...The only Q4 2012 release that wowed me was Tzora by Anat Fritz.In addition to Q4, I believe LiquidNight by A Lab On Fire was released in September and I love that one.

...Apicius:Drseid:Great discussion. Come to think of it I do have samples of the two Crown scents in question and both of them were very rough around the edges as well when I sniffed them (and in truth neither appealed to me but for different reasons than English Fern). That said, while it has been a few years since I sniffed those two samples, they seemed to have a lot more of the fern than I got with "English Fern" and none of the geranium that was all over the place (in my opinion) with the Penhaligon's. Sartorial was a much smoother release that was a lot easier to wear than either of the Crowns, for example. A sample of Fougere Royale is on the way to me that should arrive this week, so it will be interesting to see how English Fern compares to that one as many consider FR a (or even *the*) reference fougere...The modern Fougère Royale can hardly be seen as a Fougère reference, rather as a reference for hiding away the rough side of Fougère. BTW one of the Crowns made me spend a day in hospital - due to an allergic reaction.Sure enough, the modern version of Fougère Royale arrived, and while my first impression on paper is I'll love it, it is definitely different from what I expected (and very much along the lines of what you describe). I have now ordered a sample of the vintage Fougère Royale for comparison, and should have it in a week or two. I am looking forward to sniff what it really smelled like years ago and will do a dual review of the two in the coming month with side-by-side comparisons.

...Hi,My name is Dave and I live near Washington, DC in the US. When not spending all my hard earned money (and then some) on way too many high-end fragrances for my collection, I am spending anything left or maxing out my credit cards on my other ridiculously expensive passion, high-end audio (as my avatar exhibits both).As far as my fragrance preferences go, I love good old fashioned vintage powerhouses, preferably loaded with oakmoss. I also have a bent for spicy and cedarwood focused compositions of all shapes, sizes and prices to my bank account's chagrin.Compositions I tend to dislike are ones featuring heavy doses of orange flower, cumin, civet and/or celery seed.

...Happy Birthday and congratulations to the entire site team indeed! As a newcomer here, it has really been quite the eye opener with respect to the entire positive experience from the technology to (and most importantly) the people (posters and admins alike) versus competing sites. A very impressive first year to be sure, and I look forward to whatever small contribution I can make to further the success of the community in the next year on.

...Great discussion. Come to think of it I do have samples of the two Crown scents in question and both of them were very rough around the edges as well when I sniffed them (and in truth neither appealed to me but for different reasons than English Fern). That said, while it has been a few years since I sniffed those two samples, they seemed to have a lot more of the fern than I got with "English Fern" and none of the geranium that was all over the place (in my opinion) with the Penhaligon's. Sartorial was a much smoother release that was a lot easier to wear than either of the Crowns, for example. A sample of Fougere Royale is on the way to me that should arrive this week, so it will be interesting to see how English Fern compares to that one as many consider FR a (or even *the*) reference fougere...

...I, like many others saw a post about the site on Basenotes.

...For me if it has notes that interest me any scent is fair game whether it be relatively expensive or inexpensive. I would have never found some of my favorites if I excluded über-niche houses.That said, even though I have sniffed many scents that cost what most would consider insane money, it is rare that I find one I would be willing to part with mine. Clive Christian is a good example of a house that just is skimming profits off customers with high disposable incomes big time, IMO... I love and bought a bottle of X for Men, but I was unimpressed with the rest of their line and find every one of them (X for Men included) to be way over priced, giving the illusion of using more expensive materials with no real artisanal feel, limited release or customer collaboration.At least with some very small artisanal houses like O'driù you are paying similar sums, but they are for scents that have limited runs of 1 to 200 pieces, while getting to deal with a very small house that actually listens to your feedback and uses it to cater and tweak its future releases, etc. That's the kind of a house that I don't mind supporting and happily do.

...Patou pour Homme or Tiffany for Men

...So tough to pick just one from either category... Designer: For quantity of scents I enjoy - Hermes or Jean Patou (vintage)For quality of scents within the line - Anat Fritz and Jean Patou (vintage)Niche:For quantity of scents I enjoy - EdP Frederic Malle or M. Micallef or O'driu (tossup)For quality of scents I enjoy - EdP Frederic Malle and O'driu and Mona di Orio (tossup)

...December full bottle purchases...Tzora by Anat FritzAnat Fritz by Anat FritzDavidoff (original) by DavidoffFrank by Frank Los Angeles (bad blind buy)Linfedele Haiku by O'driuBois d'Ascese by Naomi GoodsirGrey Flannel by Geoffrey Beene

...Just saw this today... I guess by my avatar you could indeed say my other love is high-end audio. The picture is of one of my favorite fragrances (Linfedele Haiku) on top of my main rig's Consonance Droplet CD player. As expensive as fragrance collecting can be, being an audiophile is a bank account emptying proposition. :-)

...Here is a short loved one from the past that most may not have seen, but was unbelievably impressive...Profit starring Adrien Pasdar. That was my favorite "evil" machiavellian character of all time on TV.

