belletrist
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Iwould like to start a brand new thread dedicated to the exclusive perfumes.
Being a perfume lover, I am a nose follower, not a brand one.
I truly don't like commercial perfumes, because
I) they have little respect toward the noses (a dior perfume is created after the bottle and the ad... and the nose is asked to do something...)
II) A sent is a very special thing, and smelling a perfume may recall you someone special... mind you, if you recall him 4564554 times a day (the number of times I smell "Eau Sauvage" or "J'adore" a day), it's no longer that romantic
III A free perfume is ALWAYS better than a ready-to-the-market one. Because a free expression (artistic, cultural) is always better than an ordered one.
So let's talk about it, and tell me which perfumes you like. I would like knowlegdable people to contribute, and I hope it would help people to "switch" and to be interested in those beauties.
Here are my picks
I° Serge Lutens
Do I need to say something? He has a cult following in France, and even in the US, despite the fact his fragrances aren't sold outside his unique shop in the Palais Royal (he has an export range, but I don't like them - except the few which belongs to the two collections). He's not really a nose since he works with Sheldrake or Roussel, but he's really involved in the process. And he's free, even if Shiseido helps him. His fragrances are mostly oriental, rich, woody, but not too present. All his perfumes are unisex. May I add that a great perfume is an unisex one? Something too feminine or masculine is something obvious, and something obvious is something bad.
Price is 100 EUR for 75ml
Iris Silver Mist
(Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido)
Probably the best scent on earth, at least to me. Rainy day, earthy vibes, delicate iris, sweet cedar and amber. Perfect. Pure beauty. "Drying white linen" says Lutens.
Un Lys
For a woman who likes spring, and white lilies... Be careful, it really has the "sematary" smell that the lilies have. Adorable.
And one I'm not fond of, but which is still very interesting: Muscs Koublaï Khän.
I HATE musc. A lot of my friends likes musc, because it smells like a body. I guess I don't like it because I only like the smell of a body which smells perfume... Anyway, MKK smells like, say, a worn boy's underwear or a bed which has hosted two lovers. Like it or hate it, but the smell is truly impressive.
II° Frederic Malle
I love the concept (publisher of perfumes - the nose signs on the bottle), but while Lutens is more sincere and mystic, Malle is intellectual and, perhaps, hyped too. Be careful, his perfumes are quite feminine/floral for a man... unlike Lutens, it can be found in the US
Price is 100 eur++ depending on the fragrance for 100ml
En Passant.
Made by the genious and oh-so-sweet Olivia Giacobetti, which used to be at the head of IUNX (they runned out of business, unfortunately...). Impresionism: a rain-drenched white lilac. A masterpiece. Oh and am I the only one who thinks that the name is so romantic?
Lys Mediterranée
you have guessed that I'm a Lily lover. Here is the EXACT perfume of the small white lily that you can find on the Riviera coasts. Plus the odour of the sea. Plus the drye odour of the warm sand. Proust effect, anyone?
Angéliques sous la pluie. Juniper tree under the rain. Yes, and it's damn addictive!
III° Annick Goutal:
I'm not fond of her, but her history is moving, and she has a lot of fans. Eau d'Hadrien comes to my mind (for a strong and determined woman), and Sables too (for a sweet and weak man)
Price is 80eur++ depending on the size of the perfume
IV° Maître Parfumeur et Gantier
Very french, very old school. I'm too young for it. But try it!
V°
Something very personal now... This is for the Beauty lovers, and not for the faint-hearted.
MDCI is "truly" confidential (no shops whatsoever, only made-to-order pieces). The bottles are <uite conventionnal (not for perfume, but in the artistic way) but really.... breathtakingly gorgeous. Not exactly cheap: 500 eur for the "biscuit" ones, several thousands for the crystal ones. Concerning the smell, I love them all (if you want you can order samples... not really expensive for the quantity) but that's for mature, clever, and starightforward woman and men.
(MDCI)
VI° Hermes Hermessence collection. This has been already discussed, i'll pass, since J-C Ellena is not "unknown". I love Vetiver Tonka, and Rose Ikebana.
