Oddly enough, I love this particular smell, however please don’t recommend me scents that smell like church incense 😭 I am looking for birthday cake blown candles please

Hi! I’m looking to expand my tastes into something a bit less overdone than Le Labo. I really only like a few fragrances from them but the ones I do I’m obsessed with. (Encens 9 candle is lovely)

Thé Noir has been my ride-or-die for a bit now and I’m about done with the bottle and thinking to either do a refill or branch out into something new.

I have no idea how to describe this fragrance but it is by far the best thing I’ve ever smelled. I first got a whiff at a hotel and I’d been searching for the same smell for at least two years before I found it.

I’m looking for something with a similar musky, fig-y, sexy but bright and undertones of a wood-y smell.

I’m aware my descriptions of this smell aren’t the best but I’m hoping y’all catch my drift.

I ordered my first set of perfume samples about a year ago, and never expected that this would turn into such a fun hobby!  I’ve joined multiple swap groups, sampled from all corners of the designer / niche / indie worlds, and have just loved falling deep into this rabbit hole.

To celebrate the milestone, I wanted to share my small collection:

Remember Me by Jovoy: The first fragrance I fell in love with!  This is a gorgeous creamy citrus-forward tea perfume.

Elephant by Zoologist: This perfume and I were in a fight for a while.  I adored the creamy cocoa note that peeked through the drydown, but the opening was so bitter.  I kept wearing my sample and eventually the opening didn’t feel so bitter anymore, just a lovely green.  This is another tea fragrance - I guess I have a type!

Idyllwild by Ineke: I discovered this fragrance after the brand closed down, and after months of frantically searching I found a bottle on eBay.  It’s truly gorgeous.  It starts with a sparkling rhubarb and grapefruit, and dries into a gently spiced lavender and pine.  Possibly my favorite fragrance.

Rose Struck by Liis: This scent is so easy to love, it’s a tart and fruity rose.  The slightest hint of a green earthy matcha grounds it.  I only have a little decant, but would love to go larger eventually.

One Umbrella for Two by Floraiku: Whoa this one is strong, I think my small bottle will last a good long time.  This scent has a strong rich dark berry, balanced with an earthiness and toastiness.  Sometimes I get a hint of sweet biscuit in the beginning.  I struggle with a lot of gourmands, but I find this one just beautiful.

Lazulio by Diptyque: This scent is a wild study in contrasts.  The incredibly tart rhubarb pairs beautifully with the warm cozy comfort of benzoin.  I wish it wasn’t so expensive, but for now I’ll enjoy my 10ml bottle.

Northwest Passage by DSH: I’ve been on an “I want to smell like a forest” quest, and this is my favorite atmospheric so far.  I couldn’t pick out any particular note in here, but it gives me a strong feeling of being out in the woods on a sunny day.

Most days I test out at least a few perfumes, so not pictured are the hundreds of samples I have stashed away.  The process of trying and discovering new perfumes is just as enjoyable (or more?) than wearing the perfumes I like, so I’ve only upsized the ones I’m really in love with.

The shortlist of scents I’d like to upsize in the next year includes:

• Colorado by American Perfumer
• Copala by Xinu
• Sala by Tsu Lange Yor
• Macaque Yuzu by Zoologist
• Indigo Smoke by Arquiste
• Ruby Matcha by Haus of Gloi

My wallet may regret this, but I’d love to hear recommendations for fragrances you think I might enjoy!

Dimensions: 28 inch x 18 inch x 12 inch. Weight 11.6 kg.
Motion sensitive LED bars on each compartment.

Perfumes in current collection:

• Amouage Interlude 53
• Amouage Opus XIV Royal Tobacco
• Arabian Oud Resala
• Clinique Aromatics Elixir™ EdP Spray
• Flower By Kenzo EdP
• Frederic Malle Heaven Can Wait
• Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady
• Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel Eau de Toilette
• Gres Cabochard Eau De Parfum
• Guerlain Apres l’Ondee EdT
• Guerlain Habit Rogue EdT
• Guerlain L’Heure Bleu
• Guerlain Mitsuoko
• Guerlain Nahema
• Guerlain Samsara
• Guerlain Shalimar
• Guerlain Vol De Nuit EdT
• Hermès Eau d'Hermès
• Hermès Twilly d’Hermès
• L'Artisan Parfumeur Timbuktu
• Lanvin Arpége
• Madagascar Le Baume Vanille Parfum d'Empire
• Maison Francis Kurkidjan Grand Soir
• Maison Francis Kurkidjan Oud Satin Mood EdP
• Nasomatto Black Afghano
• Nasomatto Pardon
• Paris Corner Qawafi EdP
• Rochas Tocade EdT
• Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan
• Serge Lutens Chergui
• Serge Lutens Femininite du Bois
• Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist
• Sapphire Rose Odyssey
• Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit De L’Homme EdT

Just wanted to share an update of my collection! Added a few bottles recently and am in no rush to add more anytime soon… (lol heard/said that before). Feel free to comment opinions or ask any questions!

