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    Perfume 101 — Beginning Your Fragrance Adventure

    May 30, 2006

    Once upon a time Patty and March were perfume virgins. We just didn’t know how to do it. Where to start, you know? The ladies tried to fix us up with Lancome, and they tried to set us up with Estee, but it didn’t work out. March’s best friend loved Cristalle, but Cristalle hated her, so that never went anywhere. We made some mistakes. Flirted with Paris and Giorgio, but nothing much happened. You get the picture.

    It’s funny looking back on those days and realizing how naive we were. Now we’ve turned pro. We’ve been caressed by Guerlain, wooed by Malle, bitch-slapped several times by Caron. Serge has suggested things that would have disgusted us not so long ago, and now we just sigh and say, oooooooooooohhhh. That’s a new one.

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    Perfume 101

    Anyway, we thought, why not share what we learned as rank beginners, before we earned our Perfume Posse spurs? We’re calling this post Perfume 101, and it’s our recommendation of where you should start in your smellage. Later on we’ll do an Intermediate/Advanced Post, where we’ll introduce more challenging scents, including what to sniff when you Turn Pro (Eau du Fier, Djedi, Borneo and MKK will be on that list.)

    We’ll leave this one up with a permanent link, and dump in here the relevant section from a previous post on where to get samples, so if you read this intro before, just skip ahead to the new stuff, here goes:

    Unless you’re richer than God, the easiest way to sample a lot of fragrances is to buy or swap samples, not full bottles. But where?

    When we first wrote this in Spring 2006, eBay was a great place to start: eBay had samples of rare, discontinued, vintage or non-export fragrances that you probably weren’t going to find anywhere else. But they kicked all the decanters off in Summer 2007, so you have to look around more. Four of the biggest eBay sellers including yours truly Patty got together and opened a website, The Perfumed Court, featuring tons of samples. There are many other sellers as well, check the link on the left for Sample and Decant Sellers. We haven’t run into a decant or sample seller yet that wasn’t a complete perfume nut and good on customer service, though we suppose there are some out there just by law of averages.
    Department stores and getting samples there can be difficult, but usually if you buy something or cultivate one of the SAs, it works best.

    You can buy samples from a number of online niche perfume stores like Perfume Shoppe, B-glowing, Aedes, Lacremebeauty, or Luckyscent, for nominal amounts of money; some of the niche perfumers also have their own sample programs.

    MUA, Basenotes and Perfume of Life have a section for swapping and active perfume talk forums. If you have have a bottle or two of something decent and don’t mind the details associated with swapping — decanting and wrapping and mailing and keeping track — that is an excellent way to sample many scents for just the cost of postage and some decanting supplies. You’ll also learn a lot by reading and interacting in any one or more of those forums.

    Where to start? Just start anywhere. Pick something you’ve read about. Or sample your way through a particular line, if you’ve found one scent there that really appeals. Or pick a note you like (rose, incense, tobacco, whatever.)

    spacer We don’t want to frighten the horses, so this is where we think you should start in your sniffage to decide what you like and what direction you might like to explore further. With a couple of noted exceptions, we find these fragrances worthwhile without being scarily challenging to the nosebuds. Is this a biased list, weighted toward niche product and reflecting scents we like and neglecting things we don’t? Well, sure. So what?

    You Should Smell:

    • Classics you might not have smelled before, because this is what 100% high-octane gorgeousness smells like – Chanel Bois de Iles, Caron Parfum Sacre or Nuits de Noel, Patou Joy.
    • Leather, because leather is such a great non-sweet note that adds depth to fragrance – Chanel Cuir de Russie, Serge Lutens Daim Blond, Caron Tabac Blond, CB I Hate Perfumes Russian Leather.
    • Incense, for the same reason – L’Artisan Passage d’Enfer or CdG Avignon
    • Citrus — Guerlain Fleurs de Cedrat or Vitalisant, Carthusia Mediterraneo, Santa Maria Novella Eva.
    • Musk — Serge Lutens Clair de Musc, Narciso Rodriguez for Her, SJP Lovely
    • Tea — one of the Bvlgaris (Verte — the one that launched a thousand imitations, Blanc, Rouge) L’Artisan The Pour Une Ete
    • Amber — Hermes Hermessences Ambre Narguile (P – Yes, it’s the Nazgul, but if you are going to find out if you love amber, go with one of the best ones out there, and this is it), Youth Dew Amber Nude

    Florals with an emphasis on a single note, to see if that is a flower you’re digging:

    • Orange – L’Artisan Fleur d’Oranger (P – no sense playing around with this, the L’Artisan is the best one available, so then you can measure all others against it) or Serge Lutens Fleurs d’Oranger (advanced beginner, due to cumin)
    • Iris — tricky for beginners due to metallic strangeness. Less challenging scents: Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile, Hermes Hiris (advanced beginner)
    • Rose – one of the Rosines, Creed Fleur de The Rose Bulgare
    • Violet — Laura Tonatto E. Duse, Guerlain Meteorites (dirt cheap and cheerful!), Annick Goutal Violette, or Molinard Violette if you have a high sugar tolerance
    • White florals — Serge Lutens Un Lys or Datura Noir, Malle’s Lys Mediterranee, Piguet’s Fracas, Marc Jacobs or Marc Jacobs Blush (very accessible, inexpensive and beautiful)

