...Yes, Dianne and Cincy, thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I love fragrance in all its myriad forms but especially when it makes someone feel happy or beautiful, or in love, or gloomy. I love that the local wine shop was burning a fig candle in a hurricane lamp. I know I bought the wine because the shop smelled so good. Suckered!

...Omni, you hit the nail on the head. Fragrance is all about how it plays out on the individual. Some that have been praised to the skies smell cheap and...

...well said Omni....

...By the time I write a review I own the perfume; I do not write a review based on a paper strip or on perfume counter spritzes. At point of sale I have probably read everything there is to read on the fragrance. This is, largely, because I live in an isolated part of the world and can not take advantage of splits, swaps or decants from other enthusiasts. I do, however, have a daughter/daughters in law who allow me to borrow and return their perfumes. I am always interested in the backstory of a perfume or the human response to perfume in a review. I am less interested in the notes, which can be obtained easily and are usually repeated in review after review. I want to know if you wore 'Joy' to a funeral or 'Let it Rock' to a wedding and what haunts you or makes you sing 'We are the Champions'. I want to know if you smell B Odour in Mauboussin or Burnt rubber in L'Heure Bleu, because that is not described in the actual perfume release notes. Oh no. Awards, ticks and helpfuls are juvenile, in my opinion, and as subjective as each individual. Being a resident under the Long White Cloud I will never benefit from samples or points. What I want is a piece of someone's soul, which, when all said and done, is why we wear the stuff. Am I quixotic? Often, but not always.

...and Omni, thanks so much for your suggestions. Re the Terre d"Hermes: I had a sample of Montale Red Vetiver, which I believe is very similar, but my husband...

...Omni:Triffid, you are a lovely mum. My middle son smells wonderful in Porsche Essence and guys who are getting into fragrance are sometimes reassured by...

...Triffid, you are a lovely mum. My middle son smells wonderful in Porsche Essence and guys who are getting into fragrance are sometimes reassured by the car thing. I know it's ubiquitous but Terre D'Hermes is just so gorgeous. Quasar by Jesus del Pozo is a lovely starter fragrance also.

...Omni:Big fan of Iris 39. Was on holiday in San Francisco. Spent some time at their Fillmore St shop. Caught a bus wearing Iris 39, which didn't wow me at...

...Try Declaration by Cartier or Azzaro Pour Homme. I hope you find something more suitable than the weak and musky Bulgari, a fragrance that did not find favour in this household, by him, or her.

...Omni:I was given two generous samples by a SA at Nieman Marcus, one of these was Champaca Absolute and the other was Arabian Wood. The SA told me that her...

...Scarletting:Jesus Del Pozo's "In Black" is a dark, heavy cherry booze with licorice. Perfect for autumn evenings.Indeed it is. My daughter stole it from me. It's a great suggestion.

...I entered a specialty wine shop and was struck by the obvious cellar smell, but they were also burning a fig type candle and there was a large flower arrangement on a central table. Quite delicious.

...Cabaret by Gres and Ambre Dore by MPG

...Un...exceptional. I played with the Fragrancenet sample for a couple of days. I live at the bottom of the world and never get jaded by samples.

...Bal a Versailles parfum

...I have to sell something to get one of these. I am looking at all my furniture and wondering what I can do without.

...Big fan of Iris 39. Was on holiday in San Francisco. Spent some time at their Fillmore St shop. Caught a bus wearing Iris 39, which didn't wow me at the outset, but I fell in love with it as it developed.

...Dior Homme, Eau Savage and Iris Bleu Gris by MPG easy peasy. Terre D'Hermes is often stolen. Have worn Pi when husband tired of it and Rochas Man.

...Apicius:In 1997, I had my first job as a lawyer. I had to leave my home town for it, and I was living alone in a remote place in East Germany.It was winter, we had extreme cold, and the plain landscape was covered with snow and ice. I felt both lost and thrilled by my new experiences at the same time. At the weekends, I used to drive to the next bigger town which was about 45 minutes by car. Once, I noticed a bird of prey right next to the country road. It was a buzzard or a red kite, and he had hit a rabbit and was now sitting on his prey, his claws driven deep into the flesh in order to defend it against the car traffic. He kept sitting there for days!Somehow, this bird reflected my own situation and my mood. The plain and empty winter landscape, the snow and the cold, the icy starry nights and this bird of prey are now linked in my mind with the ozonic touch of Jesus del Pozo's "Quasar" which I happened to wear at that time. Quasar is a respectable and recommendable aquatic which most people would probably regard as a summer fragrance. For me, however, it is winter only!

...In the late sixties, Auckland, New Zealand, my Mother worked as a housemaid in an International Hotel. Occasionally guests would leave bottles because they were almost empty or occasionally they would be forgotten. There was no way of reuniting a checked out guest who was in the air by the time the cleaners came in and these perfumes were our roadkill. I was about thirteen, the only daughter in a family that struggled financially and yet I had the perfume collection of an aristocrat. It's called champagne tastes on a beer budget. And so began my love for Chanel, Ma Griffe, Shocking, Joy, and Weil de Weil to name a few. P. S. As we all know the dregs of a perfume bottle can still last quite a long time. I couldn't pronounce some of the names and today I cringe at the thought...Je Reviens for example