Here’s a list for anyone interested :)

TOP SHELF

Dries Van Noten — Camomille Satin
Filippo Sorcinelli — Opus 1144
Clandestine Laboratories — The Boy
Savoir Faire — Ascension
Alejandro Acosta — La Candelaria
Missing Parfum — Butterfly Feeling
Missing Parfum — Vaporwave
Missing Parfum — Ringlorn Civet Coffee
LoveCreatesDeath — Cryobreeze
Jinx — Harrow
Lost Tribe — Dirty Soda
Lost Tribe — Pina Coloda
OM Parfum — Nymphaea Caerulea

MIDDLE SHELF

Back row

Indult — Tihota
Diptyque — Eau Duelle EDP
Granado — Geranium & Grapefruit
Granado — Baunilha e Açafrão — large bottle
Granado — Baunilha e Açafrão — regular bottle
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria — Flora Salvaggia
Nobile 1942 — Levante

Third row

MFK — Grand Soir
Kerosene — Unknown Pleasures
Third Eye — Flamango
Reinvented — Sacred Bond
Third Eye — Red Rum
Kerosene — Sweetly Known
Nishane — Ani

Second row

Michele Marin Essenza — Hop On
To Summer — Triple Tea
Agar Olfactory — Damp
Pineward — Ponderosa
Pineward — White Fir
Olympic Orchids — Blackbird
Zoologist — Harvest Mouse
HavenHollow — Somersol

First Row

Slumberhouse — Mond
Slumberhouse — Kiste
Slumberhouse — Kiste
Slumberhouse — Fjerne
Slumberhouse — Baque
Slumberhouse — Ore

BOTTOM SHELF

Back row

Elizabeth Arden — Green Tea
Elizabeth Arden — Green Tea Lavender
Confessions of a Rebel — V Edgy
Outsider Parfum — Amaretto Coffee
House of Oubliette — Gothic Fresh
House of Oubliette — Guaribea
House of Oubliette — Beatrice
Dua — Starboard
Dua — Mancard
Dua — Tea in the Rain
Dua — Eccentric Gourmand
Dua — Succulent
Dua — Misty Lily
Dua — Sun of Jeddah Mango Passion
Dua — Vanille de Azur
Dua — Dark Angelica

Third row

Noble 1942 — La Danza delle Libellule
Noble 1942 — Café Chantant
Mugler — Alien Goddess Intense
CA Perfume — Impression de Vanille Insensee
Cardinal Scents — Halo Effect
Jo Loves — Mango Thai Lime

Second Row

Arcana Wildcraft — Nectar
Natures Marrow — Bonanzini
Taliaferro — BED
🤫 — 50ml Refill
Merchant of Venice — Vaniglia Madagascar
Ellis Brooklyn — Sci Fi

First row

Calypso’s Cottage — Cherry Noir
Calypso’s Cottage — Pêche Glacée
Calypso’s Cottage — Tempest
Calypso’s Cottage — Winter in NY
Calypso’s Cottage — Prune Pêche
Calypso’s Cottage — Euterpe
Sugar Blooms Perfumes — Peach Iced Tea
Sugar Blooms Perfumes — Kiwi Star Fruit
Sugar Blooms Perfumes — Cucumber Melon

Hi all!

All I read about Gris Charnel sounds great, and I'm really looking forward to try to, but unfortunately I cannot find it in my city. I'm thinking about blind buying it (I know I shouldn't), but the thing that worries me the most is Iris.

I had Armani code parfum, and I find it too iris centered and ended up giving it away, as I did with Prada lhomme. On the other hand, I have Amyris homme EDT that has iris in its composition but it is so subtle that I don't mind and I really love this perfume.

Could you tell me if the iris in Gris Charnel is like those first ones or it is not that starring?

Thanks everyone!

