Suggest a Sample

I'm placing a sample order for Heeley's Sel Marin as it's something I've wanted to try for a long time.

I figure since I'm ordering a sample I may as well order a few more. But I'm out of ideas, my mind's been on other things (in fact, I haven't worn a fragrance in two weeks!)


Recommend me something you like, just avoid anything overtly floral (I don't like florals).


I'll let you know which ones I pick.


Thanks!

Surrender to Chance

Noir Patchouli: Added to the list

Thanks for the recommendation, but I've tried APLS. Too skanky for me!

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Puredistance M: Added to the list

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Sounds interesting, I hope it isn't too 'girly,' but I'll give it a go. Strawberry, Vanilla? What's not to like!?

They don't have the Monegal's. I've wanted to try Cuirelle and Cherry Musk for a while. Not a big fan of ouds though.

Ordered.


A little out of my comfort zone but isn't that what sampling's about?


That said, it sounds excellent and seems to have rave reviews.

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Yes, they do. I like the note pyramid.

Consider it ordered.




5 more minutes and I'm wrapping this thing up! Thanks for the suggestions so far.

After reading your review ("it beats TdH at its own game") I was really excited to order it, but it turns out they don't have it!

I'll have to look elsewhere for Tzora.


2 minutes left...

VE: Added to the list (good pick!)

They don't have Baime.


Suggestion time is over!


I've ordered the following samples, and look forward to them:


Histoires de Parfums Noir Patchouli

Heeley Sel Marin

Montale Mukhalat

Puredistance M Extrait

Christian Dior La Collection Couturier Parfumeur - Ambre Nuit

Arquiste Anima Dulcis

Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire

I wanted to update this thread as 4 of the samples came in yesterday and I've had a chance to sniff them out.


1) Sel Marin: I tested this one on my skin. It was the first I tested and I think that I really like it. I mean, I liked it yesterday, a lot, and I'm looking forward to wearing it a few more times. But what I love about it is that it incorporates the beautiful elements of a coastal sea breeze in the summer but intentionally leaves out the cruder, less attractive elements (fishiness, rotting plant life, etc.). These elements, while enjoyable or at the least interesting, when encountered in real life, are not something I care to go around smelling like. I think Kenzo Homme includes that stuff (the one in the tall rectangular curved bottle) and I thought it smelled horrible. So I sampled Sel Marin instead of buying it blind on the off chance that it included those elements. Alas, it did not, and seems to replace them to some extent with a very CLEAN, gentle quality--almost like there's some light florals and a touch of soapiness floating in the salty, summer ocean air. Great stuff, and an aquatic on a completely different level than I had ever experienced. IMO, it takes my beloved Issey Miyake Summer 09 and refines it to the utmost, polishing all the rough edges, eliminating all the unnecessary parts, and creating something much better in the end. I love Issey Miyake 09, and had no idea it could be done so much better, or at least, made more appealing to me. Sel Marin does it.

2) Vetiver Extraordinaire: Sampled on a test strip (I bought a hundred of these things and felt kind of silly about it, but I've found them to be extremely practical...now I can go outside without smelling like 4 different fragrances). This could be my next vetiver purchase. Am I off in thinking that it reminds me of a greener Sycomore? It has that ultra-soft, smooth texture I find apparent in Sycomore, but it's less smoky and less dark. Still retains a wonderful green, earthiness that smells very natural and fresh. I don't know if I'm picking up Anise either, but there's some kind of little licorice like spice just barely accenting it. Could be the type of vetiver that is used, I guess. Really nice.

Noir Patchouli: I was skeptical of this one. I can say two things about it regarding my personal opinion: 1) It's very well done. And I think for the right person this would be an excellent choice. It's a good fragrance--well blended, quality ingredients, smooth transitions, great projection and longevity, and it smells nice. But 2) I couldn't wear this--not very often at least--without feeling unlike myself. It's just not my style. I love how it opens--the cardamom and coriander notes are right up my alley and they mix well with the patchouli. I even found myself thinking "Wow, a patchouli fragrance I really like and can wear," and thoughts of buying another HdP bottle quickly entered my mind (I love HdP's packaging and presentation). But then it turned in a direction which I generally do not appreciate--juniper berries and floral notes--particularly what I perceive to be rose (it's probably a melange of florals, I don't know). And this just doesn't work for me. I'm very sensitive to juniper berries and they can sometimes kill a fragrance for me, and I'm also fairly intolerant toward florals--in very very light doses I enjoy them, but any more than that and I start to get turned off. Don't get me wrong--the heart of this fragrance smells great--and it's high quality--but it's not my thing. If it sounds like your thing, by all means, get a sample, because it's very good.

4) Mukhalat by Montale: Ha! To be completely honest, this fragrance, which I just sampled about an hour ago, reminded me that I should take my car to the carwash (and that's where I'm going right after I type this up). This totally smells like some kind of air freshener they spray in your car when they finishing cleaning it. The Russian lady who works the car wash I go to always asks me "You vunt strahbeery, vaneeela, or new cah?" and I always choose new car, because I think the strawberry smells so artificial and candy like. It smells like something I'd expect to find in a little girl's room in a pile of her dolls. And that's what Mukhalat smells like. It also smells like a particular kind of urinal cake (a clean one) or cleaning product that's used in a lot of public bathrooms I've been in. Seriously. I'm not using that reference as a way to insult this fragrance. It really smells like that. It's not AWFUL, but it's not for me at all. Montale strikes out again. I just don't like anything they make (except Blue Amber).


