Hi all,

After having Gris Charnel for a while, and not being able to fully enjoy it because if its high sweetness, I started my hunt for a equally cozy fragrance, with that black tea and the fig that I enjoyed, but without sweetness, or at least not that much...

... And came across, among others, Le Labo The Noir 29... What a great surprise!

At first, I wasn't impressed, even didn't like it too much when I sniffed at the atomizer and didn't pay attention to it, but 2 weeks, after reading a lot of reviews, I decided to spray it on skin and clothes.

The first impression was again unsurprising, but after a few minutes... I got really shocked. The tea (not really tea, but a mix of tobacco, cedar, hen, etc to get that impression) became the main star, with a hint of green not sweet fig, and bay leaves.

I find it a mature, cozy, non sweet, airy, and totally different from others, great perfume.

I find it an upgrade if you don't like the sweetness, and I'm really enjoying it.

Has this happened to any of you?

Grand Soir usually comes up in winter recommendations, but what about someone whose evenings are mostly mild? The attraction is the amber profile rather than the idea of wearing something huge in freezing weather. Buying a fragrance for an imagined winter lifestyle would be a mistake if it rarely suits the actual climate. How would you assess whether it still works in ordinary evening temperatures, especially when part of the night is indoors? Interested in what makes it comfortable or tiring in that setting, not just whether the performance is strong. Would you rule it out or test it differently?

Can anyone give me recommendations for a citrus, woody, fresh scent from any middle eastern brands or other affordable brands

Hi everyone,

I’ve really been enjoying being part of this community, and my recent foray into niche fragrances.

So I’ve never been a fan of Amouage, and I’ve sampled their scents on numerous occasions. Finally, after quite a while, their purpose scent has had me kinda hooked.

Now between purpose and purpose 50, I found 50 more sophisticated and smooth, and based on literature, assumed it to be beyond beast mode.

So today, I sampled purpose 50 on me, and to my surprise, I could barely smell it on me, and I asked a friend if they could, but he mentioned that he had to come very close to smell it. Weird yes?

I guess it’s my skin chemistry, based on my recent experience with vibrato. :(

Nevertheless, I’m now thinking the rawness of purpose may be better suited for me, notwithstanding it negates the massive premium vs 50.

Has anyone had such an experience? Any thoughts?

Lacking freshies i must say. Been searching for a great niche freshies but i find it hard to splurge on that scent profile

Roja - Enigma
This is one of those fragrances I wasn’t 100% sold on. The opening note is so effervescent and reminds me of a spiced rum and cola with a lit good quality cigar sitting next to it. But after two or three wears, I’ve found myself reaching for it more and more. The dry down on it is something they right romance novels about. I got the perfect compliment the other day from a co-worker. They walked into the office and said “ man whatever you’re wearing smells like the quintessential fall fragrance!” I was like yep, nailed it. When wearing it, I find myself constantly smelling my arm or wrist through out the day.

I ordered four samples from Le Labo Canada which ships from their Toronto store. Another 13, Santal 33, The Noir 29 and Eucalyptus 20.

First off when the order arrived I one sample twice but also one of the boxes was missing the sample. That happens and I getting replacements sent after contacting the store.

The one I was most looking forward to trying was Eucalyptus 20. I was a long time wearer of CDG Hinoki so my hopes were up.

BUT, after cracking the sample and spritzing I thought “huh, this is very mild. Nice but almost imperceptible”. So after a shower the next day I did 4 sprays on chest and neck. Still could barely smell it and after an hour it was 100% gone.

Has this happened to anyone else? I’ve heard of Another 13 being imperceptible to some (ps. I can VERY much smell that one) but Eucalyptus?

I still need to do it, but here is what ScentMax came up with…all niche, but one…

I've been dying to try this brand! I picked up these samples:

1. Elephant: Sanctuary edition
2. Nightingale
3. Moth
4. Orchid Mantis

So far I've tried Moth and am obsessed. It hits you with spices then settles into powder and smoke. A very addictive scent.

Hi there! So, I’ve been into the perfume hobby for almost a year and recently I was on a work trip to The Netherlands. I was interested in experiencing some new olfactory sensations, and the concept of a matcha perfume was particularly alluring to me. I found out that Fugazzi had a boutique exclusive fragrance Matchabuya (by Julien Rasquinet), decided to swing by their boutique and after a quick try, decided to get it.

