Scent/Fragrance of the Day thread - Page 724

Originally Posted by Thomas 

There are a couple of explanations: first, in his blog (when he had one), Turin put forth his preference for the larger houses, claiming in short that the niche houses were - excepting Lutens, Nicolai and Malle - poseurs. In most of the nicheys he found a faux-naif aesthetic with a hideous markup, and noted that it was a lot to pay for 'first drafts'. "At least, with a big house, the brief has been fought over by every competent perfumer in the world." (paraphrased) Sometimes I think he's out to knock a niche perfumer off his or her pedestal, should he or she make the attempt - God help you if you call yourself a "Master Perfumer", because you immediately get compared to Jacques Guerlain and told, in effect, to sit down and compose a few Shalimars before you try wearing that title again. So, anything niche is automatically viewed through a skeptic's lens.
Second, Turin has been an unapologetic devotee of French perfumery as practiced by Chanel, Caron, and Guerlain, and has been unstintingly critical of Guerlain's post-LVMH output, even calling out J-P Guerlain for messing with Laurent's Shalimar Legere. In fact, most reformulations are harshly punished as in the case of Tabac Blond (originally he recommended this as one of the best leathers out there) which was more of a re-write than a tweaking. But in that he's not really consistent because everything gets reformulated at some point. How badly a scent goes off the rails seems to be a mitigating factor, though. But, back to the original point: if it's not of the French school - you have a very steep hill to climb.
Finally, and this I didn't quite get until recently: sometimes he writes from memory, and other times they test - on paper. Their position is that scents can smell good on paper but go badly south on skin, but the inverse is never true. The latter, as I'm told by people I trust, is precisely the case with the MdO line - they smell awful on paper but open up on skin. I sniffed a few Orio's a while back and thought they would be right up LT's alley, but if he only tested on paper then it was highly likely that he threw the smelling strip across the room, looked up the price of her bottles, and her claim to apprenticeship and other marketing prose, and immediately marked her entire line down to 1 star, tout court. Although, even now, I giggle at his "Loud civet fart" when describing Nuit Noire (iirc). So, you have to smell good on paper, AND on skin, to get good marks.

Originally Posted by b1os 

FM - Musc Ravageur.
http://www.sundancechannel.com/beginnings/video/?play_video=1502963537001&playlist_id=1491620011001

Originally Posted by Baron 

Caron Poivre extrait. Lots of clove, and some carnation. It's reminiscent of Derby, but quieter, less mossy, less leathery. It's an strong scent that stays close to the skin, so it's pleasant to wear but it's doesn't intrude on the rest of the room. One of the most masculine of the classic french perfumes.

Originally Posted by Master-Classter 

I'm also really liking the Lab 18, not sure if it's too 'fem' or 'soft' for me, but I think it's still ok.

Bond #9 - really liked their new york oud.

Originally Posted by L'Incandescent 

I've read some reviewers who were concerned about Labdanum 18 being too feminine for a guy. I have to say, if I hadn't read those reviews, I don't think that idea would have ever crossed my mind. Interesting to see that you had the same reaction. For my part, I'm enjoying it quite a bit, and wear it unselfconsciously.
I'm also enjoying New York Oud a lot.

Originally Posted by tps16 

Today, Mitsouko. I'm really convinced that if you gave this a masculine name, it would sell pretty well to guys

Originally Posted by HORNS 

WTF am I missing???

Originally Posted by Thomas 

ech, I bought a split of Lab 18, blind, and it does nothing for me. I thought it was supposed to be resinous, but this version is just powdery. feh.

Originally Posted by tps16 

The first time I tried Mitsouko, I didn't like it. Smelled pretty waxy to me, almost like crayons. A few months later, I sampled it again and it really did click. Everyone's tastes are different though, especially with something as subjective as smell. A lot of people seem to like Creed's Millisime Imperial, but I can't stand wearing it after a few minutes.