...Krmarich:Hey gang, my blood pressure is still up over this!As it stands, nothing on the market is as it was in 2000. Even Chanel no 5 is radically different...

...Commercially, nothing has tempted me. I cannot wear synthetic petrochemicals that are like locusts eating the market.

...i have the original bottle from the 1960s and it is a classic. Wonderful dusty hazy florals-violet-jasmine-rose and narcissus. I had a deja-vu with it and have never encountered it before. Its in a black splash that looks like a saki bottle. I have no experience with the current reformulation. I hear it was rejected in Japan, hence the original is still on the market in very limited supply.Good luck!

...YSL Paris in its original formula was based on Apres L'Ondee. If you dont mind the Giant damask rose over the entire composition.

...Anything produced after 2010. Nihilistic, greedy and spiralling down.

...of food for thought, Krmarich. Weren't those old department stores wonderful? We didn't have the ones that you mentioned, but Bonwit Teller, Nan Duskin and Wanamaker's were...

...One of the biggest problems is the human factor. the noses are removed. Algorithyms are being used to predict success based on sales. It being done everywhere from Wall Street, Hollywood to your favorite restaurant menu. Where is the latest Sophia Grojsman or Jacques Cavallier? They are expensive and obsolete by todays mechanical standards.

...Here are a few guerrilla tactics that can shake up rude sales girls at Macys or Sephora trying to push Lady Gagas latest swill.Ask them if the they have any orignal bottle of Coco in stock? If so, is it in the original formula? They will insist it is the same and try to push it on you. Demand they open the box as opposed to the original tester. They wont unless you buy it with no returns on opened purchases. I did this at the Estee Lauder counter. Clinique had just reformulated Aromatics Elixer in 2010. The tester was original. The box I purchased was not. I opened it in front of the shaken clerk, who pretended she couldnt tell a difference. I demanded she get her manager who after a dreadful confrontation(making her smell both formulas that she pretended she disliked both, yes it was ugly, shouting across the department), threatened to have me removed from the store. I demanded her manager, who apologized and gave me a refund and a toll free # to complain to Clinique. The whole ordeal lasted about 3 hours and I left with some satisfaction. Ultimately Aromatic Elixer is gone forever, so far. There is always a bigger fish. We the consumer are the Great White variety. Yes, call your favorite house and ask why the formula is changed. They will deny it in most cases. L"oreal Paris is the worse. Ask to speak to someone higher up. In some cases they are helpful, explaining allegy concerns. Tell them this is unacceptable. Make sure you let them know you will no longer purchase the product.Some tips, with lots of laughter from the from line!

...Hey gang, my blood pressure is still up over this!As it stands, nothing on the market is as it was in 2000. Even Chanel no 5 is radically different. Why ban it when its expensive imposter is still flying off of the shelves? Chanel is its own entity like LVMH or Coty. Its ruthless, conservative and poses as Coco, who would fire the entire Mickey Mouse operation! I started a thread on that "other site" (Chanel is a major sponsor there and is rather intolerant of critics) about its corruption and it was quick yanked. I am so glad I found a place to vent. It looks as if the IFRA has been successful with its goal. Its tentacles have reached US shores. Just look at EA fragrances. Or the disgraceful Five Star Frgrance... If it is a conspiracy posed by the EU, what is its ultimate goal? I only see ruthless US conglomerates(Proctor and Gamble, l'Oreal, Coty et al) destroying the European heritages. Globalization is a failure in this sense. You can build the world biggest mall in every city around the world, yet if there is nothing to sell, who cares?! What, no book, record or perfume shops? Its so difficult to get imported cheese and wine anymore. Music is dead(Justin Bieber, really?). Hollywood is faltering. The publishing industry has been reduced to Twilight. Trite reality shows dominate television. It is a global cultural crisis that shows no sign of ending. And no, we cant blame the internet. Its the last source of sanity. The merger of Federated Department stores in the US started the perfume mess as Macys became the only major anchor store domestically. Supply and demand was all that mattered. Quality is out of fashion. Even the clothes are cheap and ugly. Saks has even become estranged, yet still very expensive. Sephora is a joke with its perfume of the week. Call me old fashioned, yet Marshall Fields, The May Company et al were the best and foremost way to experience the classics. We cannot go back, but we the consumer need to dig in our heels and say enough is enough!!!

...The IFRA is an entity that has raised my blood pressure on several not so wise decisions, beginning with oakmoss and vetiver being dangerous. Why not patcholi? I have had oakmoss on my skin in one form or another since 1977. Imagine banning rose because it is "dangerous". The ultimate shocker was banning Guerlain's Mahora because it was too provacative. Ultimately, they will self destruct. Once the masses wise up to the synthetic rose water on the market with high pricetags, sales will decline and eventually they will stop. The final blitz is expected next year with a ban on all natural ingredients. What will they micromanage then? The will probably declare all European museums dangerous and begin altering the collections. Perfume is just the tip of the iceburg. Unfortunately, once the damage is done, most natural ingredients are going to become impossible to produce. Yes, they continue to build condos over the fields in Grasse! Sandalwood, Cedar, frank and myrrh are becoming extinct. The loss is unimaginable. The IFRA has created the perfect storm for the art of perfumery. Welcome to the 21st Century!On the other hand, my vintage collection has grown beyond a lifetime of use. I am talking gallons! Had the crisis never began, I would have never hunted down every Guerlain(among others), much less sample and adore them.

...neroli is my all time favorite, especially in vintage Chanel no 5 cologne.

...Hi everyone! I recognize many noses from other places and feel I am in good company. I live in Columbus, Ohio USA in a house I share with so many bottles of perfume. I will attempt to write some reviews of them. Talk to you soon!Richard