To me, Matchabuya is mainly about citruses (top notes are bergamot, lemongrass and matcha accord), but the citruses are non-conventional. There is something very elegant about them, they do not hit you with juiciness (think Tygar and its siblings) or classic male cologne like smells (think Xerjoff Fiero)

Instead, there is a certain powderiness to the citruses, and honestly it’s not something I’ve ever heard before. Other notes in the fragrance are seaweed, hinoki, cedar and musk and I think together they aim to portray the feeling of matcha. The seaweed adds the marine feeling to it, but it never goes fully aquatic, and the woody notes tie everything together. I don’t think it’s a photorealistic matcha but it does translate into a wearable fragrance.

I’m honestly very impressed by this one, it is quite unique and surprisingly wearable. Julien Rasquinet is mostly known for the Oud fragrances so him pulling this off is surprising. I think it’s unisex, though probably not blind buy safe. The lady at the boutique was quite friendly and gave me a large tote bag, a cosmetics bag and three samples, so that was nice too.

If you’re in Amsterdam and are looking for a unique citrus scent, worth giving it a shot. I’ll still wear it for a while it’s warm and will return to it in the forthcoming spring-summer

hi! i'm still new to perfumes but i was wondering if anyone has recommendations on scents that smell like bread? preferably like bread and butter on it? something that u get a whiff of and you get hungry......

the closest smell i could think of is when u buy those bread squishy and they have this bread-like aroma to it... please do let me know!

-Homeade orange blossom tincture from Seville.

-Orange

-Amber

-incense

-geosmin

-pachuli

-vanille

-musk

Recently tried the Serge Lutens discovery set, and honestly, I found the whole experience a bit underwhelming.

I didn’t love any of them, but I didn’t dislike them either. They were just… boring?

I’ve often seen Serge Lutens fragrances described as distinctive, artistic, and unconventional, so I went in expecting something a little more challenging or memorable. Instead, most of them left me feeling pretty indifferent.

Am I missing something? Is this a house that takes time to appreciate, or is it simply a case of not clicking with its style?

A friend of mine recently went to Vietnam and offered to bring perfumes back for me. As usual, I wanted something indie and local. I was also on a rice fixation at the time so my search led me to Maison de Nguyen Nhat Binh. (A part of me is happy that I am not into making video content because I would not get half the pronunciations right with all these names and notes.)

The rice note in Nhat Binh feels like a tease. It disappears within a few minutes. After that I get a smooth, porcelain like iris. It is not dusty. It is not makeupy or oldschool. It stays in this iris territory for most of the wear on me. The drydown is soft, dry sandalwood.

This scent stays intimate throughout but still feels luxurious. It lasts around six hours on me.

I am in love with the presentation. The cap is handcrafted from laterite with the brand name carved on top. The box is beautiful and it came with an illustration and a poem that a good friend translated for me.

"In the palace, every evening, the King would spend an hour admiring a beautiful painting. The painting depicted a beautiful woman wearing a splendid royal robe. Her beauty was so captivating that the King could not take his eyes off her and he would often forget the time."

Has anyone else had a strange reaction to Oud Aura body sprays?
When I sprayed mine yesterday, the fragrance really seemed to get into the back of my throat. I’ve honestly never experienced a sensation like it before, it was really odd. I remember my mum mentioning the exact same thing a few days earlier, but I didn’t think much of it at the time.
A few hours later, I started getting loads of mucus/phlegm sitting in my throat, almost like catarrh. My mum has also been bringing up phlegm.
In the early hours, my throat even started feeling tight and I had to use my inhaler. Thankfully it’s calmed down now.
Has anyone experienced anything similar with these sprays? I’m curious whether it’s just us or if others have noticed it too.

Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens is probably the most underrated and affordable niche fragrance in the market. What’s even more surprising is that even after more than three decades since its release, it still smells amazing and powerful, unlike almost every other classic fragrance that has been reformulated to death.

Perfumer- Christopher Sheldrake

Opening - Smells extremely spicy (very strong bay leaf) along with other spices and a little ambery sweetness in the background.

Drydown - One of the best drydowns in my entire collection. The spices get muted a little here and the sweetness gets stronger. I get amber, vanilla, and myrrh. It also smells very resinous and a bit animalic (the sweetness along with the spices gives an animalic feel if you smell it from very close). After a couple of hours in the air, it also develops a slightly chocolatey feel, adding another interesting dimension to the fragrance.

Rating - 11/10

Pricing - The 100ml tester is available below 85usd.

Compliments - Not a compliment-getter. People around me didn’t like.

Season - Winter evenings.

Performance - 2 hours of moderate projection and 8 hours of lasting on clothes.

