Scent/Fragrance of the Day thread

[Guitar Preacher]

I was a fan as well. I think the occasional sale was always good for the store in the long run. It got me to check in on what was new when they weren’t running a promotion. I didn’t get anything when the first promo-code came out as I’m pretty content with what I have but am going to grab a bunch of those Monsillage soaps for myself and gifts. That lady makes quality products.

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

TL’s demise is sad but not entirely unexpected. I imagine it’s tough to run a brick and mortar store that competes with discounters like Fragrancenet.

 

[bamgrinus]

It's just really hard to justify spending $250 on a fragrance when you know you can buy it off a grey market site for $150. I know there's that specter of "oh it could be a fake or stored improperly or something" buying from them but I've never had an issue. I guess I've given LuckyScent plenty of business buying samples, though, which I imagine is very lucrative given the price per ml.

 

[dieworkwear]

I feel like most of the scents at Lucky Scent and Twisted Lily aren't really available on the grey market. With some exceptions, of course. Serge Lutens is at Twisted Lily, and can be easily found on sites such as Fragrance Net. But most of these places trade in very niche lines.

Just browsing TL's brand list: DS Durga, Carlen, Dasein, Timothy Han (a favorite), Helmut Lang, Nasomatto, Imaginary Authors, Nebbia, Neadertal, Zoology, Nicholai, etc.

Lucky Scent is even more niche.

That said, a guy can only have so many bottles. Even a single 50ml bottle will last you for a very long time. I feel like most people, at some point, slow down on how much they buy. The market needs to find new customers with empty dressers, which is similar to the problem in clothing.

 

[dieworkwear]

Trying Xinu's Ummo fragrance today, which I believe is the only "masculine" fragrance in their line. The line, in general, feels feminine, and this feels like a softer take on the dry tobacco leaf theme. It's softened up by vanilla, honey, amber, and cedar. It's dry, slightly sweet, a bit resinous, and almost has a dusting of coco powder.

This doesn't feel as interesting to me as yesterday's Xinu sample (Copola), which I thought was an interesting take on patchouli and vanilla (although the patchouli on that one lasted on my skin for almost a full 24 hours). I think Serge Lutens' Chergui might be a more interesting tobacco scent (that one is tobacco and hay).

For some reason, this scent also reminds me of Ruth Mastenbroek's Oxford, which I raved about last year but never got around to buying a bottle. I was also wow'd by Oxford, but am not wow'd by this. Should try to track down another sample of Oxford at some point to compare. Was originally going to buy a bottle.

 

[Parker]

Wearing Hotel Costes today. I'm getting a Neil Young Cinammon Girl vibe from it.

@dieworkwear coincidentally I'm doing a graphic project right now with a woman associated with Xinu. I haven't tried those scents yet. Will check out a sample from Luckyscent soon.

 

[razmaftei]

Azzaro Pour Homme

 

[DiplomaticTies]

Trying Xinu's Ummo fragrance today, which I believe is the only "masculine" fragrance in their line. The line, in general, feels feminine, and this feels like a softer take on the dry tobacco leaf theme. It's softened up by vanilla, honey, amber, and cedar. It's dry, slightly sweet, a bit resinous, and almost has a dusting of coco powder.

This doesn't feel as interesting to me as yesterday's Xinu sample (Copola), which I thought was an interesting take on patchouli and vanilla (although the patchouli on that one lasted on my skin for almost a full 24 hours). I think Serge Lutens' Chergui might be a more interesting tobacco scent (that one is tobacco and hay).

For some reason, this scent also reminds me of Ruth Mastenbroek's Oxford, which I raved about last year but never got around to buying a bottle. I was also wow'd by Oxford, but am not wow'd by this. Should try to track down another sample of Oxford at some point to compare. Was originally going to buy a bottle.

How do you like Slumberhouse Baque? One of the most realistic tobacco scents I’ve tried. Also like the sweetness (mainly apricot I think) and vanilla. Only problem is that it projects like nuclear radiation, almost on the point of giving me headaches.

 

[taxgenius]

Damn, that's really sad to hear.

I was browsing around their site and noticed that some categories were empty, such as certain brand categories. I was wondering if it may be a going-out-of-business sale, but didn't want to presume.

That's a real bummer. They are/ were my favorite fragrance shop.

