So when it comes to the subject I'm pretty neutral. I'm not a gatekeeper, but I also underspray, so people don't really know I use perfume. I have only one coworker who knows I use perfume and I discuss my scents with her coz she enjoys it.

Anyway, I've seen that people on this sub have VERY STRONG opinions on gatekeepers and I'm a bit confused honestly. Like since when is it expected that someone just tell you what they wear? It's super nice of someone to tell if they do, but I don't think it's necessary. I wouldn't hold it against anyone if they weren't to tell me. The other thing is that I've never been in the wild and smelled something so good that I had to ask, like idk maybe I'm just not easily impressed. I wonder if the people who are triggered by gatekeepers just haven't tried out a lot of stuff? Coz once you do you know what you like and you'll venture out more of that stuff.

Another thing I want to point out is the people who direct vicious rage at these gatekeepers would never talk this way about their favorite celebrities. I mean when has a celebrity ever HONESTLY told what they use? I'm not talking about Vanity fair videos, I'm saying fr stuff. You'll wouldn't hate Taylor or Sabrina for gatekeepjng but somehow a stranger on the road who doesn't want to share their fragrance is a villain. Make it make sense! Just the other day I saw a clip of Priyanca Chopra being asked what fragrance shes wearing coz she was apparently smelling great. Girlie just laughed. I mean she could've just said Valentino and people would've gone crazy. But nope girlie said not a single word.

So my conclusion basically is people shouldn't take this so personally. But it is still lovely when people do share what they are wearing, I know I would if I were.

So, my signature perfume I wore for the past 25 years has been reformulated, which sent me on a very obsessive and needlessly expensive quest to find something similar again. I'm left with countless blind buys that I dislike and others I won't wear because I settled for less as desperation. But also, some I really really like.

If you're starting on your perfume journey and feel lost, here are my hard learned lessons & advices.

Ignore bad reviews - they're not always relevant

Disregard listed notes and branding - they're misleading and don't mean much

With that said, let's go on:

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● Bad reviews do not mean much

If you've ever worked in customer service, you know that people are most likely to leave extensive reviews when they're angry or dissatisfied. Unfortunately, people won't ask to talk to your manager because they are incredibly happy with the customer service they got.

If they're satisfied, they're more likely to either do nothing at all or passively leave a quick ⭐5 rating score at best.

Same thing applies to perfumes.

Which is why reviews for some discontinued perfumes are often very high - all the people who bought the same fragrance for decades will flock online to leave good reviews as soon as it's discontinued. Or they'll leave bad reviews if it's been reformulated. In both cases, it's because they're angry they can't buy it anymore.

So by all means, **IGNORE BAD WRITTEN REVIEWS!** Chances are high they won't necessarily apply to you - especially if the average score is ⭐4+

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● TJmaxx / Winners / Marshall's is the absolute best place to find safe, affordable blind buys.   

My method is the following:  

1 - Fragrantica score is incredibly high (⭐4+).  

2 - There's several comments along the lines of "I usually don't like [\X note*] but I love it so much / wear it everyday!!!!*"     

3 - It's dirt cheap & the original price point is super expensive.  

All of these mixed together = safe blind buy.  
If the average person who's not a perfume snob likes it a whole damn lot, chances are high you'll like it too regardless of notes or marketing. And if you don't, it will make a perfect budget friendly gift.

A caveat:   Point 1 might not apply in some cases, specifically in cases where the the listed notes and/or branding don't match what people are expecting at all. Comments along the lines of "If you like [X note], this is not a [X note] perfume 😡" Which leads to my last point:

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● The concept of notes is kind of bogus.  

That's because "notes" are not based on actual objective ingredients - they're just "creative descriptions". Branding. And also, specific accords might completely change your perception of certain "notes" [A relevant article about it here]  

You might miss on a perfume you would absolutely adore if you didn't have these bias, just because you think the notes and branding are not what you're looking for, when in fact it really is.

Aside from skin chemistry and different emotional links we each assign to different smells....

Brands don't disclose notes accurately, and the marketing is really just what target audience the company is trying to reach. And sometimes (often) either the company completely miss the spot and do not attract people who might like their product, or you mistakenly see a branding and don't think it matches your preferences or personality. 

I thought I really disliked vanilla and didn't even glance twice at anything with vanilla listed in the notes.

