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What are you testing today?

What are you testing today? 3 years ago

Hello everyone! One of my favorite aspects of the fragrance hobby is testing out new scents - I'm always trying to improve my sniffing skills and expand my fragrance palate. So, I'm creating this thread in hopes people will share their impressions here about what they are currently sampling. The good, the bad, and the ugly - I'd love to hear all your thoughts! 😃

To start if off:

Today, it's a breezy, cool Autumn day, and I'm sampling Amouage Sunshine Woman for the second time. I do find this scent enjoyable, as it reminds me of a niche, slightly more refined version of Jessica Simpson's Fancy Love. The blond tobacco, juniper, and osmanthus in this scent are particularly delicious to me. Projection seems light, which is OK, as it keeps the scent from being cloying. In my opinion, a man or a woman would smell great in this. I would definitely wear this if someone gifted it to me, but at $340 on the USD retail market, I won't be purchasing a bottle right now. Very lovely to sample though!

PS. I am new to the site, so forgive me if I make some glitches in posting here - I'm still getting the hang of everything. (I'd love to know how to insert small images of the perfume bottles themselves, the way I have seen in some other posts!)

3 years ago

Interesting, when I was testing Sunshine Woman, all I got was a weird synthetic blackcurrant

3 years ago
Tetracom

Interesting, when I was testing Sunshine Woman, all I got was a weird synthetic blackcurrant

Hallo, 😎

I usually don't like black currant all that much in fragrances, but it's not super dominant in Sunshine to my nose. It has that fruity, apricot-like osmanthus, white tobacco with creamy vanilla and some nice woodiness in the drydown on me. It also reminds me just a little of Kilian Good Girl Gone Bad, but Sunshine runs into a more gourmand territory, along with having better longevity and a little more oomph than GGGB. Maybe Sunshine smells a bit differently on each of us because we live in vastly different climates, too - who knows? 🙃

The longer I'm wearing it, the more it seems to be growing on me. Le sigh.

Editing to update: I ended up purchasing a bottle of Sunshine during the Black Friday deals. Hah.

Last edited by Darkmatt3r on 28.11.2020, 04:13; edited 1 time in total
3 years ago

I tested out Bitter Peach last night.

This opens as a honeyed peach-chouli cocktail with an underlying hint of skank to my nose. The patchouli is the slightly dirty, musky variety. There's something herbaceous, bitter, and almost black currant-like in the top and heart of this, which I couldn't figure out at first. I started scanning my brain for other fragrances I've tested and realized - duh, it's the davana oil note. I've smelled it in Blousy by Miller Harris and The Vagabond Prince's Enchanted Forest ; it's unmistakable in those two fragrances and here as well. Davana is what makes this peach bitter.

This was interesting to sample. I was expecting simplistic candied peach rings, but it's actually got a bit more mystery going than that. The drydown transitions into spiced, tangy peach on a bed of vanilla cream, lactonic sandalwood and hints of vetiver. There is a sensuality to it, in my opinion, and I'm not just saying that because it's Tom Ford. 😉 I would surely enjoy the sillage of Bitter Peach trailing off other people, but this is probably not one I would wear for pleasure myself.


3 years ago

Comme des Garçons Rouge

This scent is like wearing a glass of cold-pressed juice cleanse splashed onto my body. I might have to wash it off. ☆ 3 / 10

3 years ago
Darkmatt3r

I tested out Bitter Peach last night.

This opens as a honeyed peach-chouli cocktail with an underlying hint of skank to my nose. The patchouli is the slightly dirty, musky variety. There's something herbaceous, bitter, and almost black currant-like in the top and heart of this, which I couldn't figure out at first. I started scanning my brain for other fragrances I've tested and realized - duh, it's the davana oil note. I've smelled it in Blousy by Miller Harris and The Vagabond Prince's Enchanted Forest ; it's unmistakable in those two fragrances and here as well. Davana is what makes this peach bitter.

This was interesting to sample. I was expecting simplistic candied peach rings, but it's actually got a bit more mystery going than that. The drydown transitions into spiced, tangy peach on a bed of vanilla cream, lactonic sandalwood and hints of vetiver. There is a sensuality to it, in my opinion, and I'm not just saying that because it's Tom Ford. 😉 I would surely enjoy the sillage of Bitter Peach trailing off other people, but this is probably not one I would wear for pleasure myself.


Main question - is it worth the money?

3 years ago
Tetracom

Main question - is it worth the money?

If one is a lover of peach, davana/artemisia, & patchouli notes, then I think possibly so. For me, absolutely not. I don't even need a travel spray. I don't like peach in most fragrances, but if I was going to purchase one, it would be Parfums MDCI Péché Cardinal. I definitely think Bitter Peach is worth sampling though!

3 years ago
Darkmatt3r
Tetracom

Main question - is it worth the money?

If one is a lover of peach, davana/artemisia, & patchouli notes, then I think possibly so. For me, absolutely not. I don't even need a travel spray. I don't like peach in most fragrances, but if I was going to purchase one, it would be Parfums MDCI Péché Cardinal. I definitely think Bitter Peach is worth sampling though!