I noticed that they weren’t restocking items in the last few months. Now I know why. They are pretty much cleaned out already IMHO.

 

[dieworkwear]

Trying another Lucky Scent sample today: Strangers' Salted Green Mango. Strangers is a relatively new indie perfume company run by Prin Lomros, who's based out of Thailand. He has some strange themes. I think I saw one scent in there designed after the smell of Tom Yum. There are also a couple of coffee fragrances, including one that mixes in the scent of leather. This one feels like you're eating a salted green mango by the beach in Thailand.

Salted Green Mango basically smells like what you would expect. It's a not-yet-ripe green mango with a bit of sea salt (mostly in the form of seaweed), a touch of chili pepper (for spice note), and hint of magnolia (the white floral), and some lime and pomelo (mostly in the opening). It's very fresh and citrusy, with a hint of that beachy marine vibe from the seaweed note, and a touch of spice. It dries down to that slightly woody ISO E Super smell.

This is a little warmer than Hermes' Un Jardin Sur Le Nil since it has that spice note. It's very good though and seems like it could be a solid summer fragrance. Not totally wow'd by it, but I imagine that's partly because I'm still thinking about winter fragrances.

Speaking of winter fragrances, I think I may pick up a bottle of Indult's Tihota. It's just a terrific vanilla. No way comparable to Eau de Beaux, and while it has a cookies-and-cream vibe like Matriarch's Coco Blanc, it's much more stable and better done. I just wish it lasted longer. For a $200 bottle, it dries down pretty quickly to a skin scent, but it's still a very good skin scent.

 

[dieworkwear]

How do you like Slumberhouse Baque? One of the most realistic tobacco scents I’ve tried. Also like the sweetness (mainly apricot I think) and vanilla. Only problem is that it projects like nuclear radiation, almost on the point of giving me headaches.

I haven't tried Baque, but I picked up a sample of Kiste a while ago. Like you said, the projection was like setting off a bomb. I can't really wear something like that in my day-to-day life, so I didn't explore the line further.

 

[Nikos]

Derek, I think you might like Pegasus from Parfums de Marly. Not sure how realistic, but a nice almond-vanilla. I don't like PdM's bottles though.

 

[dieworkwear]

Derek, I think you might like Pegasus from Parfums de Marly. Not sure how realistic, but a nice almond-vanilla. I don't like PdM's bottles though.

Thanks! Almond and vanilla sound very much up my way. I'll try to track down a sample of that

Trying two more samples today: Strangers' SM Cafe and Burning Ben. Both are coffee fragrances. The first is supposed to evoke the idea of a sadomasochism cafe (yes, weird). I get a roasted coffee note with leather at the top, which quickly dries down to a sweet almost cough-syrup like cherry note. The three mix together for a while until the scent becomes something like a leathery musk. It's an interesting idea, but I could do without the cherry note.

Burning Ben is also coffee, but instead of the leather and cherry, you get birch tar, which gives you that "smoking campfire" note. There are some supports in here: hay, plum, dry tobacco, incense, cognac, and a bit of a burning tire (like Bvlgari Black). There's a lot going on, but in some ways, it just evokes the feeling of black coffee and cigarettes.

Both are good, although not really for me. I think I prefer Salted Green Mango, even though I'm a big fan of coffee fragrances. As a whole, of the three Strangers' fragrances I've tried, I feel like Strangers is really representative of the ups and downs of very small, niche perfume companies right now. You get some really weird scents inspired by strange themes. Some, like Salted Green Mango, is the kind of thing I wish was in the Hermessence line (which, as a whole, I found a bit ho-hum). The coffee fragrances are interesting, but also a little rough around the edges. I don't always love literal fragrances (e.g. "this is a walk in the woods after it rains"). I also don't like when you can easily pick out all the notes. Chanel's scents, for example, just smell like Chanel's fragrances. With indie houses, you get something more niche and experimental, but something that feels a bit more amateurish at times.

That said, I think it was Luca Turin who said that all the exciting stuff right now is happening in the niche world, which I think is true.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Those both sound good to me.

 

[dieworkwear]

Those both sound good to me.

I'm glad my three-paragraph description has made you do a total 180 on coffee fragrances

I drink enough coffee that I don't need to spray it on myself.