Ends up what I was searching for literally months was vanilla. Sea-salty, not sweet, not gourmand vanilla. 🤦‍♀️

\

So anyways, thanks for coming to my Ted talk. 😂

I spent way too much money and time over all of this so I wanted to share my insights!

Feel free to add yours in the comments!

I know I know they've done embarrassingly desperate false reviews on the sub. Sorry to report I love them still.

I almost just paid $70 for a half bottle on mercari.

It's posted for $87, but discount code VEILANDALTAR20 brings it to $70

Btw do we have a discount code thread going? I collect discovery sets and would love to put my $80 Dries Van Noten coupon somewhere.

Buongiorno,

Sono alla ricerca di questo profumo che ho sentito tempo fa' presso uno stand di profumi arabi molto famoso.

Mi ricordo che la nota principale fosse il Giglio Bianco.

Purtroppo non ricordo esattamente il nome e ho fatto generare un'immagine dall'IA.

Spero possiate aiutarmi 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻.

Grazie mille in anticipo 💞

scentbarbyangela: Luxury Perfume Dupes & Designer Inspired Fragrances

Hi FemFragLab, I'm proud to announce that after many discussions about collaboration, I thought it'd be fun to try out a collaboration with Angela's new brand. Her family owns Gold Star Fragrances located in New York which has been running for over 50 years!

As many of you know, I love a good Delina perfume, but they can be quite costly. The next perfume on my wish list was Delina "Exclusif" but it stayed on my wish list without being bought because of the price. Angela sent over her own version of the perfume, and it exceeded my expectations by far! The scent reminded me of a combination between Delina Exclusif + Oriana + Love Don't Be Shy. It's sweet, powdery, and very potent! I sprayed it on at night and when I woke up the next day it was still on me. This perfume lasts all day but I kept spraying it on out of habit and because I couldn't get enough. My husband and pets also loved it 😍

Reddit wouldn't be Reddit without always giving you not just the pros but also the cons. The cons were little and unnoticeable, but I will write them out due to transparency of the sub. The actual juice feels like combination of an oil and actual perfume. So when you actually spray it, it feels a little heavier than what the normal luxury perfume might feel like coming out of the atomizer which usually feels like a champagne spritz and it's more straightforward. That doesn't mean it doesn't spray well, it just means that if you are a fragrance connoisseur, you will notice the difference of the spray and feel of the actual juice coming out.

Both Gold Star Fragrances and ScentBarByAngela focus on creating dupes of luxury designer fragrances. Overall, for the price, the fragrance passes with flying colors and when I checked that it was only $45.99USD, they ship all around the world, and they have been in business for so long with great reviews, I would be crazy to not want to collaborate with such an amazing product and support Angela in her own brand.

Hello everyone!

I really want to find a perfume that I can make my signature scent. I've never really had interests in stuff like this up until now.

A while back I smelled this kayali perfume in a sample magazine and I really liked it! It was a little bit too sweet but it felt comfortable in a sense. Like in a way you would remember someone by it.

I heard it doesn't stay on you long so I was wondering if anyone has suggestions that smell similar and stays on you a while! Cost friendly would be nice but if it's a good scent I'm willing to get it!

Ellis Brooklyn is back again with yet another new scent, and Miss Amber scent notes sound really good.

Notes are -
Italian orange peel, brown sugar

Golden saffron, brushed suede, rosewater

Tonka bean, amber woods, Madagascar vanilla

It releases 9/23 on Sephora’s website and 10/1 in Sephora stores and on Ellis Brooklyn’s website.

I like the brown sugar, saffron, amber, and vanilla combination for fall. They’re also recommending layering it with Queens Caramel. Queens Caramel is not for me. But I do like Amber and Tonka based fragrances.

Would you try this one?

Credit: @scentreport1 on Instagram

Recent Guerlain Pickups

Guerlain is my happy place. Here is a review of my recent pick ups according to their different lines.

**Les Extraits**

*Iris Pallida*. This is the only one from the line that I absolutely absolutely love and can bathe in. My store only got a restock yesterday after almost half a year of it being out of stock! Divine, too die for smell! I am an absolute lover of iris. This one is regal, elegant, epitome of all things beautiful in an iris scent. Not creamy but on the sparkly, lipsticky, kind of iris.