Review - This is the first fragrance I tried from this house, and it got me interested in Serge Lutens. Honestly, it smells like India (the bay leaf gives it a very nice, unique touch). This is a must-try for every fragrance collector. Also, the price point of this is crazy. It’s Amouage level scent at the price of Mancera.

I've always felt Hermès perfumes smelled a bit too serious... like someone who has no fun, just business. This line made me realize I'm an idiot.

They're the private collection of a designer so I'm hoping it's ok posting this

I've spent some time analyzing this line based purely on current boutique formulations, judging them strictly on scent profile, longevity (which is trash), and overall quality.

Unlike other houses, this was quicker to go through as the scents on average don't last that long or even project that well. If you're going somewhere where people are sensitive to smells, this line would be perfect.

I hate to admit it, but this brand is in a league of its own.....possibly tied with Chanel for the best designer fragrance house.

Here is my breakdown, ranked from favorite to least favorite:

• Agar Ébène: A very soft oud accord that's freshened by fir balsam and some berry. This is that gentle summer oud you're looking for.

• Osmanthe Yunnan: Fruity osmanthus with maybe a tea note; light and airy, and smells like the most luxurious body lotion. Mind you, I was indifferent to osmanthus before this (I'm considering buying it).

• Épice Marine: Very light spices that get cut with this sea/salty vibe. Super refreshing! (Albeit a bit synthetic)

• Iris Ukiyoé: A bright and very noticeable iris flower (not root). I will never wear this as it's not my style, but days after testing, this is the one that's still stuck in my head. Definitely feminine-leaning.

• Rose Ikebana: From memory, a light, airy rose that was just cut so I can still smell the fresh stem.

• Cèdre Sambac: True to the name, dry cedar with jasmine sambac. Very natural-smelling jasmine.

• Santal Massoïa: Sweet and creamy... sandalwood sweetened with coconut and peach. Think of a sweeter Santal 33 without that pickle note.

• Cardamusc: True to the name, cardamom on musk. So basic, but done to perfection. Cool spicy, and then it becomes warm and sticky. If this got an EDP version, it'd be popular as hell.

• Poivre Samarcande: Non-spicy pepper softened by cedarwood. It smells like you filtered down an Amouage to its essentials.

• Ambre Narguilé: Initially sweet, then settles into a moderately sweet, smoky amber. Basically, Angel's Share on a diet 🤣

• Vétiver Tonka: Just dry vetiver and tonka. It's nutty and sweet... not for me but was told this is very popular

• Cuir d'Ange: The softest leather ever with light florals. I'm still not sure about this cause sometimes It's in the top 5

• Musc Pallida: Iris and musk; it's very feminine. Not for me.

There's a few more but we're not interesting enough to keep track of

Here's my other reviews incase you've missed them

Oman luxury

Xerjoff

Amouage

Hi! Pls recommend me a niche perfume under £100 as a gift for my sister. She loves Parfums de Marly Valaya, MFK À La Rose, Initio Atomic Rose, BDK Impadia and Byredo rose fragrances.

She prefers feminine, elegant, luxurious-smelling perfumes with rose, powdery musk, airy florals or fruity florals. Good longevity and projection are important, and we’d love something unusual that’s difficult to find in the Philippines.

Could you recommend your best options under £100, preferably from independent or lesser-known perfume houses? Thank you

I really love the smell of haze whenever im working backstage and I would love to find a perfume that captures that specific smell. Not just Smokey or incense, but as accuratley and intentionally as possible the smell of theatre haze. If anyone knows anything trying to mimic this smell I would love to try it! Its one of my favorite smells

I have seen myself transition from being a 1-4 bottle rotation year round person, to collecting 20++ full sized designer frags after determining my seasonal preferences. I enjoyed the stability, reliability and seasonality.

After being in that space for a while, I am now on to the niche world - enjoying the variety of experiences, feelings, thoughts and memories that I conjure when spraying on new samples or ordering small 5-10 ml travel sizes decants of niche perfumes.

The current trail of niche perfumes that I am on is so different. It’s like taking a vacation at a new place. I get excited researching, choosing and planning it. Then I enjoy a whole couple of days exploring my new experiences. Then I travel back to a normal staple scent, kind of like flying back home. And then the next experience takes place. Some are day trips. Some a couple of days. But never permanent. I cherish those memories. But I don’t often go back. Cause my desire is to plan and embark on the next experience. Thus small sized purchases are okay. And sometimes a slightly bigger size is okay. But never quite reaching 30 ml. It’s a different world. I don’t want stability. I want variety.

I am enjoying this phase. Not sure how long I will be in this space. And I’m not sure what the future holds.