...Scarletting:For "Crave" by CK you have to squeeze a rubbery indent on the plastic jacket/container, which puts pressure on a plastic strip which then presses down on the nozzle. It's cute the first few times you use it, but the novelty wears off pretty fast. I made the mistake of putting mine in my gym bag... the mechanism disconnected inside the plastic container and I had to prise the whole thing open and use it as a splash from then on.I read the sentence, "I made the mistake of putting mine in my gym bag...", and thought the story was headed for a different, more fragrant ending. :o My wife loves the old fashioned bulb atomizers. Of course, they were, at one time, a necessity for spraying but now it's more about nostalgia for the glamour and elegance of the past. I just like that companies take the time to think about the tactile and visual aesthetics of their products. However, if it's poorly designed then what's the point, right?

...In another thread Epimedes commented about how much he liked the mechanical cap employed on the bottle of Guerlain's "Coriolan". It reminded me of how much I enjoy using the periscoping sprayer on "Terre d'Hermès " or the rotating cover on "Voyage d'Hermès". There must be many other perfume bottles out there that utilize a mechanical feature as part of their design (?)

...Epimedes:One reason I think 'old' Coriolan may be worth having is its unique flacon. Brass-plated strips holding the curvy bottle and the cap that you flick to open with your thumb, a very pleasing and beautiful design for a masculine perfume.I like bottles with some sort of mechanism. The periscoping sprayer on Terre d'Hermes or the rotating cover on Voyage d'Hermes. Epimedes, I'm going to use your idea for a new thread...

...Sorceress:I find hand sanitizer gels work really well for especially stinky perfumes. Two really good applications followed by a good soapy wash always gets rid of the worst offenders.Sorceress, ever since I read your post I've been using hand sanitizer and it seems to work quite well. By comparison when I've used straight alcohol it never seemed to work as well as the hand sanitizer. That makes me wonder if hand sanitizers generally contain a deodorizer which helps eliminate or mask the smell?

...Aside from wearing Jicky on occasion I've never really explored the Guerlain line. No particular reason, just so much perfume so little time. Anyway, I'm making up for lost time. I've been trying L'Âme d'un Héros (beautiful!) which is apparently the re-issue for Coriolan. Even though Coriolan has been discontinued for quite a while it's still available "new" from the original stocks at very reasonable prices. However, in reading about Coriolan I've come across a few reviews claiming that these old/new bottles have not held up well in terms of maintaining their potency. Urban myth or has anybody else had first hand experience with original Coriolan becoming, ahem, impotent? Should I go ahead and snag a bottle or should I put those pennies in the piggy bank for a bottle of L'Âme d'un Héros?

...Apicius:Congratulations and a big Thank You to all who posted reviews here at Parfumo!Congratulations and thank you to you and Don for such wonderful work!

...Chamade Homme by Guerlain

...Last year when the crew at That Stinks sent email letters to houses large and small we received a variety of responses. For liability protection many said something to the effect: "we follow the law and are concerned about the health and safety of our customers" or, the most depressingly blunt, "we don't get involved in politics."Chanel sent this response:"Thank you for taking the time to contact Chanel. Each perfume composition is a highly complex formulation that can contain between 30 and 50, and sometimes even up to 200, perfume ingredients. Chanel complies with international legislation, which requires listing the term fragrance (perfume) on the packaging label. In addition, the presences of 26 substances with a high allergy risk are clearly stated on the packaging. The purpose is to allow consumers who know they are allergic to one or more of these substances to make an informed choice of product. These substances may be natural or synthetic in origin."Frederic Malle replied with the most defiant, yet heartening, response: "We're also mobilized against this bill together with other major brands of perfumes according to the principle "unity is strength". Unfortunately the overall rate of response was about 50% and not one response included any encouragement to act much less information of gov't entities to contact.

...Mia, Cryptic, you two have done a wonderful job on this! I know That Stinks hasn't seen much activity lately but perhaps some of this material and the links could be posted there? Anything I can do? Sorry to be MIA for such long periods but for the past couple of months my work life has been impinging on personal life and vice versa. Sometimes I come to Parfumo just to wander aimlessly and escape for a while...

