...Next up is Mysterious Oud... My initial impressions are that this one smells pleasant, but similar to compositions like Royal Oud by Creed real Oud seems to be missing, instead swapping in likely synthetic Oud, supported by peppery angelica and waxy iris with a bit of a jasmine-like floral undertone. Certainly easy to wear, but again not wowing me. Edit: There is a nice sandalwood in the dry-down that was a nice addition to the earlier development...I am beginning to think this house just is not to my taste... That said, I will soldier on through the rest of the samples with the hope I am wrong. I really *want* to find one I love, but alas, nothing so far.

...Up today is Chic et Bohème. This one early on is coming off as a super-sweet syrupy vanilla infused Ylang-ylang driven floral with mandarin orange support. The sweetness is *way* overdone and does not work well with the florals. I guess one can only hope the late dry-down improves because so far this one is a big miss.Update: Things improve considerably after the horrific open. The sweetness comes back down to earth, leaving an excellent Ylang-ylang heart accord. It is a real shame most (rightly) won't make it past the sugary floral open. Taunt pi!

...Thanks to Mia, I have the opportunity to sample most if not all the offerings from the Chaboud line. I will post quick initial thoughts in this thread as I sample one a day. Longer reviews will be posted in the reviews section.The first sample I have tried on skin is Eau Ambree. This one is a rather polished mildly spiced light slightly sweet and powdery amber and bergamot citrus combo composition. The composition is pretty linear with little projection and only decent longevity. I find it interesting that it is described as an Eau de Parfum, as I find it pretty weak, just above Eau de Cologne strength on my fragrance-friendly skin. All-in-all a nice lighter take on amber, but far from groundbreaking...

...Tried it on a tester strip in Las Vegas yesterday at their boutique. On paper it comes off as a slightly sweet chocolate hazelnut concoction with an iris-like silky smooth texture. Very refined, subtle and polished. I do get the comparisons to DH and DHI (two compositions that I dislike though respect) but strongly prefer the Valentino... At least on paper. I can't stand the gaudy bottle it comes in, but while this kind of style is not really my thing, I was impressed enough with the juice inside to definitely seek it out again later for a full skin test and possibly a purchase. Those that enjoy the style of DHI should absolutely get their nose on this one as it is a different composition completely, but has a similar vibe stylistically.

...Drseid:My favorite rose compositions are:(...)Une Rose by EdP Frederic Malle is a reference calibre rose soliflore...

...I'm afraid it was a big fail for me. I think it is a lazy composition that is quite boring. One that will never be in my collection.

...I can't say I am too excited at the Nagel news as I have not been a fan of her compositions. That said, maybe there is hope if some of Ellena's influence rubs off on her. As for Bel Ami Vetiver, I am particularly excited to smell that one... I am a little apprehensive after reading the vetiver used is sweet, similar to that of Vetiver Tonka (representing the rare occurrence of a vetiver composition I dislike). Still hopeful though...

...Best: Classical by Anat Fritz (though this is only an amazing re-work of Anat's original 2006 creation)Honorable Mention to the following as a four way tie for second:Bentley for Men Intense by Bentley (best value of the year)Ylang 49 by Le LaboAshoka by Neela VermierePeety by O'driu (I don't consider the fragrance weird at all, though I can understand the concept weirding folks out)Worst: Polo Red by Ralph Lauren (just a terrible release that fails on every level)Dishonorable Mentions to Millesime 1849 by Creed and Noontide Petals by TauerWeird: Montecristo by Masque (though weird in a good way)

...Most of the offerings from the house are at least good, and many exceptional -- Dia Man, for example, is one of my three favorite compositions overall. My personal top 5 from the house are: 1)Dia Man2)Tribute Attar3)Hommage Attar4)Jubilation XXV5)Lyric Man

...Drseid:While the whole SotD exclusion (and the Huddler site "partnership" in general) was a major mistake that I think BN regrets, I respectfully disagree...

