...I have been...lost in a fantasia, roused only from my frenzied dream by immense heartbreak.

..."Run For It" by The Great Transparency:http://bit.ly/ZazjYM

...It does depend upon which parts of your personality you want to emphasize, and how you think you will connect with the other person. I could see myself rocking "Memoir Man", "Polo Explorer", or "Hugo" -- it all depends.

...Cryptic:I would put part of the blame on the aromachemical giants. In their capacity as members of the IFRA, they've been dispensing with wonderful natural components for years under the guise of eliminating allergens.Yes. Cryptic is right. In fact, I think those companies bear the most blame because they are able to feed the IFRA's desire for control and make money doing so. Still, they would not succeed without the perverse incentives that such regulatory organizations create.LTA, it does sound like you are bitter over the choices, whether ignorant or no, made by people who are not perfume connoisseurs. Even after reading long discourses on this topic, it seems that a lot of people are mad at company XYZ for doing something they don't like.I do have sympathy for those who feel like company X has betrayed them or has murdered their dreams; I think we all feel like that when we place our faith in something or someone imperfect and discover their imperfections. However, as long as I can obtain things I like, I really don't care what company X or Y does. Only when my choices dry up or start to dry up do I get concerned. It's a huge difference between "company X no longer makes ZZZ" and "no-one can produce ZZZ". And as much as I love my own opinion on what makes good perfume, I'd never put myself in the position of telling companies what they must produce. Neither should anyone else. Just send your money to those who make things you like. Economically, live and let live.

...The article only mentions it obliquely, but I bet that a lot of folks that lose their sense of smell lose it do to inhaling things, i.e. various illegal drugs.

...Dlane1953:What is happening with Guerlain is beyond shameful. I think the deterioration of the company began when the Guerlain family lost control of the business some years ago. I've sampled some of their newer offerings and they were all mediocre--and I'm being kind. (How many flankers of Shalimar does the world really need? We don't need more "dummying down" of once-great frags.)I haven't tried a single fragrance from this house, but as a total outsider, the endless Shalimar flankers have left a really bad taste in my mouth.

...Designer: DiorNiche: Slumberhouse, followed by a distant BPAL

...If by "expensive" you mean "classy", then I've never been able to nail down the notes, but it's something that CK Euphoria, Boucheron Pour Homme, and even Dirty English all have in common. It's not anything skanky or animalic as far as I can tell, but probably some floral/green accord. Specifically, the effect is one of wealth/discernment/luxury/class.

...Parfumo is a smaller community, and the coldness that others have spoken of is more a reflection of seriousness, than of lack of caring. Personally, that's totally ok with me. I'd rather have a more-serious discussion among fragrance nerds than the battle royale among the ignorant that Fragrantica is. I had no problem with Basenotes' atmosphere (high T levels were a welcome change), but I didn't like that my reviews had to be approved. That and the site's maintenance problems left me dissatisfied. I think new topics or games or other things are fine, as long as they were options. I would just hate for Parfumo to become frivolous.

...Cryptic:Is this where the creatively constipated support group meets? Hi, I brought donuts. Donuts. Mmmm. I like "creatively constipated". It's safer than "textually frustrated". Hah!

...I find that writing has a lot to do with believing that what you do matters and then having a love for what you're writing about. If you have those two, then the words will come. If you've lost one or both of those two, then writing is impossible. Writing is a creation, and like all created things serves a purpose. When its purpose has been achieved, you can feel "full", "burned out", or complete. Maybe your feelings capture that you've contributed all you can or want to?

...I was interested by the correlation between scent and mate-choosing. You mean people choose people who smell different than themselves? No kidding. And if scent amplifies or suppresses our body-generated MHC molecules, then one depressing conclusion you could draw is that people who have a wide variety of fragrances can't figure out what kind of mate they want or have a huge need to cover up their own very unattractive-to-the-opposite-sex smell. Note: I said could. I don't put much stock in that, but watch for lame fragrance companies (I'd expect French Connection UK to lead the charge) to start mixing in MHC molecules and claiming that they will improve your love life, make you Hercules, or whatever. Law of science #119: there is no discovery that cannot be misued! :)

...Wow. I never noticed this topic until Cryptic had posted to it. I'm a former Fragrantica user too. My experience is rather typical for me -- I never could figure out what proper etiquette was (rules were never enforced except when they were), so I just had fun. Too late, I found out that the admins didn't like fun. I also tried to help, volunteering in public, and in private multiple times, only to be ignored, and then personally attacked by an admin. After he threatened to ban me from the site, I went looking for other fragrance sites and found Parfumo. I rarely think about the site anymore -- too much angst involved.

...The first thing I appreciate is that the site is set up to build and reinforce bonds between community members. For instance: the "helpful" vote and the award feature in reviews. There is no "thumbs down". Also, when you do something, everyone gets to see it, which keeps you from feeling isolated when you are on the site. That also stresses equality as everyone's activities, from regular Joes to admins, are displayed. I also appreciate the fact that the rules are clear, are enforced, and that the atmosphere of the site (one of seriousness, but not severity) matches. I'm challenged to live up to that, but also, I feel like everyone is on the same page, so I'm not alone.All of this fuses together to nurture a respect for what the site is and where it's going, instead of fueling discontent.

...Flaconneur:This happens to me sometimes, Digindirt. I find that these perfumes usually have base notes that overpower weaker top notes and the balance of the ingredients are a bit flawed.I've noticed that this happens every so often to me, so I just wrote it off as one of those weird things that happens. Skin chemistry? Bad sample? Poorly-constructed fragrance? I have no idea.

...Cryptic:The winner gets $10,000, so next year I may mix up a niche fragrance in my basement and nominate myself.So are you taking requests? You do know there is a serious shortage of grief-stricken fragrances, right? :D

...Whew. I'm glad I don't look totally out of it or massively ignorant or some horrible combination of the two. :) I was wondering why I didn't see more of the usual suspects. Self-selection and a huge entry fee will definitely skew the results.

...Seems like a pretty obscure list. I wonder if a lot of the indie folks didn't make new scents in 2012 or just didn't get nominated or what.

...It's funny. Reading through this thread I've found that I agree with SL's aesthetic, but his creations do nothing for me, except for Fumurie Turque. And I would be all about chaotic, difficult scents, if only SL's stuff went that way for me. Usually they just fade away into nothing.

...CJScents.com (indie perfumer) has a 20% off sale -- code: happyholidays. Sale ends erm tonight (31st).~SF