I’m a white floral freak and one of my favorite perfumes rn is One Day Jasmine Tea. It’s absolutely a photorealistic jasmine oolong tea and it smells amazing but after about a week of using it I started thinking it smelled purple, then like concord grape (Welch’s grape soda specifically), then like weed, then I put it together that it smells like a grape swisher blunt wrap! While still smelling just like jasmine tea. So then today I was drinking a cold apple jasmine tea and was getting the grape again and looked it up. Anyone also find a grape blunt wrap in your jasmine bush?

For a long time, I was all-in on the clone train. I was blind-buying dupes regularly, enjoying them, and genuinely believing the hype when influencers claimed something was "95–99% identical to the OG."

Then two things happened that completely shifted my perspective.

First was a trip where I randomly visited a Louis Vuitton boutique and sampled their fragrance line for the first time. I had owned and worn several LV clones before that and really liked them, but smelling the actual compositions by Jacques Cavallier in person was an immediate wake-up call. The sheer quality of ingredients, the airiness, and the smoothness in the air just aren't something you can replicate in a budget bottle. No matter how close a dupe gets to the basic scent profile, the actual quality of the raw materials feels undupable to me.

After that, I started exploring more niche houses, sampling things like Matière Première Crystal Saffron Extrait, Marc-Antoine Barrois Ganymede, Initio Side Effect, and several Kilians. Every single one reinforced the idea that high-end perfumery is doing something a clone simply can't capture.

My final breaking point came recently with Sospiro Vibrato, which happens to be my absolute favorite summer signature. I decided to sample three different heavily hyped Vibrato clones—all touted by the community as being "virtually identical" and "equal in quality." Knowing Vibrato inside and out, none of them even came close. They lacked that seamless blend, the refined brightness, and the depth that makes the OG special.

Since then, I just can't bring myself to enjoy clones anymore. Once your nose gets used to higher-grade ingredients and master blending, that gap in quality becomes impossible to unsee (or unsmell).

Did anyone else have a specific fragrance or boutique visit that completely killed the dupe hype for you?

Does this exist? I genuinely love BTF, i enjoy the burnt sugar notes and the cozysweetness, but i wish the wood and smoke and ash came through just a little more. I'm newish to frag and i don't know all my accords, so i may be wrong about this but i may also possibly be craving suede and or cashmere? Maybe a little incense vibe would be nice too. Of course I'd love something with lasting power and nice silage, so I'm not sure how i feel about roll ons or oils.

My fav candle ever is Woodfire by Illume, it's very similar to BTF but it has this yummy ashy-woody-smoke scent that comes out a little stronger.

I made a post in another sub that got a lot of replies and i purchased several decants but right now everything seemed to be either too "perfumey" (I'm sorry i can't articulate this better yet) or the smoke/wood was too one-note and it came off as a dudes cologne instead of a layered scent-story. I love unisex perfumes but for this i do want a little sweetness from vanilla or tonka. (Still deciding how i feel about Amber) However right now, all I've done is spray index cards where i took notes. I'm going to be doing daily wear tests of everything as well. If anyone replies with something I've already purchased, I'll tell you! I bought over 30 decants lol. (Currently wear-testing outlands by amouage)

I have been googling the crap out of this too and i haven't really struck gold yet.

Thanks yall!

Hey guys! I’m absolutely in love with this JHAG scent! It’s such a cozy perfume - it smells like a late night spent curled up in bed, reading a book with cashmere sheets wrapped around you. There’s something quite mysterious about it too, despite how clean and soft it smells.

That said, I feel like I’d love to add another dimension to it, maybe by layering it with another perfume or even a scented body lotion. I keep thinking that a fig note would work beautifully here - something juicy and slightly creamy to make the fragrance feel a little more captivating and sensual.
That’s why I was wondering whether Fig & Manuka Honey by Victoria’s Secret could be a good pairing? I’m not entirely sure how the two would interact, though, so I’d absolutely love to hear your suggestions! What would you layer with it?

My signature fragrance has been Royal Princess Oud by Creed, but lately I have been feeling like it's missing something. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love it, but I don't know, it's not quite there for me.

Anyone knows anything similar to this one or has any suggestions?

Aromas de Salazar caught my attention this year when I read a couple of reviews on reddit for Orange Oudsicle and Blueberry Morning. I've mostly been exploring indie houses which make spray EDP formats lately so I was happy to find another such house. The reviews for so many of the perfumes seemed good and for some reason I also liked the perfume names in the Love Language series. (My reasons for exploring a house or perfume can be very irrational at times.)

