Perfumes You Just Don't Get . . . Or That You Like But Is Generally Not Liked By Others

Fragrances others rave about but that I don't get:

Creed Millesime Imperiale. A screeching, high-pitched citrusy aquatic. I can't imagine why anyone would want to smell like this.

Guerlain Vetiver. It smells exactly like a dentist's office to me. I thought I must be crazy to make that association, but when I mentioned it here, willpower expressed his agreement. There's also a review at BN that says that. I do not want to smell like a dentist's office.

Fragrances I like that don't get much love:

Secretions Magnifiques. Of course I understand why it doesn't get a lot of love; I wouldn't honestly suggest that people try it except as an experiment. But for whatever reason, I enjoy it a lot.

Lipstick Rose. This has to be one of the most panned fragrances in the Frederic Malle lineup. It's often described as frivolous or girly. I don't get that it all. I think it's a wonderfully lush, sweet, powdery rose.

Diptyque L'Autre. Again, I really do understand what others object to in this. But to me, the fragrance is more complex and interesting than its detractors give it credit for being. There's a sweetness underneath the strong, medicinal curry notes that really adds a lot of charm. The sweetness reminds me specifically of Froot Loops.

In response to HORNS's selections:

I definitely see where you're coming from on GIT. It's not in my top ten or anything, but I do think that it's a perfect specimen of its kind, even it its kind is pretty common.

I don't know why Voyage doesn't get more attention. For some reason, that just didn't make as big a splash as Hermes's other recent offerings, e.g., the Jardin series, Terre, or the cologne series. I've recommended it more than once over at BN.

Interesting thread!

Scents that I don't get:

GUERLAIN: nearly anything they make. It took me a long time to come around to this realization, because everyone seems to take Guerlain as the end-all be-all of great perfumery. But - excepting Vetiver and Pampelune - none of it works for me. Not the classics, not the recent additions, none of it. I must have tried a dozen of their scents and just cannot love them. Too 'perfumey'.

Rose 31: Bought a split blind and wore it. I wanted to love it, I was swept up in the hype, but it wore thin on me and disappeared within a few hours. Ended up swapping it away to someone who raved about it. ah well.

The Dreamer (Versace): REALLY? this is what prompted the calone + tobacco hatefest for me.

This list can go on for a long, long time, but I'll stop for now.

Scents I <3 but are unpopular or neglected:

Oud 27. OMG <3 Rough opening but after that, purely mesmeric.

L'Autre - I feel is unjustly maligned. Everyone gets the curry opening and turns away quickly before it develops into its true nature.

Shaal Nur: Getting hard to find but Vetiver + Vanilla + Incense, and light enough for summer wear. Should be the star of Etro's line, but instead others just sleep on it and go with Messe de Minuit. HORNS, you might like this.

Funny enough, Oud 27 is one of the very few times I've tried it from a sample vial and then bought a bottle. I think it is just that good.

I have like two bottles of the Kiehl's but hardly ever wear it. It's nice for softening up a harsh scent like Avignon. I think I wanted it mostly because it was getting scarce in the big bottle. *sigh*

As for GFM - it's disliked simply because it's Fabio in a bottle. You have to really have presence to carry it. As far as I can tell, the current juice isn't markedly different from the 80's production, but I'm going off memory here since my original bottle vanished probably during college.

Oh, god. I'm going to need AT LEAST 5 or 6 hours on this one......

Here's a general Something I don't Get: Scents that are priced above $2.5 / ml. Actually, $2/ml is my ceiling, anything above that is something I am just not feeling, and I don't care how much anyone raves about it. Not Fucking Happening. Xerjoff, By Killian, Clive Christian - Not Fucking Happening.

LAWL. I was talking to a visiting perfumista a week ago and I told her that my general philosophy about these things is that I wanted scent to be a daily pleasure, not something I secreted away and use only for Special Occasions - because I tend to say "oh, that's not quite special enough". And I know that if I spend above a certain point on something, it automatically becomes Precious and To Be Hoarded, which is something I'm trying to avoid in all facets of my life. Hence, the ceiling.