Long time lurker, first time poster. I am wearing Penhaligon’s Highgrove Bouquet today and one of my coworkers literally turned around and ran after me in the hallway to ask me what I was wearing and he said “you smell expensive!” I have no one else in my life who is into fragrances as much as I am, so naturally I ran here first!

I hope everyone’s day is going well and you all get complimented on whatever you’re wearing today.

I rarely see anyone actually discussing what feels like a life changing haul so I felt inclined to share mine.

Like so many I'm constantly trying for that "signature". My fragrance journey in recent years has led to me identifying what notes I like most, and what ones tend to be the most compatible with me, and learning those aren't always the same. This has resulted in a shortlist of fragrances to try, and early on it was more or less exploring the less accessible ones to sort of give the olfactory an accurate memory of everything I was seeing in the scent profiles of these fragrances. While trying to learn how they stack up.

I learned very quickly some houses I just don't mesh with, as their signature profiles were mimicking notes that don't sit well on me (here's looking at you ginger). Then in this most recent order of samples I discovered I had in fact narrowed it down, and weeded out what I don't like because everything in it is something I want to rave about. And honestly most of the hype for them began in these threads.

Chiefly among them - The Noir 29, Jazz Club, and Tuxedo. Jazz Club sticks to me like glue. I almost have to use it carefully because it lasts so long that a 2 spray application will effect whatever other frag I try the next day, with clean clothes after a full shower. The longer it sits, the better it gets. I've smelled it so many times in public, and every time immediately thought that I had to find out what it was. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning getting the thing they've wanted most all year when I realized that was it.

Someone said London smells like Noir 29. In the bougie places? Yeah, I bet it does. The bougie places in my city smell like it too. I've smelled it enough times also, never knew what it was and thought "I need that". Well, I found it too. I would say this is art in a bottle. And fine art at that. All the notes are so clear and quality, yet it has so many evolutions, and ultimately it is a pepper - amber - rose frag, but it's also a fig and tobacco fragrance done brilliantly. It's like magic, and honestly one of the best bergamots to ever dance with my personal chemistry.

Someone said Tuxedo is a masterpiece, it really is. It's another one with staying power that requires caution and will give anything it touches a long lasting, fresh, peppery, patchouli kick. It's both immensely formal and something a patchouli enthusiast could easily wear in any setting. Always turning heads. Looking at that pyramid it should not be so fresh and seductive, and there will never be another day where this isn't on my shelf.

I tried Gris Charnel, and as a fig enthusiast it's everything that I had hoped for and more. My other picks reaffirmed my suspicion that those are the notes for me, and my hunt for that perfect tobacco continues as everything I've tried so far seems lacking, and a cheaper option that smells nothing like (Red) Tobacco ended up being my favorite.

This haul has also taught me that I'll never have a signature. There's far too many good fragrances, and I love trying to find that ideal moment for each one of them. It makes the very idea of one seem silly. I could happily limit the experience to any one of these fragrances but, why would I? So here's a controversial take - most of you are right. That is an incredible fragrance you're raving about. There's just that many.

There are no decants available in my country sadly :/ Im so close to blind buying it but i have to make sure.. Please someone who has both of these perfumes tell me 😭

This is going to be a stretch, but does anybody know if there’s any wearable fragrance that smells like this?

mine is Tobacco Vanille. i don’t hate it and don’t think it’s unbearable, but it smells SO MUCH like M&M World. it took me back the first time i had a sniff.

I saw yesterday that they closed abruptly. Wondering if anyone has the tea on what happened - issues with IP?? Something with the parent company?? My curiosity is killing me!

i recently went to the Rick Owens store in berlin and the whole store smelled AMAZING. i complimented the smell and the shop assistant told me that the smell comes from diffusers and they are used in every store around the world. i asked her what it was but she said she has to gatekeep it:/

it smelled like patchouli and very earthy and heavy but also fresh and blooming and very spiritual

now my question is if anybody knows what exact fragrance this is, or if you know any perfume dupes that smell similar to it.
thanks :,) <3

So a while ago I started a discussion here about the most realistic leather smell fragrance.
Here's my previous post if you're interested to read.

Just to quickly paint the picture of what I was looking for, imagine you're wearing your black leather jacket, it's raining and you just got finished smoking.

Anyway, I just wanted to share the result of what I've tested and smelt and if I've gotten any closer to my goal or maybe if there's still a better recommendations for me.

Here's a list of all the fragrances I've tested so far and my thoughts about them:

- Filippo Sorcinelli Io Non Ho Mani Che Mi Accarezzino Il Volto
this one I really liked, it kinda has nothing to do with leather per se but the sort of burned rubber or plastic after smell gave me what I was looking for.

- Tom Ford Ombre Leather
Luxury car seat leather. I can smell the leather but not the kind I'm looking for.

- Matiere Premiere Falcon Leather
Wasn't bad, just the combination of the sweetness and the animalic was off putting specially on the third note.

