Scent/Fragrance of the Day thread

[Aquafortis]

Currently, I'm wearing Loewe Esencia pour Homme. It's only a sample of the current formulation, but it's a fine scent. One of the best coniferous scents I've smelled. Masculine, green, and timeless. I just wish I got a chance to smell the famed vintage, which is supposed to be way better.

Speaking of coniferous fragrances, this guide is a pretty nice overview. Probably has been shared in this thread previously, but worth a repost.

 

[shoewarma]

Speaking of coniferous fragrances, this guide is a pretty nice overview. Probably has been shared in this thread previously, but worth a repost.

That's funny, I found the same guide on Reddit just yesterday. I was looking through it, and surprisingly, Loewe Esencia pour Homme isn't mentioned in it. I think it does a good job of evoking a mossy, dark green forest.

 

[hendrix]

I don't know nor care whether it's natural or synthetic, but I use La Toja shaving sticks for a few reasons:
- cheap as ****
- vegan
- great tube design that makes them great for travel
- last forever (seriously one stick lasts like a year)
- My skin loves them so much I use it I still use it as a face wash when I have a beard.

 

[jdp234]

Terre d'Hermes Parfum today. People point to all sorts of differences between this and the EdT, but smells pretty similar to me - just a touch denser. Regardless, very nice stuff.

 

[Aquafortis]

That's funny, I found the same guide on Reddit just yesterday. I was looking through it, and surprisingly, Loewe Esencia pour Homme isn't mentioned in it. I think it does a good job of evoking a mossy, dark green forest.

Yeah, I noticed the Loewe wasn't on that list either. I have Teone Reinthal's Black Spruce which was up there in the top 5 of his ratings, and I can attest it's fantastic.

 

[rach2jlc]

One of the more unexpected casualties of this weird quarantine is my SOTD. I've been pretty much at home since March, and I rarely go out. I OCCASIONALLY spritz on some Eau de Guerlain for something fresh, but I don't think I've really worn a fragrance in nearly two months. How weird this all is....

 

[Aquafortis]

One of the more unexpected casualties of this weird quarantine is my SOTD. I've been pretty much at home since March, and I rarely go out. I OCCASIONALLY spritz on some Eau de Guerlain for something fresh, but I don't think I've really worn a fragrance in nearly two months. How weird this all is....

In contrast, I've found my interest has been amplified during these past couple of months. I think it can be less attributed to boredom, and driven more by the enjoyment of the sensory exploration and continued learning. I've been sampling new scents and have ordered half-a-dozen new bottles.

A couple evening's ago I sampled some vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Homme EDT sent to me with a vintage bottle purchase (of Dior Eau Sauvage Parfum) from a collector's shop here in CA. Wow, the VC & A is incredibly deep, dry, rose, leather and woods. Almost like a walk into a mirkwood, with muted light, forest floor, damp earth and dark green. It's heart and base accords reminded me distinctly of a (much quieter) version of Malle's POAL. Where POAL almost screams at you with it's huge aromachemical projection of fruity leather and rose, the VC &A is like leaning back into an antique leather couch in a soft cloud of rose, patchouli, and woods.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Yeah, this time at home has allowed me to really spay a lot of stuff on me that I wouldn't normally wear for honest critiques. It has been fun.

Put on a sample of Sex & Jasmine by Libertine. Wow! So good. I have discovered that I love jasmine so much. This has a touch of animalic notes in it that balances the vanilla and jasmine. It is excellent and worthy of a full bottle.

 

[jdp234]

Caron Troisieme Homme today. Really, really good stuff, at rock-bottom prices.

I don't see nearly the family resemblance with PuH that others pick up on with this; the carnation/jasmine swamps the lavender to my nose. Though I'm terrible at picking lavender out of a blended accord -- I know it's there by the boatload in stuff like Rive Gauche/Azzaro but I pretty much just smell the "aromatic shaving cream" accord as a whole.

 

[jdp234]

Yeah, this time at home has allowed me to really spay a lot of stuff on me that I wouldn't normally wear for honest critiques. It has been fun.

Put on a sample of Sex & Jasmine by Libertine. Wow! So good. I have discovered that I love jasmine so much. This has a touch of animalic notes in it that balances the vanilla and jasmine. It is excellent and worthy of a full bottle.

Once the world rights itself, give Jasmin et Cigarette by ELdO a sniff if you haven't -- it does exactly what it says on the label and it's a pretty nifty accord. More a novelty effect for me than something I'd want to smell like, but the novelty is entertaining!

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Caron Troisieme Homme today. Really, really good stuff, at rock-bottom prices.

I don't see nearly the family resemblance with PuH that others pick up on with this; the carnation/jasmine swamps the lavender to my nose. Though I'm terrible at picking lavender out of a blended accord -- I know it's there by the boatload in stuff like Rive Gauche/Azzaro but I pretty much just smell the "aromatic shaving cream" accord as a whole.