VII° Chanel exclusives: I've not smelt the recent ones yet. Do tell me what do you think of it.
VIII° The Different Company. Made by J-C Ellena (Hermès in house perfumer) and his daughter. Nice scents, especially "Bois d'Iris" (conventional iris) and "Sels de Vetiver" (?). This company isn't THAT praiseworthy though...
And Now, the ones I don't like
*Comme des Garçons. Concept more interesting than the perfumes itselves? Bad. A car odour on a bottle? Wrong. Some are nice, though, but that's hype/experimentation, not perfume.
*Clive Christian: Waste of money. Don't think of it. It's even more vulgar than his house furnitures!
*Le Labo: based in NY. Totally overhyped and pretentious (we're only for the people who are in the known, we're the only one to use the essence from the scrotum of albino North-Korean female monkeys). Bergamotte is nice, but I'll pass. Try Malle instead if you like conceptual perfumes.
And now... the crème de la crème!
*Etat Libre d'Orange is a french UBER-hyped brand, which, of course, pretends to be unique and re-vo-lu-tio-na-ry!
-Jasmin and Cigarette. Smells like... jasmin and cold tobacco. Not for me, and not for you neither.
-Putain des palaces. A putain is a wh*re in french. It really smells like a wh*re (a bad movies' one - think films noirs). Do you really want to smell like a wh*re? I really don't.
-And.... Secretions Magnifiques!
(wonderful body fluids)
Smells - or pretend to do so - like sperm, sweat, spit, and blood. The most repulsive and un-sexy scent ever. Are you invited to a party with undelicate macho macho men? Try this one, I bet nobody will even talk to you. I don't get the "spit" scent, but I do smell the three other ones...
Oh and, by the way, I guess that if, one day, I want to smell like semen, I'll take the cheaper alternative...
Your turn now... any Lutens addicted? Any american who can tell me about Strange Invisible Perfume?
Being a perfume lover, I am a nose follower, not a brand one.
I truly don't like commercial perfumes, because
I) they have little respect toward the noses (a dior perfume is created after the bottle and the ad... and the nose is asked to do something...)
II) A sent is a very special thing, and smelling a perfume may recall you someone special... mind you, if you recall him 4564554 times a day (the number of times I smell "Eau Sauvage" or "J'adore" a day), it's no longer that romantic
III A free perfume is ALWAYS better than a ready-to-the-market one. Because a free expression (artistic, cultural) is always better than an ordered one.
So let's talk about it, and tell me which perfumes you like. I would like knowlegdable people to contribute, and I hope it would help people to "switch" and to be interested in those beauties.
Here are my picks
I° Serge Lutens
Do I need to say something? He has a cult following in France, and even in the US, despite the fact his fragrances aren't sold outside his unique shop in the Palais Royal (he has an export range, but I don't like them - except the few which belongs to the two collections). He's not really a nose since he works with Sheldrake or Roussel, but he's really involved in the process. And he's free, even if Shiseido helps him. His fragrances are mostly oriental, rich, woody, but not too present. All his perfumes are unisex. May I add that a great perfume is an unisex one? Something too feminine or masculine is something obvious, and something obvious is something bad.
Price is 100 EUR for 75ml
Iris Silver Mist
(Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido)
Probably the best scent on earth, at least to me. Rainy day, earthy vibes, delicate iris, sweet cedar and amber. Perfect. Pure beauty. "Drying white linen" says Lutens.
Un Lys
For a woman who likes spring, and white lilies... Be careful, it really has the "sematary" smell that the lilies have. Adorable.
And one I'm not fond of, but which is still very interesting: Muscs Koublaï Khän.
I HATE musc. A lot of my friends likes musc, because it smells like a body. I guess I don't like it because I only like the smell of a body which smells perfume... Anyway, MKK smells like, say, a worn boy's underwear or a bed which has hosted two lovers. Like it or hate it, but the smell is truly impressive.
II° Frederic Malle
I love the concept (publisher of perfumes - the nose signs on the bottle), but while Lutens is more sincere and mystic, Malle is intellectual and, perhaps, hyped too. Be careful, his perfumes are quite feminine/floral for a man... unlike Lutens, it can be found in the US
Price is 100 eur++ depending on the fragrance for 100ml
En Passant.