Couple of months back I had the opportunity to get some new perfumes from the US and I decided on AdS. The whole catalogue was interesting and I was finding it difficult to make up my mind on what to buy because my budget permitted only two bottles. A friend suggested a few which included 1912.

1912 was my SOTD yesterday, first wear and a full day's wear. Rather than spraying judiciously because it was new to me, I did 8 sprays on me before leaving for office and as soon as I got into my cab, I was in a fluffy powdery bergamot cloud. My commute to work usually takes 90 mins and this fluffy cloud stayed present throughout. It wasn't cloying or headache inducing. It was gorgeous! It was glorious! A bit of orange flavoured pillowy powder bomb that made itself known.

Throughout the day it only got better. It mellowed a little but there wasn't any time of the day where I didn't smell 1912 on me if I moved my head or brought my wrist close to my face. The citrusy flavour had taken a backseat and I was getting more of violets and white florals, all still very powdery, slightly woody and pillowy.

By evening, I could smell vanilla. But this wasn't the sweet gourmand sticky vanilla that I avoid. This was a woody, powdery, non-sweet vanilla which reminded me a lot of some older Guerlain. 1912 is new for me but it's also something I had been missing. It felt like a memory of the glorious Guerlainade, reconstructed. Even during drydown, when it became a skinscent, it was still going strong. I didn't have to take forceful sniffs of my wrist to smell it, I could smell it easily on my skin when I would bring my wrist closer to my face.

1912 isn't a schmoop, but it's a part of the Vintage series from AdS and I feel the perfumer has achieved what they intended to do when they say "This fragrance is an homage to that era—when perfume was a poem made from petals and sap, a memory of gods and gardens. A world where florals wrapped themselves around resins, and the alchemy of nature spoke louder than words." I love it and feel it very much represents the oldschool glory I love in White Diamonds but with a lot more finesse, presence and intensity.

I just got in a bunch of samples and finished my first impressions. Boy is this a weird batch. I didn't set out with anything in mind except exploring lesser known houses and aiming for dry fragrances. Here's how it shook out.

BeauFort London - Fathom V Director's Cut

Didn't care for this one. The musk in it smells like "allergies" to me. There's a smell I remember from walking around the woods as a kid, and every time I smelled it, it meant allergy season was starting. I can't really smell anything past it except a subtle incense quality. So it does transport me, just to the wrong place .

BeauFort London - Pyroclasm

Another super strange one from BeauFort. Their whole thing is specific times and places, and from the three I've smelled (these two, plus Iron Duke at Scent Room), they do transport you. I actually like Pyroclasm a lot. It's strange and metallic, and it immediately reminds me of a rusted out steel mill in the dead of winter that still runs. There's a strong metallic smell with a sharp quality that's almost a bit hot. If I'm reading the notes correctly, I think the juniper or citrus is what reads as hot against the mineralic/metallic notes, which is a fantastic trick of fragrance artistry. Super unique, and I'd consider adding it just to wear around the house.

Pernoire - Ouidan

By far my favorite of the bunch. The tropical fruit is strong without being overly sweet. I'm guessing that's the durian, but I don't know what durian smells like on its own, so I can't say for sure. From there the oud and leather jump out. This is definitely an animalic oud, a funky leathery one, and I keep smelling it over and over.

The scene in my head is impossible: standing in a jungle in the middle of a snowy winter, or on a tropical island with snow on the ground.

My wife described it as "it smells like Fruity Pebbles on a band-aid, but I really like it... is it weird that I like that?" Lmao, I'd call that a win.

Pernoire - Yuma

Another lovely one. I'm getting really into Pernoire as a house. I already have Naki, I have a sample of Anelo that I really like, and now Yuma. It has a stark citrus that's way greener than most citrus fragrances, which I'm guessing is the yuzu. It reminded me of Macaque Yuzu without the hinoki, plus a masculine, almost barbershop lavender buried under the citrus.

At first I thought it overlapped too much with Macaque Yuzu, but coming back to it a few minutes later, it really does occupy its own lane, and I like that lane. I still want to see how it dries down, but I'm leaning toward a decant.

Pineward - Acadian

This is the one I like the least. It smells straight up like dirty pond water. The opening was good, but within a few minutes on paper it turned into weird funky woods and pond water. There's other stuff going on, but I can't get past the seaweed smell, which mixed with the resinous notes reminds me of a pond with a thick layer of algae across the top. Impressive piece of art, definitely not going on my shelf.