Yeah, I think lavender in barbershop scents have our brains wired that way.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Just got a bunch of Robert Piguet samples. I have only tried Bandit so far. I get a similar vibe to the dry down of Yatagan and Cabochard. It has that very dry leather scent. To be honest, it is too close to Yatagan for me to warrant having both, however you can get a vintage bottle of this 100ml for like $80 so I'd say a toss up between Yatagan and this.

 

[shoewarma]

Caron Troisieme Homme today. Really, really good stuff, at rock-bottom prices.

I don't see nearly the family resemblance with PuH that others pick up on with this; the carnation/jasmine swamps the lavender to my nose. Though I'm terrible at picking lavender out of a blended accord -- I know it's there by the boatload in stuff like Rive Gauche/Azzaro but I pretty much just smell the "aromatic shaving cream" accord as a whole.

A lot of times, the barbershop accord that people describe in lavender-containing fragrances is from the metallic-smelling "lavender" note that more often than not smells like a cheap aromachemical. Real lavender smells nothing like that, and i wouldn't call Le 3' Homme a barbershop/shaving cream scent. It's sweet, creamy, slightly vanillic, and has a bit of a minty/camphor smell that really gets into your nose and clears your sinuses. The Caron fragrances are excellent in their delivery of a realistic lavender note. I don't know if they use real lavender oil/absolute, but it sure smells like it.

However great fragrances like Rive Gauche or Beau de Jour are, the lavender in them doesn't smell as real as that in Caron Pour Un Homme or Le 3' Homme. Beau de Jour is close to the real thing, to be fair.

Decided to slap on my sample of Chanel Cristalle EdP. It's a really weird scent, though my opinion on it is mostly based on single spray testings on my hand or wrist. Wearing it yields a different experience and the note separation is a little more clear when it's radiating within its bubble. I always found it very powdery and somewhat musty, like a dry and dusty iris. But, while I'm still smelling that now (up close that dustiness is more apparent), it's blended nicely with a somewhat watery melon note. I suppose I'm getting oakmoss as well, but I'm not sure, since it's coming across as bergamot or something. Interestingly, a lot of people say they get vetiver out of it, but I can't find it for the life of me, and I'm no stranger to that note.

Nevertheless, an interesting wear and certainly far from feminine. It's incredibly different from many fragrances in the women's market, and I respect that. The closest fragrance to it would be Calvin Klein's Escape for Women, but it's a little bit brighter and less sweet.

 

[jdp234]

A lot of times, the barbershop accord that people describe in lavender-containing fragrances is from the metallic-smelling "lavender" note that more often than not smells like a cheap aromachemical. Real lavender smells nothing like that, and i wouldn't call Le 3' Homme a barbershop/shaving cream scent. It's sweet, creamy, slightly vanillic, and has a bit of a minty/camphor smell that really gets into your nose and clears your sinuses. The Caron fragrances are excellent in their delivery of a realistic lavender note. I don't know if they use real lavender oil/absolute, but it sure smells like it.

However great fragrances like Rive Gauche or Beau de Jour are, the lavender in them doesn't smell as real as that in Caron Pour Un Homme or Le 3' Homme. Beau de Jour is close to the real thing, to be fair.

Decided to slap on my sample of Chanel Cristalle EdP. It's a really weird scent, though my opinion on it is mostly based on single spray testings on my hand or wrist. Wearing it yields a different experience and the note separation is a little more clear when it's radiating within its bubble. I always found it very powdery and somewhat musty, like a dry and dusty iris. But, while I'm still smelling that now (up close that dustiness is more apparent), it's blended nicely with a somewhat watery melon note. I suppose I'm getting oakmoss as well, but I'm not sure, since it's coming across as bergamot or something. Interestingly, a lot of people say they get vetiver out of it, but I can't find it for the life of me, and I'm no stranger to that note.

Nevertheless, an interesting wear and certainly far from feminine. It's incredibly different from many fragrances in the women's market, and I respect that. The closest fragrance to it would be Calvin Klein's Escape for Women, but it's a little bit brighter and less sweet.

70s green chypres make excellent masculines, IMO. Will have to give Cristalle a try at some point, I love Givenchy III.

Wearing current-production Shalimar EdP nicked from my girlfriend's cabinet today. I've never smelled vintage, but people say older formulations are even more animalic, which -- based on what I've got on right now -- is saying something. There's a HUGE animal-fur musk alongside the smoked vanilla base here. I've never worn this out and about but I have a hard time imagining someone thinking it smelled noticeably girly.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Just got a bunch of Robert Piguet samples. I have only tried Bandit so far. I get a similar vibe to the dry down of Yatagan and Cabochard. It has that very dry leather scent. To be honest, it is too close to Yatagan for me to warrant having both, however you can get a vintage bottle of this 100ml for like $80 so I'd say a toss up between Yatagan and this.

Made my way through 10 more Piguet samples. Most of them are meh, some are awful. I think it could be due to reformulations, but with so much good stuff out there today, not worth it.