Worst basenotes reviews

[Kaern]

Great chunks of boring information about each note. It's the same with books and paintings -- I don't want to read a page and a half of descriptive text about a room and I like the 'impressionist' style of conveying a scene or place through a painting

[hednic]

I don't mind what people say in their reviews.

Nor do I.

[Akahina]

I don't like this thread because I think it stinks.

;-)

[Andrè Moreau]

Difficult to say, keep in mind many bad reviews/reviewers are consequence of not perfect use of English language (here I am, difficults with foreign language by Italian people are legendary )

[CologneFan85]

I like them all. In its own way they all help...

[L'Homme Blanc Individuel]

WORST REVIEWS: I hate when people say what they think they're supposed to say in order to look like one of the cool kids here, and it amazes me how often we see that sort of thing. Those posts are usually based on hype, or they're filled with big words that manage to say not much at all. I'm always surprised by how important it is for some people to feel important on a message board.

BEST REVIEWS: I love when people are honest and fair. Don't bash a $20 scent because it doesn't compare to Bond or Creed. Don't bash Amouage because their latest creation didn't equate to the 2nd coming of christ. Just review what you smell and how it wears with the same level of fairness and honesty you'd want from anyone else. Eloquent prose is fine. Simple folksy language is fine. It's less about the style of the text than it is about the opinion and personal experience a review conveys. I want opinions with as much honesty and fairness as possible.

WISH LIST: I wish there were a way to flag certain reviewers to have their opinions always show up at the top of the list of reviews so I could see the noses I trust most first (I'm not referring to comments in threads. I strictly mean reviews in the reviews section). Honestly, if I could afford it, there are people here I'd try hire to curate a monthly collection of samples for me to try. THAT would be AWESOME.

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I don't like this thread because I think it stinks.

;-)

Sorry. Uhm... er... that might be me. I may have overdone it with the Fahrenheit today. It's a Fahrenheit kind of day.

[TheBlackAdonis]

When people say something along the line of "anybody who wears this is just dumb/doesn't have good taste"... as if their opinion should reflect what everyone else should believe, say or do.

[The_Cologneist]

If I said whose reviews i disliked, I'd probably get banned lol

[Osi1s]

I hate seeing a review that is attepting to be poetic.

What about reviews done to musicals?

I'll tell you the tale of A*Men original, the demon scent of fleet street...

[L'Homme Blanc Individuel]

What about reviews done to musicals?

Now THERE'S a youtube style waiting to be done! Fragrance reviews done as musicals!

[bigsteve]

I like most of the reviews, whether brief or long. Most are interesting, and ultimately helpful.

[iivanita]

I skim reviews. I don't have to time to read through as a member waxes on and on about how they're running through a forest, and they fall in the grass...then they get chased into a barn....then from there they stop in a meadow to pick up a rose...and THATS how XXX perfume smells like. Really?

I need the basic gist on longevity, projection etc. Basic breakdown of what YOU think it smells like (because i can guarantee i will think differently).

So, any of those longwinded reviews are on my "worst" list.

Man this is so funny!!:-)


I like to have to read as many reviews as possible, i kind of learnt to interpret the data for myself, so every review is helpful, but must admit , when i started reading reviews i could not wonder more when people would make up some stories about perfume:-) , thats why the above made me so laugh:-)

[aphexacid]

When people say something along the line of "anybody who wears this is just dumb/doesn't have good taste"... as if their opinion should reflect what everyone else should believe, say or do.

I havent seen any reviews like that, although i'm sure they exist. Pure ignorance!

In all my years of being a fragrance lover, i have smelled tons that i don't care for. And only a few that really make me curse out loud/want to vomit/scrub it off...But even still, someone must like it and you have to respect that.

Having said that, i would like one day for someone who absolutely LOVES Pasha de Cartier to explain what it is about it they love, and give me a list of other frags they use. Because to me, its revolting. But someone must love it.