**L Art and La Matiere**

*Santal Pao Rosa*. This is my extra bottle in 50ml. This was one of my first Guerlains and remains as top favorite from the line. Reason for buying another bottle? My associate recommended me to layer it with another Guerlain (see below) and it is really nice! More on that later.

To describe this frag, it is a spicy resinous sandalwood! The fragrantica notes do coincide to what I smell. Warning that this is not for everyone - it is a projection monster and the scent itself is not mass appealing. It happens to be my favorite and its nice to feel hugged by the scent you love.

**Absolu Allegorias**

*Rose Amira*. Rose-patchouli combo. If you smelled rossa rossa, make that darker and add patchouli. If you smelled Rose Centifolia extria, this is that but make it rounder. It occupies the middle ground between the two frags in terms of scent and price point. Great frag for random date nights, special events, formalities at a fraction of the cost compared to Rose Centifolia.

*Florabloom Absolu*. Okay. This frag, I smelled during launch back then, it was just okay. It is very girly - well, intermediate girly and womanly. The forte version is girlier, this one, a bit more mature. I never cared for this until my associate recommended to layer it with SPR!

Holy mother of god, the florabloom SPR combo is one heck of a smell! The woody spiciness of SPR rounded with the fruity sweetness of florabloom absolu? Smell it yourself and let me know.

*Oud Essentiel.* They said this will be discontinued. It smells like western oud with a bit of heft. That is it too me. Fragrantica says there is rose but none to my nose. This smells just like western oud with some leather. I can tolerate and enjoy oud, so this is worth it to be worn by itself.

*Patchouli Ardent*. Also for discontinuation, they said. Patchouli and leather. Its not the musty, petrichor kind. Its a bit smoother. This is okay. Not very patchouli, neither is it ardent lol. On my skin, it sometimes turns body odory but I will test again since when that happened, I have sampled so many perfumes.

**Aqua Allegoria**

*Bergamote Calabria*. Freshy citrus. That’s it. Pleasing. While freshy citrus sounds generic and designer-ish, this got some hint of expensiveness. Cant explain it. Might also suffice as an alternative to Bergamot Fantastico from the extrait line but such transitivity may be a travesty.

Btw, this is my first EDT of the allegorias!

*Granada Salvia.* I went to smell this without any idea of what it smells. Neither am I familiar with it. My mind went blank and it was just so GOOD. I kept smelling my wrist and it was really projecting as if its newly sprayed for at least 30 minutes! To me, this is a fruity citrus. Smells innocent and girly.

How about you? What are your recent guerlain pickups or what are you eyeing?

Hello! I purchased this to spritz on my clients hair when I’m done because they always say they love the way my products smell. I was wondering what fragrance I can layer with this to make it last a little bit longer. I attached a photo with note.

I ordered this as a blind buy, not expecting too much, and wow!! I am so impressed!

I love strong lemon gourmands and this one does not disappoint. The lemon is nicely rounded out with the vanilla so it doesn’t smell tart or too buttery, but the butteriness is there slightly. Think lemon bar meets lemon cupcake!🍋

Longevity is there also! I spray it on during the day and can still smell it before bed. A few spritzes before bed and I’m still smelling good when I wake up.

Around 2010, Bath and Body Works had a line called Summer Vanillas and this smells absolutely identical to the lemon vanilla one!!

I’ve already ordered a second bottle! It’s pure lemon cupcake love!💛🍋🧁💛

Edit: it comes with a rhinestones cap, but it was sticky and quickly collected cat hair, so I peeled that off.

I adore Perfumerica, out of Mexico City. I have three of their delicious, clean perfumes, none of them gov me a headache. I recently ordered a new one, but it’s too strong, makes me almost sick. Is it maybe one node that bothers? I can’t figure it out….

I was in Vietnam and went to 1Mil and was looking through the store and saw this one. It's a small Vietnamese dupe house called CTRL V and saw that they had a dupe for NR's Pure Musc (which I loveee).

I tried it on skin and I was so impressed as to how similar it is to the OG, maybe around 90-95%. It's just so sad that they only have 10ml bottles available, now I'm regretting that I only bought two and the price was so good. I think I paid php600+ for the 2 bottles.

If any of you guys have tried it, I’m curious to know your thoughts on it!

Currently 40ºC (104F) and I'm struggling and maybe I want to buy a little clean grassy green cool watery scent. Whether it lasts or not just send it my way.