...Apicius, as I wrote about Quest I thought about Neil Morris in relation to the great American composer, and as it happens, fellow New Englander, Charles Ives. I'll try to give you an idea of Ives' music and I think you'll see why I can't help but think of Morris in relation to Ives. Charles Ives (1874-1954) was the first American composer to create works that were unmistakably and uncompromisingly American. Even though his music is rooted in the European classical tradition, he used American popular and traditional music woven together into complex, sometimes intuitive structures and experimental forms. At its best, Ives' music represents some of the greatest works of the 20th century. He was a master of using dissonance in haunting and breathtakingly beautiful ways. His piece, Three Places in New England (especially the third movement, "The Housatonic at Stockbridge") is a great example. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ4ABTDmSiUBut not all of his works are so successful. I find some of his pieces are so dense and cacophonous that the character meant to be conveyed is lost in the noise and complexity. I always think of Gong on the Hook and Ladder this way... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmhZSsasdMkHow in the world does all that relate to Neil Morris? I often have the impression that he develops his creations with an intuitive sensibility rather than beginning with, say, a traditional form (chypre, fougere, etc) that might be suited to a particular outcome and then developing a fragrance within that framework. Of course, I don't know a thing about Mr. Morris' creative process nor am I criticizing his artistry. I'm simply trying to understand his art and I sense an intuitively individual approach that is as American as the work of early New England craftsmen and artistisans all the way to the work of Jackson Pollack and John Cage. An intuitive approach can yield a completely original way of seeing an art form or it can result in a rather muddled outcome because the artist was searching for... something. On the other hand, the discipline of using a tried and true form (like a Chypre) has its own positves and negatives. A standard form offers an artist of creative vision a framework to develop unique ideas that an audience can grasp because they understand the mechanism of the form. The pitfall is that a standard form can also become a trap for cliche ideas and commercial dreck. Unfortunately, in the world of fragrance it seems the cliche is financially a safe bet and that's why most new perfumes introduced to the market are nothing more than retread stereotypes. Thankfully, Neil Morris' unique, baroque creations, whether you like them or not, will never be thought of as just another stereotype of a well worn form. Long live artists with the courage and vision of Neil Morris!Geez, sorry to prattle on...

...Cryptic:Psst... you forgot the wine! :wink:Did y'all drink that whole bottle of Cryptic that Dig brought to the thread?Cincy, you forgot your glasses at my house again…

...Cincy:We could wrap the marshmallows in bacon. :roll:This is a favorite. Although it never occurred to me to try it on a s'more...

...A wonderful book of essays, poetry, and literary excerpts...

...How 'bout roasted marshmallow bunny peeps? We've got to find some way to control the artificial rabbit population :wink:

...Dulce, meet Andrew.Dang, Cryptic, that just about went all "Crying Game" on us! :shock: :wink:

...I regularly fall out of love with fragrances. You'd think I'd learn my lesson because I always fall for the same olfactory characters that end up treatin' me bad. For instance, those that have a sharp leather/birch tar aspect like Tom Ford "Tuscan Leather". I love hefty leathers - "Bandit" is another one- but over time I find they overwhelm my senses. Another note/accord that tends to be love at first sniff and a nasty break up a few months down the road is sandalwood. Especially if it's a fairly sharp sandalwood, like Art of Shaving "Sandalwood Essential Oil" . It can overwhelm me after while. Gee, and I wrote such a nice review of SEO. It really is a great sandalwood fragrance, I'm just not sure it's right for me anymore. I've moved on...

...MiaVonTrost:"46°N 08°E" (Alps) reminded me of fir forest, earthy and resinous, and forest honey. Very well done, imho, and I will re-sample this one for sure. "44°N 03°E" is another fragrance from the collection I would love to try. The whole collection sounds fascinating, Mia! Cool!

...From the first time I read about Juniper Ridge Colognes I've been interested in giving one of their fragrances a try. The underlying principle of the house is that they distill essences for their colognes from plants found in the back country of the western US. Yeah, I'm a sucker for advertising. The idea of fragrances created directly from the smells I love best overwhelms my susceptible little brain with optimistic fantasies of finding the perfect scent.This morning I was about to pull the trigger and place an order. But before I did, I decided to read a review on Now Smell This:http://www.nstperfume.com/2013/10/23/juniper-ridge-caruthers-canyon-and-siskiyou-backpackers-colognes-fragrance-reviews/Not very a flattering review of the line or the Neanderthal views of perfumery put forth by the CEO Hall Newbegin. Anyway, has anyone had a more positive experience with Juniper Ridge colognes? I'm still holding out hope :shock:

...MiaVonTrost:"46°N 08°E" (Alps) reminded me of fir forest, earthy and resinous, and forest honey. Very well done, imho, and I will re-sample this one for sure. Oh yes, I really want to sample this!

...Flavorite:I have 'a thing' going on with the Diptyque Representative at my local Nordstrom (Department Store). I appreciate his sense of metrostyle and daring in wearing even Volutes smells fine on him (considered heady creamy and femme). Also he abruptly poured out his life story which was not all fragrance and smiley faces, but bore many similarities to my own journey coincidently...instant rapport! When I told him I was moving he whipped out his card and said "Call Me if you need anything- even if I don't get the commission- I will have it sent directly to your house free of charge." Me Likey!Flavorite, my wife and I have developed a similar relationship with our Diptyque rep. During a release bash last year one of the Diptyque execs visited and our rep set up a personal meeting for us with him. She calls us every so often and while it is, of course, a bit of a sales call, it's also personal and friendly. We've never had a sales relationship like this in any other retail venue. It's very pleasant.BTW, Volutes is a great amber for men; one of my favorites :D