[Darjeeling]

Generally I don't like reviews in which the author calls other reviewers' opinions to make his/her point. I think a proper review should make sense on its own. It should be suitable to be posted everywhere and still make sense...

LOL, my recollection is that I've seen a number of reviews that say that Alfarom's review pretty much summed it up and there's nothing more to add. I don't mind them so much as it can be reassuring that there is a consensus, particularly if you aren't tuned in to whether a reviewer has similar perspectives to yourself.

I actually think it's wonderful to see how much a fragrance moves the reviewer. Sometimes I get tempted to try on a fragrance simply on the strength of one eloquent review.

I got to tell you the truth, the tone of this thread worries me. I'm about as poetic as mud and used to do more reviews but if someone has a scent "move them" so be it. This is a hobby and an art so why not let people go nuts?

I appreciate and think that it's great when this happens, but I can't always read them and they don't always tell me much about the scent. I do love the passion and enthusiasm though. It is a great aspect of the forums in general and not just the reviews.

What about reviews done to musicals?

I'll tell you the tale of A*Men original, the demon scent of fleet street...

Probably better suited to YouTube, but I would be interested if done well.

[Francolino]

Personally I enjoy the variety in styles and find something useful in most reviews.

you got it!

[SteelerOpera]

Why would you want her to waste her or your time with something she's not going to like? I do this too, and it's not because I have "refined tastes" (I should be so lucky), it's because I have such an exaggerated sensitivity to certain notes and styles that there is no way I will appreciate or even be able to perceive the subtleties and qualities of a fragrance that includes them. So yeah, I can reject a fragrance by smelling the sprayer, because I can tell there's something in there that repulses me on a fundamental level, or to which I am perhaps even physically sensitive.

I can totally understand if there is something in the frags you don't like, but this customer had no intention of honestly looking for a fragrance. It is very easy to tell when a frag is displeasing or has a bad note to a customer, the eyes squint, the nostrils flare and the corners of the mouth droop. This woman had no change in expression from frag to frag to frag, she was just having fun being difficult

Being sensitive to certain notes I'm sure can be frustrating, and I agree sniffing the sprayer to make sure you're not going to have a reaction is best, but just sniffing the sprayer can be very deceiving sometimes. I had a customer as me if our tester of Issey Miyaki had turned, I sprayed it on a card and it was completely different than what he smelled before on the sprayer. I smelled the sprayer and it was obvious that remnants of the nearby bottle of JPG Le Male had recently been misted on the Issey. Also, I see people every day who will literally stick the sprayer in their nose... and I mean INSIDE the nostril... this is something I do not want to have any part of and why I have bottles of rubbing alcohol handy.

[Profumo Saggio]

I am also not a fan of reviewers that don't take time for the fragrance to develop before they rush off to write their review. Reviewing a fragrance before the top notes are gone is like reviewing a bottle of wine after you smell it and take the first sip from the new bottle. give it time to expand and progress to what it is supposed to be, not what it is at the start.

Another type I do not care for is the review that takes time to tell you a whole list of great things about the fragrance. It opens wonderfully, progresses through the middle very well, the base notes are perfectly balanced and last surprisingly long. But, it does, after reading the note listing contain something the reviewer doesn't care for, so...thumbs down for the whole thing. That has never made sense to me.

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I am also not a fan of reviewers that don't take time for the fragrance to develop before they rush off to write their review. Reviewing a fragrance before the top notes are gone is like reviewing a bottle of wine after you smell it and take the first sip from the new bottle. give it time to expand and progress to what it is supposed to be, not what it is at the start.

Another type I do not care for is the review that takes time to tell you a whole list of great things about the fragrance. It opens wonderfully, progresses through the middle very well, the base notes are perfectly balanced and last surprisingly long. But, it does, after reading the note listing contain something the reviewer doesn't care for, so...thumbs down for the whole thing. That has never made sense to me.

[hedonist222]

That's especially annoying when people just talk about the notes. Saying they smell this, then this, then that. That's not a review, that's just saying what happens! Like reviewing a book and just retelling the plot in brief. There's absolutely no point.

