What fragrance are you wearing today?

Freddy! Please satisfy my curiosity: what kinds of samples did you send him? Lol. Mostly niche or designer? Some combination?

I sent Chris four. I remember two of them:  Terre d'Hermès by Hermès and Eau du Sud by Annick Goutal.  BadDadill have to refresh my memory about the other two.  Perhaps Eau Sauvage by Christian Dior was one but I truly do not remember.  It has been several weeks since I sent them to him.

Great picks Freddy! These are brilliant choices to start out with.

Thanks, Peter.  I really like Dior's Eau Sauvage and do not understand why they came out with another EdT called, simply, Sauvage.  Sauvage absolutely stinks and gives Eau Sauvage a bad name by association, in my opinion.  Sauvage has that modern chemical smell that I absolutely despise and that makes so many modern EdTs smell the same and smell awful.  I wonder if that is the chemical that Barrister_N_Mann was talking about (in another thread, I believe) that he said he wished they would do away with.  It had a long unpronounceable name.

Dihydromyrcenol . Hehe. I do enjoy Eau Sauvage (which uses another synthetic called hedione) very much.

I don't know if it's my style or something else, but Dior's new Sauvage just really works for me. I realize that it's stuffed full of ambroxan and other aromachemicals, but it somehow works on my skin and gets me a lot of positive feedback. I don't wear Sauvage for the art, though I do wear it when I want to smell pleasant to others. Then again, I also like dihydromyrcenol when it's used well (I'm a smidge allergic to it, unfortunately). Green Irish Tweed (which uses lots of it) is a classic and a wonderful post-shave fragrance for me.

Edit: SMITE ME Barrister_N_Mann!!

Freddy I agree with you about Sauvage (and I do love the classic Eau Sauvage). The modern chemical smell in the new Sauvage is indeed, in part, the chemical Barrister_N_Mann and I were talking about: dihydromyrcenol. It has a sort of metallic citrus-lavender effect, and became seemingly ubiquitous in men's fragrances in the 80s and 90s (think Drakkar Noir, Green Irish Tweed, Cool Water, Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme), before spreading into functional fragrance and scenting many detergents, deodorants, hand soaps, etc. I really can't abide the stuff: it smells cheap, artificial, and common to me. Unimaginative and without any allure whatsoever. But that's me.

Sauvage uses a bunch of it, yes, but also Ambrox, which is a synthetic amber compound. Not bad in and of itself, but that may also contribute to the overall synthetic impression of Sauvage.

Oh, and BadDad, good to hear you're enjoying Terre d'Hermes. It's earned its status as a classic. I have the Pure Perfume version and do enjoy it when the mood strikes. Fans of Terre should try Jean-Claude Ellena's earlier work, Cartier Declaration, which is in the same universe, though a bit rounder, softer, and warmer (there's cardamom and iris, among other things, smoothing out the composition).

Freddy! Please satisfy my curiosity: what kinds of samples did you send him? Lol. Mostly niche or designer? Some combination?

I sent Chris four. I remember two of them:  Terre d'Hermès by Hermès and Eau du Sud by Annick Goutal.  BadDadill have to refresh my memory about the other two.  Perhaps Eau Sauvage by Christian Dior was one but I truly do not remember.  It has been several weeks since I sent them to him.

There was also Tiffany for Men and Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet.

All 4 are fantastic scents. The Eau de Sud took me some acclimatizing to really appreciate, but all 4 are really fantastic!

Freddy! Please satisfy my curiosity: what kinds of samples did you send him? Lol. Mostly niche or designer? Some combination?

I sent Chris four. I remember two of them:  Terre d'Hermès by Hermès and Eau du Sud by Annick Goutal.  BadDadill have to refresh my memory about the other two.  Perhaps Eau Sauvage by Christian Dior was one but I truly do not remember.  It has been several weeks since I sent them to him.

There was also Tiffany for Men and Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet.

All 4 are fantastic scents. The Eau de Sud took me some acclimatizing to really appreciate, but all 4 are really fantastic!

Thanks for the refresher, Chris. Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet is one I use a lot. Tiffany for Men is interesting. I had a bottle that I absolutely loved and I accidently broke the bottle (best smelling bathroom in San Diego for a couple of days after ). I went back to Tiffany's and purchased a second bottle, the one from which I sent you the sample. I still really like it but I wonder if they didn't change the formula ever so slightly. In the newer bottle I get a whiff of that dihydro...whatever chemical that I dislike. Fortunately, though, it seems to disappear in the dry down and the remaining scent is wonderful.

Blenheim Bouquet is fantastic. Pepper, pine, and lemon - a refreshing fragrance after a shave!

NeoXerxes how's the exploration of the Allure line going? I only have Edition Blanche, which I'm wearing again today, but every time I get around to it I like it a more (was just lukewarm when I first bought it blind). The lemon-pepper-sweet-vetiver effect is fascinating and not at all inane. Thoughts on the original?

NeoXerxes how's the exploration of the Allure line going? I only have Edition Blanche, which I'm wearing again today, but every time I get around to it I like it a more (was just lukewarm when I first bought it blind). The lemon-pepper-sweet-vetiver effect is fascinating and not at all inane. Thoughts on the original?

So I will say up front that I tend to prefer niche fragrances. To me they often smell better quality and have more interesting blends. Lately though, I have been so impressed by the pleasant way that Dior's Sauvage wears (not necessarily the quality or the interest factor) that I figured I should revisit a few designer fragrances. My impressions of most fragrance houses remain the same as before - I don't like them. Even most of Chanel's fragrances are simply not my style. Fragrances like the famed Egoiste and Pour Monsieur I can respect, but will not wear.

My recent testing focused on the Bleu de Chanel line (Bleu EDT and EDP) and the Allure Homme line (Allure, Sport, Eau Extreme, and Sport Cologne - I didn't revisit Edition Blanche because I couldn't get ahold of the new EDP version). Anyway, Bleu de Chanel was a big "meh" for me. I wanted to like it, but the synthetics used sear my nose. And I didn't get much complexity. The EDP version is slightly better to my nose, but the EDT was more wearable. For whatever reason Bleu de Chanel is often compared with Sauvage - I find Sauvage to be infinitely better, more wearable, and more pleasant to others. Fortunately the Allure line was much more interesting than Bleu De Chanel for me.

The original Allure Homme is one of the most complex designer fragrances I have ever tried, as it morphs its character among several fragrance archetypes: I get citrus, aromatics, leathers, vanillic elements, and a healthy dose of tonka bean. Florals and herbs add interest and further complexity, while a classic "men's cologne vibe" underpins the composition. The original Allure Homme is an excellent fragrance in my opinion. My favorite from the line along with Allure Homme Sport Cologne.

Allure Homme Sport was another good fragrance, though I wouldn't wear it since it strikes me as a bit brash. I get aquatic notes on top, which quickly dries down into a warm yet freshened tonka/vanilla/cedar mix. A very nice sport fragrance - perhaps one of the best on the market - but again, something that I probably wouldn't wear as I prefer eau de colognes to "sport" scents.

Allure Homme Sport Cologne is a fantastic cologne-style fragrance. It mixes citruses and aldehydes to create a sparkling, nose-tickling effect that conveys both freshness and cleanness. It's short lived and not particularly distinctive, but I'd love to wear it on a hot day. My favorite of the line along with Allure Homme.

Eau Extreme was an uninspiring air freshener mixed with candy and ice cream. Not a fan.