Well, off to the car wash...


Maybe this time I'll ask for Mukhalat!

I wouldn't worry cello, there's nothing crude about sel Marin at all. I think you'll find the saltiness more part of the overall effect than a distinct note.


BTW, I have the AD sample. I just have to transfer it into a spray vial before I test it. I ordered a 1ml dab vial because it's pretty expensive juice. Can't wait to try it!

It's all good. I had fun sampling it, even if it's not something that I'll wear.

I still haven't tested it on my skin either.

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I just received and sampled this. I hate to label things but I can't help it---this is waaaay too feminine for my tastes! It smells like a women's perfume that used to be popular in the 80's or 90's. I seem to remember something similar. If you're a man and you're not into wearing women's scents then I would avoid this. If you kind of feel like pushing the gender boundary, then maybe Coromandel is a better place to start.

It doesn't smell bad at all, but it's exactly in the vein of what I consider (in my own personal fragrance language) "perfumey."

Thanks for the rec, Canuck, but this one is a definite NO.

Anybody wanna swap a sample for this?

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Bump (geez, what's a guy gotta do to bump a thread these days...I haven't added to this in two days at least)

Anima Dulcis

Okay...It was driving me CRAZY because Anima Dulcis smells very much like another scent I am familiar with, but I could not put my finger, or nose, on it. And just now, it came to me--Hanae Mori H.M. At least on my test strip, Anima Dulcis exhibits a similar blend of Chocolate, floral accents, and a touch of something citrusy. I would say that the biggest difference between the two is that the lemon note in H.M. is much more pronounced, and the chocolate in Anima Dulcis is drier and not as sweet...

But then I spray it on my skin and it develops much differently. Here are the cinnamon and chili pepper notes that are supposed to be in this fragrance--I was wondering where they were! They open immediately and become rather dominant. The fragrance takes on a fantastic warm, spicy quality and now it barely reminds me of HM at all. Wow...this is really nice. Proof that there is a big difference between skin and the test strip. On the test strip, AD smelled good, but I was also wondering if it was a touch too feminine (and since it smelled like HM there's no way I'd ever pay 6 times the price for a bottle of it). However, on my skin, it becomes more masculine and suited for me. I like this a lot. The chocolate note is great--it's not too sweet and it's kind of dry, but rich too. And the cinnamon and chili pepper notes are very well blended--not over powering--there's a good balance between them and the chocolate. I also find myself comparing this to A Taste of Fragrance (which I own and like) because of the chocolate and chili pepper notes--and this is just on a completely different level--more refined, more mature and subtle, and probably a better scent overall. But I'd really have to compare them side by side first, before I can say for certain. As long as the longevity proves itself, I don't think buying a bottle of Anima Dulcis is out of the realms of possibility--I wouldn't mind selling some of my gourmands just so I could get a bottle of this. Nice recommendation!


Pure Distance M

It's true--this stuff smells expensive. Spicy, masculine, expensive leather. I've never been that interested in leather frags, so my experience with them is limited--but M reminds me a little bit of Bel Ami. However, Bel Ami is sharper, and the citrus notes are more apparent in the opening. M is rounded and lush and deep. And you talk about warm--M is like an electric blanket next to a fireplace in your favorite robe and slippers. And it's enveloping in its warmth. This is a fragrance with a real and significant texture to it. And up close there's something musky and very comfortable and relaxed about the way it feels. This is not what I expected. I expected M to be cold and alienating for some reason (the price?), but it's not. And the patchouli note is beautiful--and I usually don't like patchouli. I'm very impressed. If I was a ten or twenty frag guy I'd put this in my wardrobe and wear it a lot between October and April. But I'm a 55 frag guy, and at this point I could not do a fragrance like this justice were I to buy a bottle, so maybe I'll get one when after I reduce my collection (which a few of these samples are telling me it might not be a bad idea to do). Very nice--and the only leather based fragrance I'll consider at this point.


This has been a lot of fun! Thanks for the recommendations.

One thing sampling makes me consider is reducing the size of my collection. If I can get ONE gourmand that does exactly what I'm looking for, to replace 4 gourmands that do some things that I like but some that I don't....Or one "warm" fragrance that perfectly captures that spirit to replace several other frags I purchased in pursuit of that quality, then isn't that what I should do? I'm not sure exactly, and I don't know if I'll ever do this, but it's something I think about when I sample and encounter new, really good scents such as Anima Dulcis, Vetiver Extraordinaire, Sel Marin, and M.

For example, I could see the following scenarios:

I ditch Rive Gauche, Eau des Baux, Burberry London, Carbone de Balmain, and M7 and instead get a bottle of M.

Or I get rid of Givenchy Play Intense and A Taste of Fragrance and something else and go with Anima Dulcis.

We'll see.

Adios!

Yeah, once it opened up on my skin, it really came alive. It's strange how the spicy aspect of it was almost completely missing on the test strip. On skin, the spiciness is very apparent.

Update:

Hey Canuck21, I think I was a little hasty in my judgment of Ambre Nuit. I wore it on my skin yesterday (as opposed to testing it on the sample strip) and it was really, really good. For some reason it comes off much more feminine on the test strip, but it's a really nice, spicy, unisex amber on skin. I like the levity of its composition too--never too heavy, dense, or cloying.

I'll definitely give it a few more wears and enjoy it. Thanks for the good recommendation!