FRAGRANCE/PERFUME LOVERS LOUNGE!/perfume addiction!

[metalmickey]

hi all!...
here i go again!....always have been a fragrance lover since school days....it
all started with YSL KOUROS which i got to accidentally SNIFF! from my uncles wardrobe!...man!he was/is such a kouros head(term coined by me!)have seen huge carton of kouros with him!...these navy chaps and their ways of classiness!....there MY LOVE FOR GOOD FRAGRANCES STARTED!

Being in school could never afford an perfume with my L.P.M(lame/low pocket money!)...so settled with denim/axe effect/park avenue and obviously the most commercial BRUT! deo's(some were really good but mostly trying to imitate bigger brand perfumes!)...
Days went on to years and my longing for good smells almost gone....And then i hit 9th grade(1999) and bro lands up in med school...later to land up in home during vacations smelling all neat!(only to find out his Gf(now my sis in law!)gifted him a 75ml of DRAKKAR NOIR & a nintendo game boy advance!:lol:!)grrrr.(mooooommmmmy i want to go to college soooon!)..
thus
THE ADDICTION STARTS...........

Years pass now i land up in a fancy med schoolhyeah: in chennai with dreams of expensive perfume gifting beautiful GF's start but then 'chubby' metal mickey doesnt get both!:lol:.....
1st year college passes with sadness/big J's while my friends spoke/smelled of Hugo Bosses/Issey miyake/Dunhill/Azzaro/Christian dior/davidoff!....

Next year seems more academic and my wait continues and finally my 1st perfume lands but not from beautiful gf but rather from my bro's in laws from the states...it was an cool looking 'Ralph lauren Chaps' gift set...yummy it smelled,time to flaunt......
the 'chaps' smelled warm and comfy...

Months later and saved pocket money saved I landed up with the most commercial but still the iconic COOL WATER!.this perfume smells good but has an longeivity on me thats worses than an anything i can remember obvious to find the local stores Rripped me off with a ripp off....


Move over to 2007 folks return from the states with lots of perfume for their perfume starving baby boy(actually now more a stud;P and yeah beautiful gf's from all over india did happen thanx to the ethiraj/wcc/svec/goa & bangalore/wild partieshyeah: some even gifted Armani,Gucci & even Chanel"s!hyeah:women & chanel lol!)) with some neat ones namely Gucci pour homme,BvlgarI blue & Aqua,cool water(again!)and some Ralph Lauren's POLO GREEN...

happy for the next one year...perfumes are getting dry now and now LONGING STARTS AGAIN!!!!...
On my way from pune i land up in our family friends place in mumbai..their younger son & i got to have a secret puff(vaguely remember as dunhill my favourites!) & to cover it up he took an Golden majestic bottled fragrance called ESCADA POUR HOMME...man i was going nuts on his after smoke!!!! fragrance and looking at my 'Lost Puppy LOOK!' bhai happilly gifted me the new 125ml bottle(p.s he now uses burberry london as his after smoke fragrance!)....

Escada pour homme was my 1'ST love in my perfume journey and will always be...i felt i finally attained fragrance Nirvana...i was becoming popular in my circuit with the retro/God Fatherly smell...two bottles later the shock came in the form of escada completely DISCONTINUING their men's line and Escada PH sells now for 12000rs for an 125ml! compared to orginal 2.5k max!!!!!!!!and that too an rarity...man am screwed again!...

SEARCH STARTS AGAIN

for

The SIGNATURE SCENT....

For NON PERFUME HEADS-about perfumes...its something you just cant go by brands or cost but just like our audiophilnes...a GOOD fragrances should Reflect the wearers Persona!!!!!!!!!things to note in good fragrance are Projection/Longeivity,Settin in & Body chemistry...

