What's your favourite perfume scents?

I am clearly a Terre des Hermes fan

Never got to try any of Hermès line. Interesting to see Pelargonium in their middle notes. Nice bottle design.

Top: Orange  Grapefruit
Middle:Pepper  Pelargonium
Base: Patchouli Cedar Vetiver Benzoin

Bert Schurink posted:

I am clearly a Terre des Hermes fan

I received a bottle of this at Christmas.  I rather like it.

In direct answer to the question, it depends who is wearing it, as what smells good on one person doesn’t necessarily work with another, though a few particular favourites immediately come to mind: Paloma Picasso, Fidgi, Anais Anais, Coco.

As for fragrances for myself, I have always found it hard to find ones I like - I’ve whiled away many hours in airport ‘duty free’ shops sampling, only to find absolutely nothing I would deign to use. And some I have liked in the past were discontinued, which is frustrating given how much effort it had taken to discover them! Present favourite is Montana by Claud Montana, though it is not as good as it used to be before it was withdrawn for a few years - initial scent is the same, but it doesn’t have the staying power, so not as good, and I remain on the lookout for something better. (When Montana first reappeared this difference made me suspect a counterfeit, but researching it I gather just a change in formulation, with cheaper ingredients.)  In its absence I used Escape (Calvin Klein) - not bad, Baldessarini (Hugo Boss) - OK, but inconsistent, I assume due to counterfeiting, and Aramis 900 - tolerable.

A long-term fan of Hugo Boss

I used to be a Castrol R man in my younger days, but recently I've preferred the lighter, more sophisticated WD40.

When I shaved, I was rather fond of the pong of Creed Green Irish Tweed, until I developed an allergy to the stuff. There's still half a bottle of it lurking somewhere in the bathroom cabinet.

Enjoyable to spray yourself with the various samples in duty-free. It used to drive SWMBO mad, so well worth the unique smells you could create. 

You could be sitting at the back on Thursday at the ND555 event at Signals????

I like to blend my own using frankincense, myrrh, gardinia, sandalwood and lotus flower.

I really like those woody oriental scents.

I like Chanel No 5, but on a lady....of course 

 I do prefer Napalm, preferably early in the morning. Come on, as if you didn’t see it coming!? Actually...

Well since, TonyM has offered a glimpse into youth I will complement his recollection with one of mine which is the delightful mix of TCP overlaid by Brute.    

Poison always worked for me, back in the day. Used tea bags would probably have had the effect, but Poison was the bees' knees.

Innocent Bystander posted:

In direct answer to the question, it depends who is wearing it, as what smells good on one person doesn’t necessarily work with another, though a few particular favourites immediately come to mind: Paloma Picasso, Fidgi, Anais Anais, Coco.

As for fragrances for myself, I have always found it hard to find ones I like - I’ve whiled away many hours in airport ‘duty free’ shops sampling, only to find absolutely nothing I would deign to use. And some I have liked in the past were discontinued, which is frustrating given how much effort it had taken to discover them! Present favourite is Montana by Claud Montana, though it is not as good as it used to be before it was withdrawn for a few years - initial scent is the same, but it doesn’t have the staying power, so not as good, and I remain on the lookout for something better. (When Montana first reappeared this difference made me suspect a counterfeit, but researching it I gather just a change in formulation, with cheaper ingredients.)  In its absence I used Escape (Calvin Klein) - not bad, Baldessarini (Hugo Boss) - OK, but inconsistent, I assume due to counterfeiting, and Aramis 900 - tolerable.

 

Montana! Wow that's a blast from the past. That's a name I don't hear much now. Pity that it changed. 

I've noticed that many of today's fragrance do not last long as it used to be. It seems everything is watered down or worse, manufacture reformulate to suit current tastes. I purchased YSL's Rive Gauche for a purely nostalgic reason but I was hugely disappointed when it arrive. it now smells very different from what I fondly remember. On top of it, it gave me a headache! Reading up on it, the scent was changed in 2003 by Chanel's main nose Jacques Polge.

I recall when Escape was released. I used to wear Obsession ( that's 80s scent eh? )

tonym posted:

When I shaved, I was rather fond of the pong of Creed Green Irish Tweed, until I developed an allergy to the stuff. There's still half a bottle of it lurking somewhere in the bathroom cabinet.

Creed seems to have strong followers. Personally I never tried it on altho, I've seen them at the store display.

Interesting formula for sure including Ambergris in a macho black bottle.

MDS posted:

I like Chanel No 5, but on a lady....of course 

Altho, it was originally marketed for women, I see this as a unisex fragrance. For years, I have been trying to like this classic but so far no dice. Strong animalistic smell ( musk, civet ) couped with flower seem to be tripping me up.

They came up with L'eau No.5 (water downed version, less grand ma like ) which I prefer. ( but then what's the point right? )

For a lighter Chanel notes, I used to wear Chanel No. 19. I still have the original metal bottle. Juice aged rather well. Even it's just an EDT, this one stays all day with just a few sprays. Certainly less animal smell than No.5 and more of green notes with strong galbanum.

MDS posted:

Well since, TonyM has offered a glimpse into youth I will complement his recollection with one of mine which is the delightful mix of TCP overlaid by Brute.    