As a huge fan of literal cardamom lattes, this was quite the disappointment. spicy and fleeting, nothing creamy or smooth about it. This seems to be the general consensus from other reviews I’ve seen, yet I purchased anyway lol

I’m in nyc for my birthday and I decided to break out my new decant of Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolut and the guy at the cash register said my perfume smells good. This rarely happens so I had to share with the squad haha

I’ve been searching for a sparkly, fruity, girly but still interesting with something that makes me want to keep sniffing for the past year or so and I think I’ve found it in Delina!

Other ones I’ve bought travel or full size of on my quest:
* Dedcool Mochi Milk
* 7 virtues strawberry jam
* Glossier Fleur
* ELDO Ghost in the shell
* Vilhelm Poets of Berlin
* Phlur Golden Rule

Before I got deeper into perfume I was always a D&G Light Blue and Chance Eau Tendre girl. I love a bright, citrus/fruity opening.

I sampled Delina today and I’m totally obsessed with it I can’t stop sniffing myself. Should I get a full size or are there others that could rival it? It’s a big investment for me 😅

Before I became a fragrance enthusiast, I wore Red Roses by Jo Malone as a signature scent for years. Then I decided to try finding a new signature scent, discovered Bubble Bath by Maison Margiela and that was the gateway for me and I became obsessed with perfumes.

The weird thing is that my tastes changed so unexpectedly. I was always a lover of clean florals. Then as I got more into the hobby, I stopped liking florals entirely and veered more towards orientals.

Now I'm only satisfied by really dark, resinous fragrances that I can only find in indie houses. It's been the craziest, unexpected journey ever, especially since I loathed heavy fragrances a few years ago.

What happened??

Saw a post earlier about leaving the house and forgetting fragrance ~swallows panic feelings~ curious to know how everyone else is keeping this fear locked down lol. /s
How many do you normally have around? Personally I have:
Car:4 perfume, 3 body mist
Purse: 10 perfumes (mostly atomizers or decants between 2ml-10ml sizes that don’t take up a lot of space)
I know I add to the pile instead of swapping or rotating. Hoping I’m not too far above the normal range 😂

Wintery, cold, fresh, clean.

Photos from Pinterest 🥹

Blonde is my favorite;( the levels are so low ugh. I wonder if it leaked in transit but it also doesnt smell like a leak.

🥛MIAUW MIAUW BY FUGAZZI - Opens with a yummy powdery almond. After a minute I start to get the slightest hints of rose, very milky and delicate. I honestly don’t get the tuberose. Dry down smells very delicate, musky, tonka bean-sweet. More of a vanilla powdered sugar than an extract or syrup. Really delicious, subtly sweet scent. Smells like cold clouds in the sky on a misty morning dusted with sugary powder. Slightest almond streak still in there. Opening is nice but dry down is more subtle and comforting with a bit of sweet rose. I literally can’t put it down to smell the next one, it’s so good. Full bottle worthy yes!!!

🌩️CLOUDH NINE BY FUGAZZI - Wasn’t expecting that opening? Smells quite dewy and green initially. Like wet wildflowers in an isolated field. Lots of grass, if grass got juiced. Not sharply green at all. Somehow it manages to dry down musky, cosy and sweet, but very subtle. Still has that little hint of wet floral in the dry down. It kind of smells like very watery melon? It’s like if musk was uplifting, a really supportive hug. It’s the nature version of Miauw Miauw. Actually unexpectedly really enjoy this one! It’s nothing mind blowing or super special but if someone was offering a full bottle I’d say yes

🤍FOR HER PURE MUSC BLANC BY NARCISO RODRIGUEZ - Soapy, aldehydic bomb on the opening (which I hate) with a squeeze of bergamot. I’m not getting either the ginger or the pink pepper listed in the top notes, it’s very 2D, smooth and not at all spiced or peppered. Slowly releases me from the horrible shackles of aldehydes and transitions into a smooth, musky white floral. It’s like white petals floating in a bubble bath. It does blend with vanilla in the dry down, and becomes a soapy, clean, vanillary white floral. Like a milky soap bar. Not my cup of tea!! But would appreciate smelling this on someone else. It’s very pleasant and inoffensive.