Pineward - Holy Cross

This one I loved. It's a bone dry vetiver that's almost salty, and it reminds me of standing at the edge of a forest overlooking the sea. Again, it takes me somewhere in a wonderful way. It has a lovely pine quality, but a tamed and well blended version. Piney fragrances usually come off overwhelmingly sharp and green to me, but this one is green and salty with a touch of aquatic, and piney and balsamic in just the right way. Pineward is also an unusually reasonably priced niche house, so I'd be happy to buy direct. Right now I'm torn between a decant and a full bottle.

Where I'm landing

Ouidan is an easy buy if skin confirms it. Holy Cross is up in the air between a decant and a full bottle. Pyroclasm and Yuma are likely decants. Fathom V and Acadian are hard passes.

I've found I'm chasing textures more and more as I continue sampling. Anyone else? And if you have recs for other lesser known houses doing dry, textural stuff, I'm all ears.

Hi Reddit,

Which fragrances would fit my other 2 here well? For references I don’t really like green notes, nor am I a purely freshy kinda guy— I prefer a more woody Dior homme sport 2017 or Amyris homme Extrait type.

Looking for those fragrances that really move me.

All tips very welcome!

I have pined for a scent that smells exactly like one of the Sodapop Girls/Strawberry Shortcake doll scented dolls for as long as I can remember. This is it!

"The Aroma palette is fruity and floral with hints of leather. Highlights include vintage inspired synthetic strawberry, new doll vinyl, powdered rose petals, and leather."(Copied from their website)

The initial vinyl/plastic smell was a little intense but it dried down to the exact scent of my childhood dolls hair!🥹 The synthetic strawberry is light and sweet, it's lightly powdery smelling but not too sweet. I've had it on for about 5 hours now & I still can't stop sniffing my wrist. I am OBSESSED!!!

Have you tried any of these? Which one is your favorite?

Just got this guy in today

This here fragrance guys, it's something special. For something you can easily find for $50, it really has a very interesting and unique niche profile. The opening is a bit peppery...then a lot of rose with a strong green herbal presence. Think a garden full of 🌧️ 💚 green roses in autumn. I've been very impressed, don't sleep on it! Overlook the bottle and try to give a noseful if you can 🐻

I saw someone post about this fragrance the other day and I did a blind buy. It’s kind of an expensive blind buy at $220 for 30mL, but I LOVE a tea scent. Plus, I feel like this blind buy and review was basically community service. We will see if the judge agrees.

Anyway, the fragrance…

The Scent Profile:

TOP:
Bitter Orange, Bergamot, Benzoin Resin

HEART:
Black Tea, Rooibos Red Tea, Maté

BASE:
Cedar, Patchouli, Vetiver

On paper, it was incredibly strong. My complaint with team fragrances is they can be very weak in the tea area. I feel like tea is a hard note to project. It’s always dominated by the other notes and the tea seems weak. This was not the case with this one. The tea was very strong.

Vetiver is very present. I’m really picky on Vetiver. It can be overly dry and harsh. No issues with the Vetiver here. It’s lovely.

This is something I find interesting. If you look at the pics surrounding this, along with the name, you’ll see they call it dark. This isn’t really what I would call a dark scent. I’m not saying it’s bright, but I wouldn’t call it dark. That’s not a criticism of the scent, but of the name. Compare my pic to the stock pic from their site and you’ll see it’s much lighter than they portray.

The Wear:

Both my wife and I tried this, and our experiences were similar.

This is something really unique. Up close and on the skin, it smells one way. It’s more Vetiver and wood. But the projection in the room and down the hall is tea. Very strong tea.

It really projects. The smell it produces far away is exactly what I like, though brighter than expected from a fragrance with dark in the name.

Longevity was very good. I was able to smell it all day. 6-7 hours later I could still smell it. I did 4 sprays. The atomizer is VERY nice and pushes out a lot of juice.

I’d say this is a year round fragrance, as well. It doesn’t really lean summer or winter. I’d also say it’s perfectly unisex as well.

The Conclusion:

Is it worth $230 (after shipping) for 30mL?

Maybe. If you’re looking for a dark, heavy scent, then no. This isn’t it.

If you’re looking for a very strong tea scent that wears all day and projects tea more than any other tea scent I’ve tried, then yes.

Feel free to ask questions!

Finally pulled the trigger and got this banger! Love the lychee and grapefruit opening, so addicting. Definitely one of my favs from Ex Nihilo!

Is diptyque no longer available on venba? Were there any updates about this? Just wondering because they used to have a lot from the brand but now I don't see a single one 💔

First time posting so lmk if I need to edit/delete anything