult for me: 'white' floral notes, sweet vanilla, aldehydes, 'fruity' notes, cocoa. Heavy use of Iso E Super / cedar though not unpleasant can become a bit boring.
post #34 of 77
Synthetic, hissy woody amber base notes (the ones used in numerous designer masculine scents). It's like nails-on-chalkboard. Really annoying.
post #35 of 77
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diamondflame View Post

None to be honest. The issue I may have has more to do with the blending and counterbalancing within a composition. As long as a controversial note is used judiciously or well counterbalanced by other complimentary notes, I'm a happy camper.

Agree. Almost anything when used in excess can be unpleasant. I used to think I disliked tuberose, but that was because my reference was Carnal Flower (the most potent tuberose perfume on the market), when I got my nose on other tuberose scents I realized that its actually a pleasent smell when used in moderation.
post #36 of 77
Three fragrances stand out in having a single note that just isn't blended well, at least when it's on my skin. Creed's Silver Mountain Water, I can't stand the metallic note, Chanel Platinum Egoiste, another metallic (perhaps platinum in this case) note, and Tom Ford's Noir de Noir, I can't deal with the rose note.
post #37 of 77
Calone, "Egyptian" musk, and that note that makes Donna Karan Gold smell like cucumber.
post #38 of 77
Strong notes of Lemon kill it for me...Habit Rouge smells like kitchen counter cleanser to me.
post #39 of 77
Heavy use of herbs, as in Bogart One Man Show can be quite sickening. And I'm not sure if it's the vetiver or the ISO E Super, but I didn't get along with either Terre d'Hermes or Encre Noir. They had a similar, dry, unpleasant note.
post #40 of 77
Quote:
Originally Posted by mr. reasonable View Post

Calone.

The synthetic "cedar / woods" note that so many modern 'masculines' devolve into after half an hour or so - a lot of the supposedly hip niche lines use this screechy bad varnish job on cheap plywood exposed to too much direct sunlight monstrosity as well - they just charge more for it

This
post #41 of 77
Civet , on everyone.

Violet, on everyone.

Tuberose, on me.
post #42 of 77
Birch tar and anything with much smoke I tend to be put off immediately.
post #43 of 77
Iris, aldehydes (SO not a Chanel fan!). Whatever ingredient smells like wet rocks/musty rot. Metallic and calone.

Patchouly used to be a deal breaker before I tried Mon Patchouly by Ramon Monegal.
post #44 of 77
Also lost my interest in Frankincense.
post #45 of 77
Anything synthetic
post #46 of 77
Civet, Incense, and something on Le Male that I just don't know what it is...maybe lavender?
post #47 of 77
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Graphite View Post

I remember finding Mona di Orio's Tuberose interesting. The only Tuberose sample that's still here somewhere…

That's funny, I HATE vetiver, but Mona di Orio's Vetyver is one of my favorites.
post #48 of 77
Cumin , absolutely loathe it in fragrance and cooking , I seem to be so sensitive to it I can detect even the most minute amount in something , it just turns my stomach !
Oud if fairly strong , it feels like drowning in treacle / molasses !
post #49 of 77
pine

fille en aiguilles almost made me puke
post #50 of 77
It used to be fig until I got used to Caron Yuzu Man. But anything indolic/fecal kills it for me as well as civet too.

And honestly enough, true oud isn't for me either. So when Creed and Bond did a very light synthetic version of oud and I actually liked it, it made me think of how well it had to be blended (the oud) before I enjoyed it.
post #51 of 77
Whatever is in the three Le Labo fragrances I've tried.

Bleccch!
post #52 of 77
Powdery smells like Burberry Brit, Lagerfeld Classic, Caron Pour Un Homme (Play-Doh) or Guerlain Habit Rouge.
post #53 of 77
Melon.
post #54 of 77
Fecal...I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would want anything to smell fecal...let alone enjoy it.
Anything, and I do mean anything, powdery.
Not a huge fan of Patchouli...I don't mind it in small doses.
Not a huge fan of tuberose either.
post #55 of 77
Nothing really. Maybe woody amber notes.
post #56 of 77
I can't stand really strong, dirty Patchouli.

Poorly crafted lemon citrus frags that remind me of dishwashing liquid. I used to be totally against citrus and would avoid it until being introduced to a few that were heavenly.
post #57 of 77
Too soapy or too much tonka or myrrh.

It's only when a note is overpowering that I have problems. Any note, well blended, is a go-er for me.
post #58 of 77
I find it amusing when people say they hate synthetics yet almost every fragrance has tons of synthetic notes. Virtually any fragrance you like will have a synthetic note you like but, it's simply easier and quite snobbish to say "anything synthetic."
post #59 of 77
Incredibly easy choice: cloves in Musc Ravageur. Take that medicinal stink away and Tobacco Vanille faces some competition
post #60 of 77
Vanilla, especially if it is prominent
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