Men's Fragrances

[ian+]

Kiehls still has aluminum though which I don't like and actually left white stains more than any other deodorant I ever used

I have to disagree on this, I am using it the last 11 months and there have been absolutely no stains at all.

[jogu]

Tried that DVN EdP Frederic Malle release and really hope they don't release more scents like tha

i didnt like it at 1st either but after wearin it now i genuinely like it , not enough for more than a 10ml , and the vanilla sandalwood combo is kinda boring . i was told that both ropion and roucel submitted sketches for their ideas of the perfume but malle went with ( i cant member the guys name now sorry ) cos he felt it was closer to the idea he had in mind . id love to at least know what ropion and roucels ideas were , like how they woulda crafted the perfume cos i think it woulda been way more interesting if they had done it instead

[Dane]

I tried it today...me no likey. For something that has the best of intentions to come across as "natural" (vanilla, sandalwood, etc.), it smells blatantly synthetic. There is literally no natural vanilla, sandalwood, or any other ingredient that I can discern. Sure, it has a plush, just-baked-cookies charm to it, but it mixes awkwardly with a soapy note that makes it feel slightly nauseating...like Vanilla Bounce.

I might be hyper-sensitive to something in it, but it's a fail for me. The saffron note, which I was most looking forward to, adds a jarring sharpness. When compared with something as perfect as L'Artisan's Saffran Troublant, it's hard not to be critical. If there already exists a perfected variation of this idea, why bother releasing something subpar?

[jogu]

finally ! my collection from the arts and materials line is complete


i been negotiating w/ someone on gettin more than just a tiny decant of the parfum of something old , im hoping to have it soonish

[Dane]

I've been hoarding Guerlain parfums for some time now. I don't think I could live without Vol de Nuit.

[jogu]

my supply of apres l'ondee parfum is down to bout 6ml , ive used more than i wanted to over the yrs and id like to get more and leave some aside for my collection only and some to wear from time to time

[Dane]

and this will cost you how many thousands?

[jogu]

lol exactly , tbh i dont really think its worth it to me anymore i mean not at the price bein asked . i still genuinely like the toilette alot and tho i prefer the heightened sweet notes and violet in the parf i dont think its THAt much better or different . in fact i find the drydown of l'eau d'hiver , once the powdery smooth texture is mostly gone , to be very similar to the parfum except apres is lil bit less sweet , but still .. just not the same . close but no cigar . im tryin to talk myself outta this .
whats your opinion of al'o anyway ? id like to hear what u think of it , me i love it and its one of my top 5's maybe even top 3

[Dane]

I never found the parfum to be "special" enough to warrant the price on the 2nd hand market. It's nicer...richer, but still not as rich as most other EDT's.

I prefer AlO now that they've tweaked it a bit and added more iris. The stuff from the 80's & 90's never did it for me...it's beautiful, no doubt, but not for me personally. I prefer Ellena's rendition frankly, but even I can't deny that's it's basically perfect.

[jogu]

u ever think of doin like a blog of reviews ? i try not to read too many reviews but theres a handful of bloggers that i sub to becos i admire the things they have to say and the tastes they have ( and they dont only review things like the multi colored polos ). theyre ppl that also appreciate the history and inspirations behind perfumes

[Dane]

peredepierre.com

I rarely update any more, but it has a pretty large number of reviews from myself and a few others.

[Castor]

Dane,

Is your love of Vol de Nuit based on the current rendition or vintage?

[Dane]

mostly vintage (90's) because that's what I own...but the current is fine, just a tad weird in the topnotes.

[boomslang20117@]

Sissel Tolaas's Scent Archive
— November 19, 2012 —

"Smell and memory have a strong link. In two synapses, one triggers a memory that was stored in the subconcious. We breath up to 24,000 times per day; we move 12.7 metres of air. With every breath, we inhale smell molecules – information about our surroundings. Even when we sleep, we smell. Our kidneys smell, our skin smells.

In 1990, I decided to make use of an amazing piece of software we all possess – the nose – for my work. I literally put my nose into everything I did. At the time, I had no understanding about the smell industry; those that create the scents of detergents or soap. I was born in Norway and grew up with pretty neutral smell surroundings. I collected all of the smells I experienced and started to create an archive, now totalling over 7,000 smells. The purpose of this scent archive was to see if I could render all of the smells. Could I start to smell intellectually rather than emotionally? Is it possible to communicate around smell? All of the smells in the archive are sources; real smells I have collected. It's almost like writing a diary. All of the samples have the necessary information, so that later I can revisit and know exactly why I chose it, and how it represents a time and the geography of that point in my life.

The way I work is to identify smells with my nose. The first time you experience a smell is the essential moment. That's the source of that smell for the rest of your life. I often revisit a smell at different times of the year, for several years. If I'm not able to identify or source the smell to bring back to my laboratory, I use the Head Space tool, a small industry device which breaks down any smell into its molecular components, information that's then used to piece together its synthetic counterpart."

Sissel Tolass's work is fascinating. Having studied mathematics, chemistry and visual arts, she has since established a burgeoning scent archive in Berlin. She collects sample of the item and seals it in a can for later study; each is labelled with a name, geographical location and date. Tolaas has over 40 variations of smelly socks, 150 versions of dog poo and the aroma of her daughter, whose smell she has been collecting since her birth.

Focusing on the complex language and communication of smell, Tolass has worked on projects which are as varied as the smells in her laboratory. Educational projects with children, educating them about pollution; a conceptual fragrance project with leading fashion photographer Nick Knight; using scent to aid in the recollection of traumatic memories in patients undergoing therapy. Since 2004, the Norweigan artist has worked with the commercial research institution International Fragrances and Flavors, the biggest provider of smells and taste molecules in the world. The focus of her career is remediating “the lack of understanding smell has in our society".

http://www.anothermag.com/current/view/2313/Sissel_Tolaass_Scent_Archive

[theetruscan]

...yet I'm finding that particularly the Jar packaged scents find me curious and wanting more...

Jar scents are fascinating, unique, occasionally lovely, and almost universally completely unwearable.