Just like speaker auditions perfumes also should be SAMPLE SPRAYED & BOUGHT...and just like burning in in speakers the fragrance settles in time on your body SO WAIT AFTER SPRAYING THE SAMPLE FOR A MINIMUM 5 MINUTES!!!!!!!...there are fragrances which i have sprayed with excitement only to smell something stupid after an hour!.....and
Do note just like our gadgets perfumes can be EXXXPENSIVE too starting from $5-500000USD(yeah thats half a million in dollars:licklips:!)

Amazon.com: Clive Christian Imperial Majesty Perfume for Men 16.9 oz Perfume: Beauty

Back to my blah blah's!...after college...started making money...and with all the pent up lust for perfumes!..blew my first 6 months of earning mostly on perfumes and on the
SEARCH FOR MY SIGNATURE SCENT!...
on the process landed up with these!

Burberry-men & British(THANKSto fm rajagopal for letting me audition his burberry british while fm murali was auditioning his lyritta fr )

Christian Dior-Fahrenheit(one of my most favourite! but always gets me negative comments due to it slight similarity in smell to baygon spray)Fahrenheit Aqua,Absolute

Issey Miyakke-pour homme

Dunhill-blue

Bvgri-blue,aqua,pour homme

Juicy couture-dirty english(almost similiar to gucci pour homme!)

Dolce & Gabbana-the one,one gentleman

Yves Saint Laurent-kouros,pour homme

Versace-pour homme

CK-obsession,one(Obsession along with BURBERRY men is my signature mix now!)MOST WOMEN LI(c)kE IT A LOT!!!!!!!!!

Georgio Armani-Aqua Di Gio,pour pomme

Gucci-guilty,pour homme

ESCADA-POUR HOMME

Paco Rabanne-one million

Boss-no 1

Joop-ph

Chanel-allure homme

Puig-quorum(top powerhouse cheapo classic!)

Antonio banderas-Diavolo(cheap rip off of CD'S FAHRENHEIT! 200ML sells for 2k!)

Adollfo-Agua fresca(slightly similiar to ck's one but more citrusy and cheap!)

the last 3 are from spain!!!!!!

End of my list! need to check old gaali bottles again to rewrite list....


CALLING ALL PERFUME HEADS/LOVERS....please SHARE SUGGESTIONS & REVIEWS of your favourite fragrance be it a Axe deo or something from the royal majestic british house of Clive Christian...

P.S-NEVER BUY AN PERFUME WITHOUT SAMPLING!...

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

On myself, I dislike any smell other than my own --- of course, others may not agree :lol:

On ladies, I prefer a floral perfume to a heavy one like patchouli or musk. The combination of jasmine and naphthalene that is preferred by many Indian ladies suits me fine hyeah:

Except... I once smelt real musk perfume (very very ungreen and environmentally incorrect, but I didn't know that then)and ... wow! buckled at the knees

 

[moktan]

not much of a perfume person but i have used these over the years..
YSL-Jazz
Hot Water
CK-1

 

[metalmickey]

Wow now am exxcited...was skeptical posting this thread...
@sir thad-wish I knew your real name!thanks for the post.. Yeah the smell you described would smell good on most Mature woman(yummy!) ; p but young women will have a tough time...they stick to cool water and
one millions!
@moktan- yeah jazz was on my list once but prefer kouros.jazz was a best seller too.one was good but am not much into unisexual frags but still a wonderful iconic frag from Ck.
Perfume heads where are you all??????!!!!

 

[avidyarthy]

Am not a connoisseur here either ... so, use once a while.
Of whatever little I have used till now .. nothing beats .. ENGLISH LEATHER.

 

[keith_correa]

Am a fragrance head myself. I own and wear these:
Pour L'homme - Ungaro
Polo - Ralph Lauren [one of my favourites]
Pour Homme - Gucci [The BEST that I wear]
Obsession Night - Calvin Klein
Dolce & Gabbana [hate this]
Le Male - Gaultier [love this]
Pour Homme - Carlo Corinto
Fahrenheit - Dior
Iquitos - Alain Delon
Antaeus - Chanel
Ultraviolet Man
Disclosure - Sapil
Night Flight - Joop
Tuscany - Aramis
Men - Bijan
Spirit - Antonio Banderas
Homme - Joop
Pierre Cardin Cologne
Jaguar for men
Mediterraneum
Monsieur Balmain

I know, I know, I have too many. Kya karein - control hi nahi hota!!!