That's exactly what I look for.

I need to know facts not opinions.

I am also not a fan of reviewers that don't take time for the fragrance to develop before they rush off to write their review. Reviewing a fragrance before the top notes are gone is like reviewing a bottle of wine after you smell it and take the first sip from the new bottle. give it time to expand and progress to what it is supposed to be, not what it is at the start.

Another type I do not care for is the review that takes time to tell you a whole list of great things about the fragrance. It opens wonderfully, progresses through the middle very well, the base notes are perfectly balanced and last surprisingly long. But, it does, after reading the note listing contain something the reviewer doesn't care for, so...thumbs down for the whole thing. That has never made sense to me.

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I am also not a fan of reviewers that don't take time for the fragrance to develop before they rush off to write their review. Reviewing a fragrance before the top notes are gone is like reviewing a bottle of wine after you smell it and take the first sip from the new bottle. give it time to expand and progress to what it is supposed to be, not what it is at the start.

Another type I do not care for is the review that takes time to tell you a whole list of great things about the fragrance. It opens wonderfully, progresses through the middle very well, the base notes are perfectly balanced and last surprisingly long. But, it does, after reading the note listing contain something the reviewer doesn't care for, so...thumbs down for the whole thing. That has never made sense to me.

[hedonist222]

That's especially annoying when people just talk about the notes. Saying they smell this, then this, then that. That's not a review, that's just saying what happens! Like reviewing a book and just retelling the plot in brief. There's absolutely no point.

That's exactly what I look for.

I need to know facts not opinions.

I am also not a fan of reviewers that don't take time for the fragrance to develop before they rush off to write their review. Reviewing a fragrance before the top notes are gone is like reviewing a bottle of wine after you smell it and take the first sip from the new bottle. give it time to expand and progress to what it is supposed to be, not what it is at the start.

Another type I do not care for is the review that takes time to tell you a whole list of great things about the fragrance. It opens wonderfully, progresses through the middle very well, the base notes are perfectly balanced and last surprisingly long. But, it does, after reading the note listing contain something the reviewer doesn't care for, so...thumbs down for the whole thing. That has never made sense to me.

- - - Updated - - -

I am also not a fan of reviewers that don't take time for the fragrance to develop before they rush off to write their review. Reviewing a fragrance before the top notes are gone is like reviewing a bottle of wine after you smell it and take the first sip from the new bottle. give it time to expand and progress to what it is supposed to be, not what it is at the start.

Another type I do not care for is the review that takes time to tell you a whole list of great things about the fragrance. It opens wonderfully, progresses through the middle very well, the base notes are perfectly balanced and last surprisingly long. But, it does, after reading the note listing contain something the reviewer doesn't care for, so...thumbs down for the whole thing. That has never made sense to me.

[rubegon]

The ones I don't find useful are those that tell me what kind of clothes or occasion a fragrance would be suited for. "Perfect with a nice suit" - could be Chanel Bleu, Sartorial, Aramis, Egoiste, or 1000s of others. "Great for a night out clubbing", etc. That's no more helpful than "I like this".

[baldheadjim]

I enjoy an analogy or brief story that is on point about the notes in fragrance. It's better than this stuff sucks or its a panty dropper. I don't care for reviews that are reader digest short stories about where they were emotionally after applying fragrance.

[Irina]

This thread illustrates exactly why I don't dare do reviews: I wouldn't know how to write about a fragrance leaving out all the talk on notes nor emotions/atmosphere. I appreciate when reviews do discuss these particular aspects.
Is there a book on 'review etiquette' somewhere?

[teardrop]

This thread illustrates exactly why I don't dare do reviews: I wouldn't know how to write about a fragrance leaving out all the talk on notes nor emotions/atmosphere. I appreciate when reviews do discuss these particular aspects.
Is there a book on 'review etiquette' somewhere?

For me this thread illustrates that there is no "right" way to do it. We all have different preferences & writing styles, & this is part of what makes the reviews so fascinating. How dull it would be if we all wrote in the same style & agreed with each other on everything.
Please don't be put off from writing by worrying about what other people think!

