Perfume

[rainbowdottie]

Personally I could never buy perfume from the TV - which is strange to say when I've bought candles in the past.

I like really strong perfume.I'm quite "old school" :blush: and my two favs are YSL Paris and Dior Dune.I also like Carachel (sp) Eden:blush::blush:

I want to like opium because its so strong - but it was my mothers perfume and I can't wear a scent that evokes such memories.

I want to try LE - but I don't think it would be "strong" enough for me.

 

[rainbowdottie]

Also wanted to say I waited until my mid thirties to buy myself chanel no 5 - and I am so disappointed - smells of nothing to me!!!

 

[craftology]

Rainbowdottie, if you like strong smells the Liz Earle isn't for you I think - it's citrussy with a sharp herbal background note, a definite summer scent for me and has no staying power whatsoever. It's an Eau de Parfum yet on the bottle it advises you to 'liberally spray it all over' which is a clue, I think.

I've fallen in love with Chanel's Coco, it's become one of my absolute favourites. No. 5 works on me (I used to sneak some of my MiL's) but it is a bit soapy at first before it develops.

 

[Rosinlon]

In 1978 when I was pregant with my daughter, my husband bought me a bottle of Dior, Dior. I'd never heard of it before as it was new, sadly they decided to discontinue it as it was not "modern" enough. How I would love to have that again. I use Hermes Caleche and YSL Elle mainly.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

I like the Liz Earle fragrance but it doesn't last - citrus scents in general can be tricky but the LE is the worst I've ever had. I can't stand wearing rose, it makes me feel like I've bitten off a piece of soap so I always avoid perfumes with rose-notes which is a shame as a lot of them do smell nice. I mostly use perfume oils as I've never found a perfume yet that doesn't make me sneeze on application and I always gravitate towards spicy/musky/vanilla notes. Carnation is one of my all-time favourite notes, especially in combination with sandalwood.

I've always wanted to try L'Heure Bleue but I'm a bit wary of the neroli.

I think Potion by Lush is carnation based. You can buy it online as a solid perfume. Not sure you can get it in store any more.

L'Heure Blue has been around since the year dot. I'm sure I've tried it at some point. Neroli can be very pungent.

 

[Rosinlon]

I think Potion by Lush is carnation based. You can buy it online as a solid perfume. Not sure you can get it in store any more.

L'Heure Blue has been around since the year dot. I'm sure I've tried it at some point. Neroli can be very pungent.

I never liked Lheure Blue or Jicky or heaven forbid Joy by Patou, at one time the most expensive perfume in the world.

 

[craftology]

Potion used to be my favourite body lotion, I'd never run out, but I never put in big LUSH orders anymore, I've gone off their products, so I just pick a couple of things up now and then at the Belfast store. :-(

I have the solid perfume around somewhere but I don't find their solids very good. BPAL's Morocco is similar and very delicious.

 

[donna255]

Neroli and I hate each other. It gets stronger and stronger and stronger on me as the day wears on. I can do orange blossom though. They come from different parts of the tree. Vetiver turns bog body on me so I need it well blended down with other notes.

L'Heure Bleu is really a rich floral and big on the heliotrope which is a big ingredient in Guerlainaide. Heliotrope has an almond cherry vibe. L'Heure Bleu has a narcotic like quality about it. Not big on the neroli at all.

Mitsouko is the queen of chypres, with C14 the aldehyde which gives the peach note. Its nothing like they weird synthetic peach you get from many other brands. I was really shocked to find out not everyone can wear Mitsouko, in fact she can be a true bitch on some people going funky with their skin chemistry.

Love Jicky, pdt or parfum but I never get the lavender. Its all civet and wood on me. They use synthetic civet and musk these days, which is good thing.

Joy, the most expensive perfume. Not for a long time. These companies are bought out by others and they use cheaper ingredients. I believe Patou is now owned by Proctor and Gamble. Yes the ones who made the soap powders. The Amouage range is now suppose to be the most expensive. But it could be JAR, who are so exclusive they do not do samples. You have to stand with your head in a special glass helmet and the fragrance is sprayed. Don't count Clive Christian the well known kitchen designer. He gets in magazines the 'Oh this costs £20,000', but the bottles are crystal and have real diamonds on them hence the price.

