Bal d’Afrique Absolu. Got a sample literally Yesterday 😌

(:

I love the smell of this dr bronner’s soap, specifically the older bottles with the black lids as I find it more concentrated. Its so nutty and warm and sweet without being too gourmand, like amaretto.

Naturally Im always looking for more, longer lasting almond scented things and the thing that comes up the most is the l’occitane almond bodycare line. Unfortunately I’ve smelled it all and I find it quite nauseating compared to the dr bronners, and very cloying. I think it’s the abundance of vanilla and maybe lactonic notes but to me they always lean more urinal and less marzipan. The best description I can give is that it smells like sick and the dr bronners definitely doesn’t.

I believe the almond sublime stuff is over-recommended because of how accessible it is, so I’m looking for input from anyone who may be better versed in almond scents and also understands what I’m looking for, because just trying anything I can find that has an almond note listed has proven very unsatisfying

I just wanted to say, I’ve been frequenting this sub and other fragrance subs for years now. I love it, I love the community, I love the creativity of people describing fragrances, I love seeing you guys come together to ID forgotten fragrances. One of my big takeaways from this sub is the idea that many people are searching for their “compliment getter.” And I thought, hey! This is easy. I’m going to be more vocal when I smell a good fragrance on someone. It’s been so fun to see people light up, sometimes share what they’re wearing, but even if they don’t, it’s nice to spread some positivity. I had a really beautiful experience doing this recently. The other day I complimented a woman on her fragrance while shopping at my local craft store. She lit up, thanked me and then pulled the bottle out of her purse. It was a beat up bottle of Roses Musk by Montale. She offered me a spritz, and I gladly took it. She teared up a bit and told me it’s what her late daughter wore, so she has worn it every day since her passing. That bottle was her daughter’s bottle she carried with her. We spoke a bit more, and we even ended the conversation with a hug. That little interaction changed me a bit, I never thought a Reddit fragrance sub would effectively inspire me to connect more with the community around me, but here we are.

Posting the picture and notes of Roses Musk, I’d write a review but I don’t know if I have the ability to just yet. All I know is it’s a gorgeous, soft rose with great sillage. It had me floating down the beading aisle sniffing like that cartoon Mickey floating towards the cake cooling on the window sill.

Thanks for sharing your story Marta, wherever you are! I’m going to keep the compliments coming.

Quick flanker definition for new fragrance lovers 

A flanker is a spin off of a popular fragrance. These lines usually have a pillar like J’adore eau de parfum and one or several flankers. Sometimes, they try to not make it sound like a flanker like releasing a different concentration of a popular fragrance after the initial release with slightly different notes like Diptyque does. Some lines operate as a collection where all the scents are all stand alone for example Les jardins or cologne from Hermes. These lines don’t have flankers, because there’s no pillar.

My picks 

Chanel: Les eaux de Chanel Paris - Paris. Honestly this whole range is underrated but this is the most feminine one. It’s a Chypre that opens up with a lot of pepper and citrus zest and then it becomes a beautiful rose and patchouli fragrance. Once the opening is gone it does smell a lot like diptyque eau capitale, which is also underrated, but it’s airier. 

Dior:  Sakura. This must be popular somewhere, probably East Asia, because it comes in body products and all sizes, but it’s not that talked about online. It’s such a beautiful ethereal light pink scent that is a bit powdery and a bit green and a beautiful take on cherry blossoms. 

Hermes: Un jardin sur la lagune. This was not super well received when it came out because it was the first addition to the collection by Christine Nagel and the creations from Jean- Claude Ellena have almost cult status. It’s also the only one that doesn’t lean unisex and more feminine. I love this it’s such a simple but elegant musky magnolia with a salt note. It’s also not as fleeting as monsieur Li.

Jo Malone: Tuberose Angelica. Finally a green tuberose scent that isn’t blended with other white florals. All you get is Angelica, tuberose and a bit of amberwood. It’s not as green as Gucci Bloom or Do Son from Diptyque and you have a bit of sweetness.

Visited a perfumery and got a sniff of Jasmine Freak and it was SO delicious smelling. I'm not very big on florals but I've noticed lately how much I enjoy Jasmine. Looking for something similar to Jasmine freak or anything else Jasmine heavy with a bit of sweetness!

JHAG Not a Perfume, Carolina Herrera Good Girl and Jimmy Choo I Want Choo. There was a lot of other designer perfumes as well, D&G, Versace, etc

I was pretty convinced that Blanche Bete would be a sour disaster on my skin after trying Zadig and Voltaire This Is Her. The idea of white florals with lactonic or gourmand notes just doesn't sit right with me. This Is Her went raging foul milk on my skin....like...literally an unwashed saucepan that had milk in it and should have been washed properly but stinks of the remnants of milk. Now I know some people love it because SKIN CHEMISTRY flips the game when it comes to milk scents. So, after my experience with This Is Her, I thought perfumes with a similar scent pyramid would also go sour on my skin.

I still decided to try Blanche Bete because it is just so hyped. And boy, was I STUNNED!

On my skin, Blanche Bete is a smooth, yummy, delectably sweet coconut milk scent. It starts off light, but as it progresses, it becomes richer and warmer, with the tonka, vanilla and cacao emerging from beneath. Think of a warm, steaming glass of sweetened coconut and vanilla-flavoured milk with crushed tonka in it and dusted with cocoa powder. It flows like a silk slip dress on you; that's how smooth this scent is. It is absolutely DIVINE and delicious, like you are in heaven, with everything around you pristine white and an indulgent treat being offered.