[Irina]

For me this thread illustrates that there is no "right" way to do it. We all have different preferences & writing styles, & this is part of what makes the reviews so fascinating. How dull it would be if we all wrote in the same style & agreed with each other on everything.
Please don't be put off from writing by worrying about what other people think!

I agree What I meant is rather: why would one write or read reviews? I think one's drive behind the writing is just as important. If I would write I would do so in order to help people when making a choice (that's why I read them). Not so much to become famous with my writing or please people LOL So I would would write about the notes, structure and similar perfumer's or emotional talk, things I like to read when looking at reviews. If people don't find such reviews helpful, that would be a waste of my time, right?

Hope I make sense, sorry, bit tired ...

[teardrop]

I agree What I meant is rather: why would one write or read reviews? I think one's drive behind the writing is just as important. If I would write I would do so in order to help people when making a choice (that's why I read them). Not so much to become famous with my writing or please people LOL So I would would write about the notes, structure and similar perfumer's or emotional talk, things I like to read when looking at reviews. If people don't find such reviews helpful, that would be a waste of my time, right?

Hope I make sense, sorry, bit tired ...

Yes, that makes sense. What l meant was that different readers might be looking for different things from reviews. l personally enjoy reading a variety of styles & viewpoints. l admire those who can "tell a story" with a review, but l also want to know about notes, structures, etc. ln my own reviews l tend to stick to describing what l smell, & sometimes how it makes me feel, or when l might feel like wearing it. But l don't pretend to have any writing talent, & sometimes l think l lack imagination because l rarely wax poetical about a fragrance. l would love to be able to do that!

[Preston H]

I'm not gonna judge people and how they review, but I'd rather read a review from someone who owns instead of samples. It just means you wear it in its intended form and can make a proper description of the scent. A sample is good for giving you an idea of what the fragrance smells like, but it's annoying to hear people complain that they're not getting 10+ hrs off a .3ml sample vial.

[drseid]

I'm not gonna judge people and how they review, but I'd rather read a review from someone who owns instead of samples. It just means you wear it in its intended form and can make a proper description of the scent. A sample is good for giving you an idea of what the fragrance smells like, but it's annoying to hear people complain that they're not getting 10+ hrs off a .3ml sample vial.

I understand where you are coming from, but it may not be feasible for a lot of scent reviews. For example, some scents reviewed here are extremely difficult to acquire and/or have only 6 bottles or less in existence, costing $500+ a bottle; many *thousands* of dollars. It is quite expensive in relative terms for most folks to acquire a bottle for that kind of dough to write a review (let alone buy for their collection on any regular basis). If someone owns one of those rare gems, more power to them and I would love to hear their take on it for sure, but a sample review is just fine by me (on any scent of any dollar value, mass market or rare alike).

As an aside, most samples I have ever bought or received that are not extrait where a little goes a very long way are between 1 and 2 ml, some more. That should be more than sufficient to get a good read on a full wearing or two of a given scent for most people. Transferring the samples to sprayers can give a better feel for what the scent would smell like coming from a full bottle atomizer though (assuming that is the delivery method of choice for the fragrance in question).

[Buysblind]

that would be dollars&scents ... yeah what happened to him?

http://www.basenotes.net/fragrancereviews/13375978

Apparently he was banned.

I would love to know why...

[Diamondflame]

Wow. So much negativity here. If the sole purpose of reviews is to please everyone nothing will ever get written. A review may not be in a style I prefer but I appreciate the efforts nonetheless. I thank every reviewer who bothered to contribute to Basenotes review section, without which we would have easily been overtaken by Fragrantica.

Now how about a new section where whining is elevated to an art form?

[L'Homme Blanc Individuel]

Apparently he was banned.

I would love to know why...

...?!!?!?!??!? He was banned? I'll admit, there was a sameness about the way his reviews were written, but he always seemed so polite and helpful. He was banned? I wonder why.