...Oh my, I had to stop in and say that many of the Lutens things work just fine for me. One certainly hears about things not working with certain people's chemistry, and I think that really must be the case.Plus, I think it's fair to say that not only may people's skin chemistry be different, but people's noses probably work differently too. So there could be two separate "chemistry" factors at work when it comes to people's perceptions of things. Someone could smell something that you think is horrible, and smell it off of your own skin, and think it still smells fine.Having said that, Lutens things certainly do seem designed to be "distinctive", which could be a part of this too. As a relative newbie, without a lot of preconceptions, I tend to like them myself, perhaps for the very things that Sheldrake brings to them. In time I may decide that they are a bit over-the-top, but for now they seem fascinating and not at all offensive to me.

...I'm trying to track down a bottle of Fumerie Turque. As we move into Summer...well, who would want to buy this thing for summer ? And yet the bottles on e-bay continue to go for high prices.It makes me cranky to think they are still merrily selling this stuff in France, but no longer sending it here to the States. Lutens likes to toy with people, and create a false sense of rarity when they do things like this, it would seem. As soon as I pay a small fortune for some, it will suddenly be back as part of their export line, I fear. My connection at The Perfume House in Portland tells me it's the same story with Borneo 1834 - They simply can't get it anymore. Not like either of these weren't big sellers or anything.

...I do a lot of ornamental horticulture, so as a flower grower, I enjoy a lot of the sweet/floral fragrances. If I had a girlfriend who would wear them, then I'd be happy to get my fill of them that way. But since I don't, if I want to smell them, I have to wear them myself. Granted they may not be my first choice when I go out on the town, but I'm not adverse to wearing them at home for my own enjoyment. Plus so much work has gone into producing fragrances like these over the years, so as someone with an interest in scent, why should I cut myself off from them ?