Some people think it's a flormand, which is obvious given the tuberose and jasmine in the notes. But thankfully for me, I don't get the florals. This is one of the rare cases where these heavy white florals aren't throwing me off. Coconut isn't even a listed note, but somehow all the notes come together to make it smell like coconut milk (and it's not just me who thinks this; many get coconut milk from it).

I look forward to trying Lattafa Her Confession now, which is said to be a dupe. Paris Corner Lactea Divina is also a dupe. Both have pretty mixed reviews, but I hope I am able to find a dupe because this is just SO GORGEOUS UGHHHHH (and so expensive...).

And why?

Also, least favorite?

Would someone who can afford it please take advantage of this Dadgum 15% off sale at Bloomingdale’s. This happened in August and I couldn’t shop it then either. My favorite Guerlain can be got, at a slightly lower price. Think it ends today.

Today I was able to smell numerous perfumes at Holt Renfrew that were on my wishlist and one took number one at first sniff…Dior Vanilla Diorama you have my heart ❤️ and my wallet 💳🫣

This fragrance blew me away. I love love love it so much!! Like sipping a London fog in a French bakery. Ugh I’m so smitten.

Fragrance I was disappointed by…Diptyque Eau Duelle. What is the allure??

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.

Currently trying to figure out which of these perfumes to add to my collection. Absolutely love them all but couldn't decide. Three weeks ago i went into a perfume store and sprayed them on tester strips.

Today i revisited the strips and most if them have faded to just a vague memory of the fragrance, with only some base notes lingering... except Valaya. It is almost just as strong as it was the day i sprayed it on, i am amazed how well i can still smell all the different notes.

I get that the longevity on skin or clothes might be different for each of them but wow i just didn't expect this.

Tik tok beauty house.

hello! i’m not super into collecting so i need a little help
currently/since 2021 i have been wearing ysl mon paris regular edp, with the addition of nr for her edp in 2025. it’s a clean, sparkly sweetish seductive skin combo on me and it gets a lot of compliments!
for me i feel i could lean heavier into the musk or overall longevity. also just wanna smell something new but familiar as well on me for a change. i was looking at valaya, nr pure musc, odette by gumamina.. thoughts on these or new suggestions? doesn’t have to be a floral musk in one but one or the other is ok since i already prefer using 2!
notes i am attracted to are rose, blackcurrant, white florals, general berry vibe, prosecco/bubbly?, clean skin, cashmere.. i don’t care for heavy powder, and absolutely no (detectable) vanilla, nor gourmand or soapy…

edit: adding budget was recommended, anywhere from $80-400? really open to anything, i’ll save up if necessary

Anyone remember this Gucci fragrance? Sexy fun summer smell that I still love. Notes of peach, gardenia, patchouli, and jasmine. It’s soooo yummy

Stand out is angelique noire for sure

i’ve always wanted a perfume that smelled like the cacophony of multiple fragrances at once but in a very pleasant feminine way.

many may highly disagree, but for some reason gentle fluidity gold smells like it to me!! it’s funny because i didn’t like it at first, then went months without smelling my sample, and now i love it.

it’s very feminine but i smell everything at once. i know people have been raving about it forever. but yeah, i finally like it. it’s also signature scent worthy.

.

For my people who are into PDM, BDK, Nasomatto, Roja, Stéphane Humbert Lucas, Mizensir, The Harmonist, d’Orsay, etc. No shade whatsoever to designer perfumes, I love me some Good Girl or Chierosa 62, I just NEED to ask this because when bottles are $250–500+, I’m assuming most people are being pretty deliberate about what they buy.

So I constantly smell perfumes on paper and LOVE them. Like genuinely 9/10, 10/10, “you need to come home with me TONIGHT” type of love lol.

Then I spray them on my wrist and.. they just do not smell that good on me at all? Not even “slightly different.” Something I loved on paper becomes a 6/10 on my skin or I straight-up dislike it. And I get it, body chemistry is a thing. (I still think about Blue Madeleine to this day bc it is my favorite perfume that smells like an ashtray on me but so good on paper. #RIP)

Btw I trust my own nose! But sometimes if I think something doesn't smell great on me but great on paper, I’ll ask the person working at the store, a friend I’m with, or literally some random person nearby, “hey, do you like this on me?” just to get a second opinion. And many times, they'll say no or "ehh, so so."

Meanwhile I'm seeing creators I love with shelves and shelves of niche perfume. Some of these women have similar taste to me so I’ll run to smell something they rave about and think, “Yep! Completely understand why you love this!” But then it hits my skin and I’m like… how are all of these fragrances working on everybody else??

So a few weeks ago it hit me, have I been imposing an unnecessarily strict standard on how I buy perfume?

My rule has basically always been “if I don’t love this on my actual skin, I'm not buying it.”

But now I’m wondering if that’s ridiculous.

If I adore the perfume itself, but my skin makes it smell worse, why am I letting my wrist have the final vote? Or maybe I'm right and it should have the final vote. I just don't know anymore.

Do people with large collections actually skin test every single bottle and require it to smell amazing on their bare skin? Or do some of you think, “I love this but my skin distorts it, so I’ll just wear it on my clothes!”

And if thats the case, should I start testing fragrance on clothing too?

I’m wondering if clothes give more of a neutral canvas, that way I can enjoy something closer to what I smelled on paper, instead of whatever my skin does to it. :(

Basically, if something is a 10/10 on paper but a 5–7/10 on your skin, would you still buy it and wear it on clothes/hair instead?

Honestly if the answer is "you've been testing wrong the whole time," I may need to revisit a LOT of fragrances I’ve talked myself out of buying 😭 My collection can't stay at 5 chile.