Nothing more hilarious than a perfume commercial. 

kuma posted:

Montana! Wow that's a blast from the past. That's a name I don't hear much now. Pity that it changed. 

I've noticed that many of today's fragrance do not last long as it used to be. It seems everything is watered down or worse, manufacture reformulate to suit current tastes. I purchased YSL's Rive Gauche for a purely nostalgic reason but I was hugely disappointed when it arrive. it now smells very different from what I fondly remember. On top of it, it gave me a headache! Reading up on it, the scent was changed in 2003 by Chanel's main nose Jacques Polge.

I recall when Escape was released. I used to wear Obsession ( that's 80s scent eh? )

Funny isn’t it, how some things seem to follow ‘fashion’ - which seems odd with smells until reflecting on the possibility that perhaps once upon a time people may have found body odours to be a turn-on, whereas nowadays the opposite...   With scents some come and go, others go on forever -Chanel No. 5 for example, apparently still one of the most popular for women though almost 100 years old, has according to Wikepedia changed very little in that time, though the original natural civet and nitro-musks have been substituted.

Personally, whilst I accept and in some matters wholeheartedly embrace progress and improvement, that doesn’t apply to change for change’s sake, and I don’t understand why so many people allow themselves to be slaves to fashion. In the case of scents, what makes a woman smell good is timeless, likewise the sort of smell I consider to be ‘me’.

as an aside, one thing that amazes me is sales people who accost me when I’m passing through a shop, whether or not looking at the perfumes, saying: “try this, the latest fragrance from xxxxxx - you’ll love it”, offering to spray me with their latest promotional scent. How on earth do they presume to judge what perfume I will love? I never let them put it on me, only on themselves or a card, because invariably I don’t like it - on many occasions in fact completely detesting it, and on one occasion the woman seemed really upset when I said that what she was spraying about so lavishly smelt like tomcat - it genuinely did!

Speedstick for me 

Linx - It drives the ladies crazy!

Linx borrowed shamelessly from Hai Karate. Anyone own up to having had Hai Karate?

Good god! is that for real? 

kuma posted:

Good god! is that for real? 

I'm afraid so.  Wrong on so many levels.

For a start, why would anyone want to fight off Valerie Leon...?

Innocent Bystander posted:

Funny isn’t it, how some things seem to follow ‘fashion’ - which seems odd with smells until reflecting on the possibility that perhaps once upon a time people may have found body odours to be a turn-on, whereas nowadays the opposite...   With scents some come and go, others go on forever -Chanel No. 5 for example, apparently still one of the most popular for women though almost 100 years old, has according to Wikepedia changed very little in that time, though the original natural civet and nitro-musks have been substituted.

Personally, whilst I accept and in some matters wholeheartedly embrace progress and improvement, that doesn’t apply to change for change’s sake, and I don’t understand why so many people allow themselves to be slaves to fashion. In the case of scents, what makes a woman smell good is timeless, likewise the sort of smell I consider to be ‘me’.

as an aside, one thing that amazes me is sales people who accost me when I’m passing through a shop, whether or not looking at the perfumes, saying: “try this, the latest fragrance from xxxxxx - you’ll love it”, offering to spray me with their latest promotional scent. How on earth do they presume to judge what perfume I will love? I never let them put it on me, only on themselves or a card, because invariably I don’t like it - on many occasions in fact completely detesting it, and on one occasion the woman seemed really upset when I said that what she was spraying about so lavishly smelt like tomcat - it genuinely did!

Whilst time is the ultimate critics. It's neat that still some of those old fragrance are manufactured ( albeit altered and reformulated ) after a few hundred years later. I've learnt that Caswell-Massey altho, their NY store has been closed for good, they opened an online store and start selling George Washington's Perfume Number Six. ( dating back to 1780 )

I agree that what smells nice is timeless, there is a general trend in fragrance, too. This is why many perfumers trying to reinvent the old formula to appeal to younger market. Current trend is a lot of citrus and fresh notes. Rose and flowers are always popular. I think that many smell *me too* of something and very little interesting scents around. There are many new niche fragrance popping up at a store and I have tried a few but most are sort of meh.

I don't have my own signature scent. I change around by seasons or my moods. (After shower/bath EDT has been Guerlain Imperiale however for almost 20 years but recently I switched to Jicky and Allure Homme Sport )

I never make decision on perfume on a spot as it can change overtime interacting with body chemistry. So I ask samples at a store. Thats' the only way. Many new fragrance I tried I am glad I didn't buy 'em! Some of them were just awful! ( smelling like cheap hair spray. No thank you. )

A recent new niche comer I tried was something from Ex Nihilo. I am a sucker for bergamot and this one also had a touch of sweet lychee which I thought was interesting at the shop. so I asked for a small sample. By the time I got home, tho, what was wonderful those  top notes turned into something really sharp and sort of household bathroom deodorant. I also tried a few others from this house and interestingly same sharp dry down were present.

Richard Dane posted:

Linx borrowed shamelessly from Hai Karate. Anyone own up to having had Hai Karate?

I feel sure that is William Franklyn's voiceover. Good to hear.