 

[mariecat]

Loving the perfume talk! And Donna you're such an expert!! My first perfume was Chanel No5 from my parents when I turned 18 - iconographic and memorable to me, but not one I sought out later. I remember having an absolute 'thing' for Estee Lauder's Private Collection when I was 19/20. Tend to love heady florals myself but with spicy, sweet woody undertones like cardamom, vanilla, sandalwood that sort of thing. I don't go for citrusy or 'clean linen' types of fragrance.

 

[alibeth]

I tried Liz Earle's NO.1 but it was too lemony for me and wore off very quickly. I gave it to my mum as it's similar to her fav O de Lancome. Returned to my beloved Clinique Aromatics Elixir, I have never found anything which smells remotely similar or stays true on my skin all day.:happy:

 

[Tinkerbelle]

Loving the perfume talk! And Donna you're such an expert!! My first perfume was Chanel No5 from my parents when I turned 18 - iconographic and memorable to me, but not one I sought out later. I remember having an absolute 'thing' for Estee Lauder's Private Collection when I was 19/20. Tend to love heady florals myself but with spicy, sweet woody undertones like cardamom, vanilla, sandalwood that sort of thing. I don't go for citrusy or 'clean linen' types of fragrance.

Funny isn't it that you can like a perfume but just not buy it again. I cannot be without Lipstick Rose and I'd rather not be without Jo Malone Red Roses but others come and go. Some never get repeated.

I wish I liked spicy or fresh perfumes and I tried to like them for a long time but I just don't. I'm a flowery girl.

I also like:

Daisy by Marc Jacobs
La Dolce Vita by I can't remember!
Flowers by Kenzo
Oscar de la Renta's original fragrance
A pink one I can't remember by Lancome. Not Tresor!
Vera Wang Princess

And probably more but my brain is fried!

 

[silversequin]

Really enjoying this thread, perfume fascinates me, the names, the bottles and of course the fragrances. I have a book called "The little book of perfume" got it in Waterstones ages ago. It is beautifully wriiten, the prose almost evokes the smells and makes the reader curious to browse the perfume counters. Not that I need much encourgement!!

I bought the Liz Earle from QVC after trying it in John Lewis, it seems that nearly everyone has trouble with its lack of staying power. Altho I love the smell I will not buy it again.

 

[China Girl]

Donna,you are our resident perfume expert,I love reading your posts.Do you know what happened to a Nina Ricci perfume called Nina? there is one called that out now but it is not the one I mean,the original was around in the late eighties and it was lovely,but the very last bottle I had of it had a strange smell to it almost like cumin spice where previous bottles did not.It disapeared after that,early nineties.

 

[donna255]

Thank you China Girl.

What happens it many perfumes houses are bought out by others.
LVMH bought Guerlain and Dior amongst others, Proctor and Gamble etc bought up others.
Then what they do is see how they can make more money for themselves, so that mean using cheaper ingredients or reformulating. As a teenager I loved Femme by Rochas a gorgeous leather chypre. Rochas was bought out a few times by different companies, then in 1989 they totally reformulation Femme and added cumin(why is a mystery?). So the Femme you see today smells nothing like the one I remember, I was lucky and managed to get a vintage pdt version on ebay which smells how I remember. On the perfume boards it is an on going moan about perfumes being reformulated. So that is why vintage is they way we try to go. The Americans are lucky they have what they call yard or estate sales(someone's granny,auntie etc dies and the family clear out and sale everything. Bit like our car boot sales only held in their yards), they are a gold mine for older versions of perfume really cheaply.

Ebay is the way to go, but you have to be very careful incase of fakes. Chanel,Dior,Creed are the most faked. It might take awhile but search look at the photos and ask the seller questions. There is the dread of the perfume having gone off too, so again look at the photo and ask questions. Oh and some seller take the Michael in asking price too.

I mentioned my bottle of Caron's Fleurs de Rocaille 1960, 75mls parfum(or pure perfume as its called), the guy selling had it in the wrong section for a start. It was still sealed with the gold wire so unopened. Now this should have went for hundreds(I watch auctions and there are some perfumes which go for really big big money. For those who are real collectors). I had it on watch and no one bid, I was shocked so finally with 5 minutes to go I bid and won it for £23. Now the top notes are a little faded but it is still Fleurs de Rocaille(its famous for being named in Scent Of A Woman by Al Pacino) created in 1933.

On the beauty boards people sell or swap stuff as well another way to obtain.

 

[felinewoman]

Fascinating stuff, Donna! You really know your onions!