And I now need these 3:

Halston Z-14
Grey Flannel - Geoffrey Beene
British Sterling - Dana

 

[shajijacob]

good to hear from a true perfume lover.i am currently on louis azzaro.also loves ck be and certainly obsession too.please check this movie"the perfumer" which in my opinion all perfume lovers must watch!

 

[baijuxavior]

Great writeup. Read it all. It would have been better if you use proper case and punctuation. It is not easy to read when all the sentence is in lower case with no stop. Also split the long para into multiple paragraphs. Just a few suggestions.

 

[iaudio]

Metalmickey, I use Fahrenheit too. It was gifted to me though. Otherwise I use much cheaper stuff from Adidas like Victory League. Plan to get Jean Paul Gaultier Le male sometime when I can.

And yes, I second baijuxavior, that post is really hard to read. I couldnt! Punctuation, spacing, even less smilies would help! No offence meant.

 

[metalmickey]

@everyone-apologies!yeah I did notice my write up seemed too clustered!I will rephrase it soon!
@ keith-go for the grey flannel only if you like violets!it smeels good though but too violety and green for my liking!.if you like powerhouse stuff try puig-quorum!neat stuff but overspray it you will smell of piss! and nice to see we have common favourites!
I audio-try antonio banderas-diavolo its an cheaper and neat fahrenheit rip off!200ml cost me 1900rs only! jpg-le male is iconic but make sure that longeveity/projection works for you!try d&g-the one if you can quite classy/costly

 

[kendun]

Terre D'Hermes is a nice fragrance.

 

[metalmickey]

@kendun-d hermes is neat tough to find in india!
Suggestions-'Azzaro pour homme' also is quite an classic fragrance with a loyal fan following!

 

[srinisundar]

One part I thought this thread was created by "Metalmickey" after trying so many speakers for his amps and got vexed and had a "full"hyeah:hyeah:

What a mess in his post ;Looks like he sprayed himself and got boozed with the real alcohol hyeah:

 

[metalmickey]

@srini sir-lol sir you are the funniest...now enough commenting about me why not write something about what the thread discusses about i.e perfumes? .....and why not try this....
http://www.amazon.com/Clive-Christian-Imperial-Majesty-Perfume/dp/9790770537

actually for a change this saturday night i didnt have stock of the glenfiddich's....

 

[kendun]

@kendun-d hermes is neat tough to find in india!
Suggestions-'Azzaro pour homme' also is quite an classic fragrance with a loyal fan following!

You could add it to the shopping list of friends/family coming over from the US

 

[metalmickey]

@kendun-why not a review of the perfume?

 

[kendun]

Don't know how to describe it technically...does get a few compliments from the opposite sex though

 

[metalmickey]

try mixing shots of ck obseesion(2 shot!) with burberry man(1)....gets more than just few compliments from the opposite sex lol works/worked wonders for me

 

[grubyhalo]

Interesting thread. Probably the only topic with more subjectivity and personal preference than other topics around here. Fragrance and aroma triggers a lot of memories and deja vu for me. The earliest fragrances that I remember are Faberge's Brut, YSL's Kouros and Rive Gauche, Madame and Monsieur Rochas and the in-evitable No. 5 that my parents used. Sadly, none of them smell as good as I remember them from my childhood. Apparently, the natural ingredients from the olden days are being replaced with synthetic equivalents. Here are some of the perfumes I've owned, used, or savoured.

Brut - A little too upfront, definitely a day-wear fragrance. A tad too powdery for my liking.

Monsieur Rochas - Quite a powerful fragrance with a lot of musk in it. The dominant element in the fragrance changed quite a bit in over a few hours but Was still very good. Heady and powerful evening option.