...I don't know it will exactly be my next one as I can't be sure when in early 2013 it will be released, but having sampled it this month Secraction by O'driù definitely tops my wish list for 2013 and is a definite buy when available... Maestrale by Profumi di Pantelleria will most likely be my first though as I wait for the O'driù.

...I have already taken the challenge with the men's version, and can safely say the only thing "exceptional" about it was how bland and "unexceptional" it smelled. Terrible stuff, IMO.

...If we are talking about only fragrances released in 2012, then these are my Top 5 new releases of 2012 of all the ones I tried...1)Tzora by Anat Fritz2)Turtle Vetiver Front by LesNez3)Linfedele Haiku by O'driù 4)Supercilium by O'driù 5)JMT by O'driù Honorable mentions to Lauhrum by O'driu and LiquidNight by A Lab On Fire that just got edged out...Needless to say, I think it was another blockbuster year for Angelo Orazio Pregoni and O'driù.

...Speaking as a newcomer, I must say I have been very impressed with the quality of the reviews I have read from many of the folks who have posted on this thread and others. The multitude of review options and the ability to exchange feedback on a given review is particularly helpful and appreciated (both as a review writer and as a reader). My guess is over time people will start to gravitate to the site for reviews as you can just do so much more here than elsewhere, IMO.That said, I would love it if the discussion boards picked up a lot... I enjoy writing and reading reviews, but I love to discuss fragrances in general, and the board is the best place for it, IMO. Hopefully as traffic increases to the site, so will board participation...

...Apicius:Drseid:Wow, my first time patrolling the forums here and look what I find, an albeit old thread, but a thread indeed on my favorite from Micallef, Yellow Sea. I always thought this one never got the attention it deserved. Quite the classy scent that has a somewhat similar vibe to scents like Dia Man from Amouage (another favorite). I am happy to own a bottle already, but if anyone finds excess stock or a sample, I strongly recommend getting a sniff if at all possible because Yellow Sea is Micallef at her best, IMO.And don't miss the others of the Sea series:Black see: a dry amber with a discreet appealWhite Sea: a light and elegant herbal patchouli reminiscent of the vintage Givenchy GentlemanRed Sea: Orange blossom and rose blend into a red berry style perfume, spiced up with something dirty (cumin?)Agree. I own White Sea, along with Yellow Sea and love that one too. Black Sea was a very nice scent that I could not quite bring myself to purchase, but certainly can appreciate. Red Sea is my nemesis with the Seas collection due to that dirty cumin note you mentioned that I have a real aversion to. That ruined it for me, but the others in the collection are all great, IMO.

...Wow, my first time patrolling the forums here and look what I find, an albeit old thread, but a thread indeed on my favorite from Micallef, Yellow Sea. I always thought this one never got the attention it deserved. Quite the classy scent that has a somewhat similar vibe to scents like Dia Man from Amouage (another favorite). I am happy to own a bottle already, but if anyone finds excess stock or a sample, I strongly recommend getting a sniff if at all possible because Yellow Sea is Micallef at her best, IMO.

...My current Top 10 (+1)1)Portrait of a Lady (EdP Frédéric Malle)- very wearable by Men2)Giorgio for Men vintage/VIP for Men (Giorgio Beverly Hills)3)Dia Man vintage edt (Amouage)4)Les Nombres d'Or Vetyver (Mona di Orio) - tie4)Lalfeorosa (O'driù) - tie6)Tzora by Anat Fritz7)Turtle Vetiver Front (LesNez) - tie7)Patou pour Homme Privé (Jean Patou) - tie9)X for Men (Clive Christian) - tie9)Monsieur de Givenchy vintage (Givenchy) - tie9)Linfedele Haiku (O'driù) - tieI tend to generally dislike sweet and powdery scents. I love powerhouse scents primarily (despite only a couple being in my Top 10).