...Apicius:I just had a brief look at BN. It seems they cut off the off topic section in their forum since they want to concentrate on perfume topics.Wrong decision!First, they move to Huddler without the Scent-of-the-day section. Then they re-install it. Then they move back to the old platform but then decide to cut off other functionality! Now, instead of welcoming the new "old" site format, people are complaining again!What are they doing over there?While the whole SotD exclusion (and the Huddler site "partnership" in general) was a major mistake that I think BN regrets, I respectfully disagree with the sentiment that eliminating the "Off-Topic" area was a further mistake.That area was a breeding ground for hate speech, seedy explicit pictures and other unmentionables in addition to the mundane one line comments about what someone was eating, etc... It added absolutely zero value to the site in my opinion and I would guess was occupying all the moderators' time to constantly remove the lewd photos and comments found there. I never posted in the Off-Topic area so maybe my comments come off as cold and detached, but I wont miss it one iota.

...Unfortunately, all the down time and site functionality glitches are back too.While I truly hope BN succeeds, I am happy and thankful to have Parfumo as a safe haven from all the BN functionality problems... :-)

...Ylang 49 is my favorite and the only one I own. That said, I was also highly impressed by Iris 39 that has some similarities and probably is by the same perfumer. Both are excellent, IMO.

...In my case I only list a fragrance in my collection if I own a full bottle. I list all my minis as minis and don't list any decants regardless of size or samples at all (just too many too keep track of).

...Drseid:Apicius:Bringing together the high quality content of BN plus the rock solid technical platform of Parfumo - that would have made a lot of sense. I...

...old friends (Drseid), hello new friends. I'm really enjoying this discussion. May I join in? I love this excerpt from Apicius' piece. It really struck a chord with me...

...Drseid:Bouzeos:Again, negative side- a good deal of snobs too. That includes the vintage trend snobbery. Interesting point of view of BN... I actually wish...

...Drseid:Apicius:Bringing together the high quality content of BN plus the rock solid technical platform of Parfumo - that would have made a lot of sense. I...

...Apicius:Bringing together the high quality content of BN plus the rock solid technical platform of Parfumo - that would have made a lot of sense. I guess it is too late (for the moment) ;-)The high quality content of BN was mainly from the past, IMO. Most of the posts nowadays are rather childish with many of the most knowledgeable users there having left the site (willingly or unwillingly). That said, there is a great archive of excellent material there, and a good review database as well with some talented current and past reviewers (of course I feel that way about the reviewers here too). I agree that if you combined the technical superiority of Parfumo with the older, helpful discussion group members and content of BN that would be ideal and quite desirable.

...Bouzeos:Waste of money on stale juices, this is what vintage snobbery is. You want so much to think that the juice still holds "the spirit of those times", but truth is, it doesn't, even if they are kept in ideal conditions, they get bad in few years.P.S. Yes, I do speak from experience, unfortunately. I had my ... quite big share of vintage acquisitions.Actually in my collecting experience I have rarely encountered this (and while I am showing my age a bit, I have been around long enough to know what many of them smelled like when they were originally released). Maybe I have just been lucky but I have a decent collection of vintage fragrances that have held up very well. Sometimes the top notes are not what they once were, but for the most part the composition is very much intact. Of course I have had a couple duds that indeed had gone off and those went into the rubbish bin tout suite, but those misses were few and far between. I wouldn't trade my vintages for their current releases and you can call that misguided snobbery if you want, but I rather think it is just choosing quality.With respect to it being unfair to compare current compositions to their vintage counterparts... Why not? It is certainly true that some materials can't be acquired or can't be used due to regulations and that has altered the fragrance profile of the composition... That is the point, however. I am not blaming manufacturers for honoring IFRA regulations or not using materials that are no longer available, etc., but as long as they want to use the same name of a given classic, it is fair game to compare the original release with the current, IMO... I will even go further in saying one should.