Madame Rochas - An exquisite floral fragrance for the ladies. Not the syrupy sweet pungent fragrance like most modern perfumes.

Chanel N 5 - A legend and quite rightly so. Probably the best use of Jasmine in a women's fragrance. The 'little black dress' of perfumes. Sadly, the current production samples are not as exquisite as the ones from about 20 years ago.

YSL Kouros - A mild and maverick fragrance with leather and wood notes. Not for everyone and definitely not for summer. Did not like it at first but it grows on you.

YSL Rive Gauche - Very complex '80s' fragrance, decent longevity for Indian summers. Works well as an anytime fragrance.

Drakkar Noir - Another 80s star. A fresh citrusy fragrance that gives way to a nice woody note. A no-nonsense day wear.

Bulgari Aqua - Long lasting, spicy and leathery. A quintessential 'evening' fragrance and a must-have for me.

Hugo by Boss - A fantastic work-wear. Lasts long, fresh and clean notes. I know a few ladies that use this fragrance too. Another must-have for me.

Dunhill Man - An excellent woody perfume that's a nice weekend wear. Grew on me quite a bit. Quite a hit with the better half.

YSL Live Jazz - A fantastic fragrance for a formal afternoon. Like it way better than Jazz. Medium lasting even in Chennai's summer.

Chanel Antaeus - A very classy, subtle and formal fragrance. Well worth it's steep price and quite effective. Works well day or night. A definite keeper.

Chanel goste - Another masterpiece from Chanel. A wonderful formal fragrance for day-wear. Too nice to be wasted in the office. Gets quite a lot of attention. You could never go wrong with this one.

Terre D'hermes - A phenomenal fragrance. Sophisticated, fresh, classy, long-lasting. Got a nice foresty feel. 3 times out of 4, this would be the best fragrance in any room. If you are planning to splurge on just one good fragrance, choose this.

L'Occitane Baux - A spicy/flowery fresh fragrance that is a bit up-front but mellows down quite a bit in a couple of hours. Works well as an evening fragrance.

Lacoste Pour Femme - A delicate and clean fragrance for women. You would be hard-pressed to detect the alcohol/base in the fragrance. A bit flowery and with hints of something akin to wood. Would be an excellent choice for both day and night.

Valentino Rock 'n Rose - This is a brash, playful, strong, rose fragrance. Though I do not like rose fragrances in general, this one is an exception. In spite of the strong rose fragrance, other notes balance it off real nice.

The Body Shop Rose Du Maroc - Another rose fragrance. This one's not exceptional but it is clean, fresh and works quite well in Chennai's muggy weather. Would be a good choice for daily wear.

Based on testing, I'd love to get these Creed fragrances some day, maybe after I cross off the items in my concert, travel, hi-fi, camera and car wishlists...

Buy CREED Green Irish Tweed on CREED Boutique

Buy CREED Orange Spice on CREED Boutique

Buy CREED Royal Scottish Lavender on CREED Boutique

Buy CREED Royal-Oud on CREED Boutique

Buy CREED Tabarome Millesime on CREED Boutique

For now, I am happy with these 2 daily-beaters that I think are phenomenal value:

Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel - Costs about $20 for 8 oz. Makes a good Fall/Winter option. A very different fragrance from the ones that I'm used to. Woody and earthy and a bit sharp on the onset. A tad powdery and dry but still works well if it's not too hot and humid outside.

Everlast Original 1910 - about $12 for 3.3 oz. I picked up a bunch of these when these were about $3 a piece a few months ago! It's an unpretentious, simple, woody fragrance with a bit of leather notes after a few hours. A bit mild but does stay awhile. A tremendous bargain from a boxing equipment manufacturer.

 

[corElement]

The first perfume that mesmerized me was the perfume my mothers been using since before my birth which is Poison.

For myself the ones I want on myself are all too expensive so I just use whatever the hell i can find on discount or am gifted.