Oh, I found a place with MDCI in my city, I will test them soon! Btw, recently I tried Serge Lutens Fleurs d'Oranger and its SO GOOD. I didn't expect that, because I usually hate orange blossom, but this one is not sweet and is balanced with tuberose, and a overall result reminded my Dior Pure Poison a lot, just slightly creamier and heavier.

Also tried Pegasus Exclusif today - its very good, I would say even better than the original.

3 years ago

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Parfums MDCI! I'm thinking "Peche Cardinal" might be a little too simplistic and light for your taste, but we'll see. 🙂 It's like a fruity "Love Tuberose" to me.

"Fleurs d'Oranger" is a very good perfume. I should re-test it down the road. I sampled it in midsummer Southern heat and it felt a bit overpowering at the time, but still nice.

i can't wear Parfums de Marly scents; something in their base doesn't agree with me. Their scents do have some massive sillage & longevity though, I'll give them that!

3 years ago
Darkmatt3r

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Parfums MDCI! I'm thinking "Peche Cardinal" might be a little too simplistic and light for your taste, but we'll see. 🙂 It's like a fruity "Love Tuberose" to me.

"Fleurs d'Oranger" is a very good perfume. I should re-test it down the road. I sampled it in midsummer Southern heat and it felt a bit overpowering at the time, but still nice.

i can't wear Parfums de Marly scents; something in their base doesn't agree with me. Their scents do have some massive sillage & longevity though, I'll give them that!

I've tried only Invasion Barbare before, and was a bit underwhelmed.

I've testedLady Tubereuse and 17 Tubéreuse Couture, and they both a better in a drydown, but not in the opening (at least for me). 17TC is too similar to Fracas in the opening, and I don't like Fracas. It was nice to test them, but its not something that I would wear, I realized that I dislike white floral scents with particular type of sweetness, it bothers me a lot, and they all come off as very 'not me'.

3 years ago
Tetracom

I've tried only Invasion Barbare before, and was a bit underwhelmed.

I've testedLady Tubereuse and 17 Tubéreuse Couture, and they both a better in a drydown, but not in the opening (at least for me). 17TC is too similar to Fracas in the opening, and I don't like Fracas. It was nice to test them, but its not something that I would wear, I realized that I dislike white floral scents with particular type of sweetness, it bothers me a lot, and they all come off as very 'not me'.

I thought "Invasion Barbare" smelled like an affluent, older man with good taste.

Those tubereuse perfumes sound interesting; hopefully, I'll get to try them one day! Someone sent me a sample of "Fracas" in a swap a couple of years ago and I didn't like it at the time, smelled sort of old-fashioned to me. My taste in fragrances have shifted since then to include more floral scents, so I should re-test.

I was bored last night, so I ordered a bunch of samples from various places. "Petit Fracas" is on the list, so I'm probably most excited about trying it, as the notes list caught my eye. From the Piguet brand website: Flirtatious Petit opens with notes of fresh citrus and pear that lead to a vintage heart of tuberose and white flowers. Musk and sandalwood warm toward the scent’s finale just before a subtle burst of sinful chocolate lays down an irresistible surprise. 😍

3 years ago
Darkmatt3r
Tetracom

I've tried only Invasion Barbare before, and was a bit underwhelmed.

I've testedLady Tubereuse and 17 Tubéreuse Couture, and they both a better in a drydown, but not in the opening (at least for me). 17TC is too similar to Fracas in the opening, and I don't like Fracas. It was nice to test them, but its not something that I would wear, I realized that I dislike white floral scents with particular type of sweetness, it bothers me a lot, and they all come off as very 'not me'.

I thought "Invasion Barbare" smelled like an affluent, older man with good taste.

Those tubereuse perfumes sound interesting; hopefully, I'll get to try them one day! Someone sent me a sample of "Fracas" in a swap a couple of years ago and I didn't like it at the time, smelled sort of old-fashioned to me. My taste in fragrances have shifted since then to include more floral scents, so I should re-test.

I was bored last night, so I ordered a bunch of samples from various places. "Petit Fracas" is on the list, so I'm probably most excited about trying it, as the notes list caught my eye. From the Piguet brand website: Flirtatious Petit opens with notes of fresh citrus and pear that lead to a vintage heart of tuberose and white flowers. Musk and sandalwood warm toward the scent’s finale just before a subtle burst of sinful chocolate lays down an irresistible surprise. 😍

Yes it is, but Invasion Barbare, IMO, is boring AF. Like, its very well done, but has no spark in it. I quickly forgot it and didn't want to touch agin.

I have a sample of Petit Fracas that I want to try soon. Today I've tested Bois Mysterieux and La Religieuse

. The first one is a weird sparkling woody-leathery scent, which resembles heavy dark leather/oud/cumin fragrances. Unfortunately, its not a good substitute to excellent Dior Leather Oud. La Religieuse is divine simple slightly animalic jasmine. I just tend to like simple, 'boring', white floral fragrances, and I dislike complex or overtly sweet ones. La Religieuse is quite interesting because it really reminds me of Chanel No. 5, but without anything Chanel.