Made by the genious and oh-so-sweet Olivia Giacobetti, which used to be at the head of IUNX (they runned out of business, unfortunately...). Impresionism: a rain-drenched white lilac. A masterpiece. Oh and am I the only one who thinks that the name is so romantic?
Lys Mediterranée
you have guessed that I'm a Lily lover. Here is the EXACT perfume of the small white lily that you can find on the Riviera coasts. Plus the odour of the sea. Plus the drye odour of the warm sand. Proust effect, anyone?
Angéliques sous la pluie. Juniper tree under the rain. Yes, and it's damn addictive!
III° Annick Goutal:
I'm not fond of her, but her history is moving, and she has a lot of fans. Eau d'Hadrien comes to my mind (for a strong and determined woman), and Sables too (for a sweet and weak man)
Price is 80eur++ depending on the size of the perfume
IV° Maître Parfumeur et Gantier
Very french, very old school. I'm too young for it. But try it!
V°
Something very personal now... This is for the Beauty lovers, and not for the faint-hearted.
MDCI is "truly" confidential (no shops whatsoever, only made-to-order pieces). The bottles are <uite conventionnal (not for perfume, but in the artistic way) but really.... breathtakingly gorgeous. Not exactly cheap: 500 eur for the "biscuit" ones, several thousands for the crystal ones. Concerning the smell, I love them all (if you want you can order samples... not really expensive for the quantity) but that's for mature, clever, and starightforward woman and men.
(MDCI)
VI° Hermes Hermessence collection. This has been already discussed, i'll pass, since J-C Ellena is not "unknown". I love Vetiver Tonka, and Rose Ikebana.
VII° Chanel exclusives: I've not smelt the recent ones yet. Do tell me what do you think of it.
VIII° The Different Company. Made by J-C Ellena (Hermès in house perfumer) and his daughter. Nice scents, especially "Bois d'Iris" (conventional iris) and "Sels de Vetiver" (?). This company isn't THAT praiseworthy though...
And Now, the ones I don't like
*Comme des Garçons. Concept more interesting than the perfumes itselves? Bad. A car odour on a bottle? Wrong. Some are nice, though, but that's hype/experimentation, not perfume.
*Clive Christian: Waste of money. Don't think of it. It's even more vulgar than his house furnitures!
*Le Labo: based in NY. Totally overhyped and pretentious (we're only for the people who are in the known, we're the only one to use the essence from the scrotum of albino North-Korean female monkeys). Bergamotte is nice, but I'll pass. Try Malle instead if you like conceptual perfumes.
And now... the crème de la crème!
*Etat Libre d'Orange is a french UBER-hyped brand, which, of course, pretends to be unique and re-vo-lu-tio-na-ry!
-Jasmin and Cigarette. Smells like... jasmin and cold tobacco. Not for me, and not for you neither.
-Putain des palaces. A putain is a wh*re in french. It really smells like a wh*re (a bad movies' one - think films noirs). Do you really want to smell like a wh*re? I really don't.
-And.... Secretions Magnifiques!
(wonderful body fluids)
Smells - or pretend to do so - like sperm, sweat, spit, and blood. The most repulsive and un-sexy scent ever. Are you invited to a party with undelicate macho macho men? Try this one, I bet nobody will even talk to you. I don't get the "spit" scent, but I do smell the three other ones...
Oh and, by the way, I guess that if, one day, I want to smell like semen, I'll take the cheaper alternative...
Your turn now... any Lutens addicted? Any american who can tell me about Strange Invisible Perfume?
. 
! "Nose"'s perfume are always neutral when it comes to the gender of the wearer. A sweet, heavy oriental scent from Lutens will become sophisticated and sexy on a woman, mature, classy and mindblowing on a man. Ellena (Hermès in house perfumer) does everything unisex, even if some are labelled as men's or women's fragrances. Some beautiful women wear Bel ami or Equipage, some sophisticated men wear Calèche...