    Others:

    • Chypre, for that weird, mossy groove with its iterations – Coco Mademoiselle, Guerlain Mitsouko (warning — advanced beginner, try hard, it’s like yourspacer first bite of asparagus), Guerlain Sous le Vent because it is The Bomb (Yes, it’s new and hard to get and all that, but this is a chypre that is complex but with great, broad appeal), Hermes 24, Faubourg or Patou 1000
    • “Virtual Reality” frags that take you on a journey through a series of notes – Malle En Passant, L’Artisan Tea for Two, many of CB I Hate Perfumes (Russian Caravan Tea, Black March, Mr. Hulot’s Holiday, Burning Leaves, In The Library… check their website and salivate)
    • Smell Because We Said So — they’re beautiful, unusual, and your life will be richer: Annick Goutal (Hadrien, Folavril, Passion, Petite Cherie, Mandragore, knock yourself out), Guerlain Apres L’Ondee, Bond No. 9 Chinatown (nothing else smells quite like it), Ormonde Jayne Woman (that OJ base! sigh), Donna Karan Cashmere, Gucci by Gucci EDP
    • A Masculine, because we don’t believe in “men’s scents” – L’Instant Pour Homme, Arpege Pour Homme, Hermes Bel Ami, Rosine Rose Pour Homme, Guerlain Derby, Givenchy Pi
    • If You Like Things Really Sweet: Flowerbomb, Caron Narcisse Noir, Guerlain L’Heure Bleue, Molinard Tendre Friandise

    spacer But mostly, remember that, like Barbies, There are No Rules in Perfume. You like what you like, you don’t have to explain it by dissecting the notes and comparing and contrasting the composition, or you can do that if that puts bubbles in your bathtub. Perfume is personal and for fun. It makes us remember and sigh and swoon and turn up our nose. How we react to a perfume is unique, individual and unpredictable. So if you don’t love that 50-year-old classic and think it smells like the backside of a frog, please don’t be shy saying so. If you adore Brittney’s or Paris’ newest creation, don’t hide it! Stress is for work, tests and teenager raising, not for perfume.

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    Filed in Perfume Review


    56 Responses to “Perfume 101 — Beginning Your Fragrance Adventure”

    1. spacer kuri says:
      May 30, 2006 at 10:50 pm

      Ooh, a post perfect for me! I have a long list of perfumes that I want to try, thanks to various delightful reviews that I have been reading. I will add these perfumes to the list. I put sample buying on hold until I’ve gone through all the perfumes (that I am curious about) that can be tested in stores.

    2. spacer cait says:
      May 31, 2006 at 2:07 am

      You are lovely mistresses for a perfume lover’s sentimental education. Most informative and great.spacer

    3. spacer Ylva says:
      May 31, 2006 at 3:09 am

      Wow!! This was as an informative post as they come and how I wish:
      1) that I was young again and could enjoy this perfume education and
      2)I still could bask in the glory of synthetic “enhanced” perfumes. But you know what, I’m gonna print and save it anyway as a fab fume referense. Maybee I can even learn something from it?spacer

    4. spacer Marina says:
      May 31, 2006 at 8:45 am

      I am roaring with laughter at “bitch-slapped several times by Caron”…

      What a great post!

    5. spacer Ina says:
      May 31, 2006 at 9:26 am

      I’m so excited to read this post as I just started my own perfume blog, and there’s a page for perfume newbies. I’d love to be able to link to this! spacer

    6. spacer greeneyes says:
      May 31, 2006 at 9:29 am

      Thanks for putting this together! As a struggling perfume newbie, I appreciate all the information I can get.

    7. spacer Patty says:
      May 31, 2006 at 9:42 am

      Kuri, we tried to get a list together that would be fun and some of them very accessible and/or cheap. We’re glad it’s helpful!

    8. spacer Patty says:
      May 31, 2006 at 9:43 am

      Thank you, Cait.spacer

    9. spacer Patty says:
      May 31, 2006 at 9:45 am

      Hi, Ylva! I’m not really up on the synthetics and naturals debate, but I think later on, in another post, we may address that briefly, just so people can be aware of the difference in what they are smelling. I’ll be sure to keep reading yours and other’s blogs to educate me there!

    10. spacer Patty says:
      May 31, 2006 at 9:46 am

      Marina, you know that was March’s phrasing. spacer I like to think of Caron as gently spanking me.

    11. spacer Patty says:
      May 31, 2006 at 9:48 am

      Hi, Ina! I just linked your blog. You’re sure welcome to link to this post. I think it is so hard for people to get interested in perfume and then just get overwhelmed with what is out there now, then go back to the classics. It’s just too much. It’s too much for me, and I’m fairly “acquisitive” when it comes to perfume. spacer

    12. spacer Patty says:
      May 31, 2006 at 9:48 am

      Hi, Greeneyes, you’s so very welcome! Hope it is useful and, well, entertaining. spacer

    13. spacer Ina says:
      May 31, 2006 at 10:11 am

      Thanks, Patty! spacer

    14. spacer violetnoir says:
      May 31, 2006 at 11:07 am
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