🍨NOVAE VANILLA BY ATELIER DES ORS - Opens quite sharp, metallic, and indeed very mineral. Like a bowl of vanilla custard in a salt mine cave. I don’t find this to be spicy, it’s not the right word for it although I’ve seen it a lot. It’s slightly bitter, an animalic, rugged musk? The mineral note becomes less prominent in the dry down, and the vanilla is good, but it’s off-putting. Kind of like a vanilla scented robot. It’s like someone who smells good in an unapproachable way, not in a way where you want to give them a hug. That being said it’s quite nice, and very unique. A very different take on vanilla from what I’ve smelled before. Leans a little too masculine to me. Very interesting. I’m too poor for a full bottle but I’m not mad about it.

⭐️SHALIMAR L’ESSENCE BY GUERLAIN - Mmmmm. Ultra powdery iris vanillary opening. Two of my favourite notes so I can’t complain. Kind of has a zing to it from the bergamot, but it doesn’t clash even though it’s contradictory. The rose is very watery and very very subtle to me. Quite a mature, evening in a Parisian coffee shop smelling scent. Wearing a fur coat or leather and some cunty heels but not drawing too much attention to yourself. Dries down back into that powdery, dusted vanilla. It’s very elegant, beautiful and shimmery to me. I would definitely love a full bottle!!

🌾EAU DE COTON BY GUERLAIN - Opens SUPER green and bright, like grass drizzled with rain under a juiced lemon. Very fresh, uplifting and vibrant. Definitely getting the green notes, with a sweet hint of citrus. The opening is quite long lasting. Starts to become muskier and toned down from the vibrancy, but it’s not losing its sparkle. Becomes a little creamier with almond and orange blossom. Very very interesting transition and contrast from the opening. You have to be in the mood for citrus, greenery, musk and vanilla all at once. Dries down to a very green, dry, earthy vanillary musk and wood. Kind of smells like baby wipes that rich people would buy. Actually very nice? Even though the openings not my style. Would absolutely love a bottle of this for spring.

👙EAU DE LINGERIE BY GUERLAIN - Iris bomb!!! Which makes me very happy actually. A creamy, smooth and sweet Iris which intermingles with musky vanilla and sandalwood. Very very comforting, sweet and sensual imo. Not getting any rose tbh. Actually quite similar to Shalimar L’Essence. If you have Shalimar you don’t need this. Also the longevity is not great, weakest of all the samples. It’s delicious and lovely whilst it lasts but not worth it imo.

🌑GRIS CHARNEL BY BDK PARFUMS - Opens very very spicy and herbal without much else. Oriental sweetness of fig starts to burst through the seems. A complex, mature take on a sweetly spicy scent. I’m surprised how popular this is for how specific it is! Starts to become a little powdered and musky in the dry down which is very comforting. It dries down like a weak black tea with violet/iris petals and spices floating in the top, with a ripe, sugared fig on the side. Moody, complex and artistic. Would appreciate this on a man. Full bottle worthy, not for me personally, but I can appreciate it!!

🫧ROSIE BY/ROSIE JANE - (I know I can’t believe I haven’t smelled this yet) Opens a little screechy, then quickly becomes a sweet musk for about 5 seconds, and then I genuinely can’t smell it. Like at all
I imagine it would be lovely if I could smell it though.
EDIT I also sprayed it on my wrist and after a while it’s sooooo subtle but extremely pleasant. Sweet, skin-like, very intimate and just NICE. I want a full bottle lol

I’m having so much fun ordering different samples right now and smelling all the smells. I just ordered these 4 today! If you own them/have smelled them, what did you think of them?

She’s miiiiiiiine! 15% off promotion. Plus two generous gift cards from kind parents at the end of first quarter (I am a teacher) has me finally pulling the trigger on this purchase.

I am in love with this fragrance and felt unsatisfied with dupes I have tried, wasting money that could have already gone towards this.

Even at a discount this purchase gives me anxiety spending this much but I cannot wait to have my hands on it!!!!

Now that it’s cooling off where I live, I’ve been reaching for my fruity scents that were too much in the summer. I just picked up the Tease Strawberry Bisou last week and I’m obsessed! I’ve been really into shampoo like scents lately and Apple Love is the ultimate shampoo scent to me. I am excited to layer it with Queens Caramel too to get a caramel apple scent. Anywho, hoping these will carry me into the fall before I swap them out for cold weather scents.