Men's Fragrances

[fncyths]

faust go! I stumbled upon that great shop and was mesmerized.

[Faust]

"Naturally" means, of course, I have gone :-) The owner is an avid SZ follower and definitely knows his stuff.

[Ahimsa]

Went to a perfume launch party and met Andy Tauer at Twisted Lily in Brooklyn, which I learned is right down my avenue, so I've been visiting a lot lately and the owner is extremely helpful. I've been delving in pretty deep as of late...

Some scents of note that I remember vividly...my more visceral reactions.

Etat Libre d'Orange

Secretions Magnifiques - I found absolutely repulsive...
Vierges et Toreros - smells like plastic if you're into comme-like fragrances as many of their's does. Quite unique, however.
Rossy de Palma Eau de Protection - a nice rose scent, but a bit powdery.

Beaufort London

Coeur De Noir - straight up smells like forest tree mold under bark. (if you've smelled it). Dark and musky.
1805 Eau De Parfum - sexy english gent. Constantly catching whiffs of it. Wood fire (quite literally like wood stove smoke), whiskey, cigar, a bit of toffee to me.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian

A la rose - I'm in love with this...so light and intimate. It doesn't veer into the powder or rosewater feel I get from all the other rose scents. It's a woody rose, but nothing like Le Labo's Rose 31, for instance.

[Lucky Strike]

Etat Libre d'Orange

Secretions Magnifiques - I found absolutely repulsive...

Haha I find eldo perfumes to be a bit gimmicky.
But I have worn secretions sample a couple of times just to see if I get a reaction from people. Sadly it turns very powdery on the skin after 30 min, and to my surprise I usually got compliments instead :/
But yeah smelling it first time its pretty repulsive

[resolution653]

Twisted Lily is great.

ELDO seems to be making more "friendly" scents with cologne, true last, remarkable people. La fin du Monde and Remarkable people I like. The one they made named after Tilda Swinton is an excellent fall fragrance.

Has anyone felt turned off by niche perfumery as of late ?

[Verdandi]

Has anyone felt turned off by niche perfumery as of late ?

Not really. It's just that the 'niche' and high end market gets flooded with multiple new realeases which are mostlyredundant and come with a ridiculous price tag.

Speaking ofmultiple releases that come with a high price tag: Unfortunately three out of the five new Lutensian offerings are breathtakingly well done.

Cannibale is almost a bit too similar to the previously released L'incandiare, but it takes the resinous notes to the extreme and it somehow feels more plush and blousy. And then there is this slightly off kilter sour note; you can almost taste it. Wonderful, especially if you are into resins and woods.

The other two are florals and I am happy to report that they are not like the SL florals of recent times, but full on aout there, proper Lutens florals like they used to be in the late 90s. Out of the two, Renard Constrictor is the more innovative and maybe more interesting one, but Cracheux des Flammes is more beautiful. It's death by roses almost as if they geve roses the A La Nuit treatment. I don't know if it is just me, but there is something in it that reminds me of Nombre Noir. Just ever so slightly and I am sure it is intentional.

Pricetag be damned, to me they are worth it.

[Law]

Has anyone felt turned off by niche perfumery as of late ?

Yes and no, but there are still quite a number of excellent releases coming out. There's a small Turkish independent artisan making called Pekji perfumes, which are worth checking out, I recommend Ruh.

Although expensive if you buy it directly in the US (as opposed to ordering directly from the Paris boutique), Maison Francis Kurkdjian's Ciel de Gum is another stellar release.

[resolution653]

The Serge Lutens that go for $600 are what made me ask the question. I'm glad ya found them well done, Verdandi.

I recall a few years ago my favorite Olivier Durbano, Black Tourmaline going for $125, Cuir by Mona Di Orio $230, both have raised prices... I'm sure y'all are aware of other examples and have seen this same discussion when it comes to clothing.

That being said, I have been on the hunt for older gems from designer houses.

Law, I have heard mention of Pekji. Would check them out if indiscents ever picks up the line.

Looking at Ciel de Gum on fragrantica... how is the vanilla in it ? Not a note I'm big on, am fine with a touch. Living in hot climate, heavy vanilla scents can easily become cloying.

One niche scent I am excited to try is "'Peau de Bête – Eau de Peau' (Les Liquides Imaginaires, 2015)"

[Kuleshov]

Just broke my Dior Homme Intense bottle by accident... I liked it a lot, last winter I loved CDG original fragrance too.

Any suggestions please ?

[Law]

Just broke my Dior Homme Intense bottle by accident... I liked it a lot, last winter I loved CDG original fragrance too.

Any suggestions please ?

Try Dior Homme Parfum. Things which are in the same vein as the original CDG EDP are Costes 1 by Hotel Costes and Black Cashmere by Donna Karen.

[darkbydesign]

Anyone on here try the upcoming Frederic Malle EdP release, Monsieur?

http://www.nstperfume.com/2015/10/23/frederic-malle-monsieur-new-fragrance/

I haven't tried it yet but am kind of intrigued as they suggest it's a masculine counterpart to POAL, though I love POAL anyway, so assume that's just marketing hype.

Also-anyone on here from Dubai have access to buying a bottle of The Night by Dominique Ropion (special edition EdP by FM only in Dubai?) I ran out of my sample and am curious how much it actually costs in Dubai from a Proxy. It's mega expensive online from a third party buyer.

Thx

[Law]

Anyone on here try the upcoming Frederic Malle EdP release, Monsieur?

http://www.nstperfume.com/2015/10/23/frederic-malle-monsieur-new-fragrance/

I haven't tried it yet but am kind of intrigued as they suggest it's a masculine counterpart to POAL, though I love POAL anyway, so assume that's just marketing hype.

Haven't tried it yet, but I'm not holding my breath if perfumer Bruno Jovanovic's previous track record is anything to go by.

[trentk]

Could anyone recommend books on perfume/cologne &/or the history of perfume/cologne?
Obviously the most important thing to do in learning this domain is smell lots of (good) perfumes/colognes, but I'd like to supplement that with reading. I've been curious to dive into perfume/cologne ever since back in highschool reading the chapter on perfume/cologne in Huysmans' À Rebours (the high point being where Des Esseintes traces the history of perfume in parallel with the history of french language), but have only scratched the surface (preferring in the past to explore the olfactory realm of tea).

[byhand]

Essence and Alchemy by Mandy Aftel.

Nothing original about it if you are already knowledgeable about the subject, but it provides a decent overview. It's repetitive but nonetheless a good place to start. The best books are out of print and expensive. One thing the author doesn't tackle is the ethics of perfumery. She appears to be unaware that many ingredients once celebrated are now outlawed or at least unethical. I'd rather not have a part in hunting an animal to extinction so that I can enjoy a scent. This is actually an important and interesting part of the history of the industry and deserves a mention.

In fact, vegans rarely bother to delve into the ingredients used in their favorite scents. Many of them would be horrified by what they find.

[trentk]

Thanks. I just started Jean-Claude Ellena's Diary of a Nose, as a perfumer who sees perfumery as having more in common with writing than music seems like the ideal person to write on perfume.

Also, I never knew that Luca Turin - a biophysicist who I've seen lecture on quantum physics & smell - is involved with perfume & writes on it.