3 years ago
I sampled "Petit Fracas" the other day, but wasn't super impressed. It was just a watered down, vaguely fruity white floral with a faint hint of cocoa powder on me. 5 / 10 ☆

"Replica - Coffee Break" is one I'm testing out today. It reminds me so much of "Rochas Man" but a little more refined. It's nice enough, I would definitely enjoy smelling it on others. Projection seems light. 7.5 / 10 ☆

3 years ago

I'm testing out Perris Monte Carlo "Tubéreuse Absolue" today. This scent smells very natural & beautiful to me and is perfect for the 80°F/27°C sunny weather we are having today! ☀️ It reminds me quite a bit of "Carnal Flower" but much nicer, imho. I don't need a bottle, as I already own "Love Tuberose" and it's in a similar vein as well; Tubéreuse Absolue is less sweetened and has some fresher, green aspects. Very enjoyable to sample, 9 / 10 ☆

3 years ago

well today i ordered COCO perfume for my wife and cyberpunk for my son and a cat skull for my dad because he has a hobby of collecting different sorts of animal skulls so yea and also a dress for my mother and a pizzzzzzaaa for myself and ask me why i ordered these staff today cause today is the 1st new day of 2021 and happy new yearrrr🥰🥳🥳

3 years ago
Darkmatt3r

I'm testing out Perris Monte Carlo "Tubéreuse Absolue" today. This scent smells very natural & beautiful to me and is perfect for the 80°F/27°C sunny weather we are having today! ☀️ It reminds me quite a bit of "Carnal Flower" but much nicer, imho. I don't need a bottle, as I already own "Love Tuberose" and it's in a similar vein as well; Tubéreuse Absolue is less sweetened and has some fresher, green aspects. Very enjoyable to sample, 9 / 10 ☆

This is my favorite tuberose fragrance so far! I also like Carnal Flower less than this one, but I respect CF a lot Smile . What always amazes me is lavender and vetiver in PMC, they just fit there somehow, and make it very fresh.

I've tried new 4 Amouages recently: Enclave, Crimson Rocks, Meander and Ashore, and I would rate them this way:

Enclave 4/10 (greener version of Sauvage, done in Amouage way, with TONS of ambroxan), Ashore 6/10 (pedestrian jasmine), Meander 7/10 (fresh 'jungle' sandalwood, really nice, I would say that it should have been named Beach Hut Man, instead of Meander), Crimson Rock 8/10 (the best in the collection, reminded me cinnamon bombs like PdM Oajan or Hermes Ambre Narguile with an added thick fruity jammy rose on top. Magnificent and addictive)

3 years ago

Happy new year! 🥂

@ Skatedrew, thanks! You really can't go wrong with Chanel and pizza... 👍

@ Tetracom, I had Amouage "Ashore" on my test list for awhile until I saw someone compare it to Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers and knew for sure I didn't need that particular 90s scent recap in my life. I'll be sure to check out "Crimson Rocks" at some point as it does sound interesting!

I tried Jovoy "Remember Me" the other day and found it quite cozy - like wearing a warm chai tea latte. I don't think I could fully appreciate it in my subtropical climate as much though. Needed to be somewhere with a chill in the air, cozied up next to a fireplace. Smile I was surprised to find it having a somewhat similar vibe to Kilian's "I don't need a prince by my side to be a princess".

I'm all out of samples finally, and in the process of moving again in 3 weeks, so I'll probably be out of updates for awhile, unless I happen to stumble on some perfume when I'm out and about. Hope everyone has a very enjoyable start to 2021!

3 years ago

Testing Jacques Bogart Silver Scent on right hand, and silver scent intense on left. So far silver scent has the best performance

3 years ago
Darkmatt3r

Happy new year! 🥂

@ Skatedrew, thanks! You really can't go wrong with Chanel and pizza... 👍

@ Tetracom, I had Amouage "Ashore" on my test list for awhile until I saw someone compare it to Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers and knew for sure I didn't need that particular 90s scent recap in my life. I'll be sure to check out "Crimson Rocks" at some point as it does sound interesting!

I tried Jovoy "Remember Me" the other day and found it quite cozy - like wearing a warm chai tea latte. I don't think I could fully appreciate it in my subtropical climate as much though. Needed to be somewhere with a chill in the air, cozied up next to a fireplace. Smile I was surprised to find it having a somewhat similar vibe to Kilian's "I don't need a prince by my side to be a princess".

I'm all out of samples finally, and in the process of moving again in 3 weeks, so I'll probably be out of updates for awhile, unless I happen to stumble on some perfume when I'm out and about. Hope everyone has a very enjoyable start to 2021!

I've finally tested YSL Opium, just to compare it to Amouage Fate Woman, and I have to say, Opium is for sure my fav among those vintage powerhouses. It has this oldschool thing that if you dig your nose into it it smells completely different from sillage cloud. Fate Man and Women are more wearable for me, than Opium, but it is great. If I happen to come across partial/swap I would get Opium.

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