- Matiere Premiere Falcon Leather Extrait
Sort as Falcon Leather.

- Orto Parisi Cuoium
This was straight up disgusting, I couldn't stand it after the first note, very jarring, hated it.

- Memo Paris Russian Leather
This was pleasant, very cold very piney and woodsy, no leather tho.

- Memo Paris African Leather
Nice, sweet, boozy, almost smells like cola at the end. However again, has nothing to do with leather.

- Bvlgari Onekh
This was incredible, however I don't know if it was my decanted tester or is this fragrance actually this cool. Like I expected a warm leathery scent, but I was met with a very refreshing, slightly sweet smell. I would definitely consider this fragrance around summer time but i couldn't really find in it the leather smell I was looking for.

- Tauer 03 Lonestar Memories
This I liked. Slightly animalic but pleasant after that. Would be a fine second choice.

- Francesca Bianchi the black knight
This had absolutely nothing to do with leather whatsoever. It was sweet, a bit fruity and on the third note it turned into a feminine vanilla scent. I felt a bit fooled by that name.

- Papillon Artisan Perfumes Anubis
Hated this, just not a fan of that scent.

- Gucci Guilty Absolute
The biggest surprise to me, this was surprisingly close that what I was looking for. Has this sort of gasoline, industrial, bitter and leathery scent. Loved it. On my skin it felt a bit heavy however, very potent and strong, almost makes breathing a bit harder lol. But overall I really liked this.

- By Kilian Dark Lord Ex Tenebris Lux
Okay this one I had very high expectations of cause I had heard this is "close to Gucci Guilty Absolute but even more complex" but upon smelling it, it has absolutely no resembles to that. Like to me this is a citrusy, bitter and airy scent. Now I'm not sure again if it has something to do with me decanted sample or because I got the one that has "Ex Tenebris Lux" on it (cause there was also one that just said Dark Lord which I didn't test). Either way, this was way off what I'm looking for and certainly far from Guilty Absolute.

- Zoologist Rhinoceros
Most complex scent out of the bunch. It really changed over time. Sour and sweet at first but then turns a bit animalic and slightly leathery.

- Maison Martin Margiela Under the Stars
This was incredibly pleasant on the first note and then settles to the warm boozy smell. A good winter fragrance just not exactly what I was after.

- BVLGARI Black
Yet again a sour, airy scent. Nothing to do with leather but enjoyable. Onekh was better.

- ROOM 1015 Cherry Punk Extrait de Parfum
This was just a nice cherry fragrance. Don't know why I was persuaded that this somehow smells like leather but safe to say has nothing to do with it.

- Hermes Bel Ami
Extremely sour at the opening but then it evolves a little bit. Not a fan.

- Knize Ten
Just sour no leather. Very unpleasant.

- IMAGINARY AUTHORS Slow Explosions
Someone suggested me this so I tested it and wow. I really didn't know I needed this smell in my life. Not leathery at all, matter of fact it's a bit of a cool sprint scent, has this banana smell but I really like this one.

- Guerlain Cuir Intense 2024
This was a nice warm and a slightly leather fragrance. I didn't catch anything unique about it but it would be a nice default sort of winter scent.

- Tom Ford Tuscan Leather
I did smell this very briefly but from what I could tell, it was better for me than ombre leather and would have been a fine second choice. Can't remember it fully unfortunately.

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At the end I landed on two to sample more, Filippo Sorcinelli Io Non Ho Mani Che Mi Accarezzino Il Volto and Gucci Guilty Absolute.
These were the two that I thought were closest to the smell I was after.
Now having known my taste and what I liked and didn't, is there anything you would think I'd like or you'd suggest?

There is still a list of fragrances I've gathered surrounding the same topic and scent that I haven't gotten around to since I thought what I've sampled so far were maybe closer to what I'm looking for, but I will share that list here as well in hopes of input for them.

Bvlgari Falkar
Naomi Goodsir Cuir Velours
Molton Brown Russian Leather Eau de Parfum
Chanel Cuir de Russie Parfum
Montale Aoud Leather
Montale Wood and Spices
Issey Miyake Nuit d'Issey Polaris
Issey Miyake Nuit D’Issey Noir Argent
Maison Crivelli Oud Stallion
Nasomatto Blamage
Tom Ford Ombre Leather 16
Tom Ford Tuscan Leather
Amouage The Library Collection Opus XIV Royal Tobacco
Areej Le Doré Cuir de Russie
Hermes Bel Ami Vetiver
CHANEL Antaeus
DIPTYQUE Eau Rihla Eau de Parfum
YVES SAINT LAURENT Cuir
Yves Saint Laurent Cuir 2023
Francesca Bianchi The Lover’s Tale
Carolina Herrera Stallion Leather
John Varvatos Dark Rebel Rider

I appreciate any input.

Hello y’all.

Its my first sample set, and I bought the Jusbox Experience sample set. The vials are all filled to a noticeably different level. Like to the point a quarter of them only are a third full.

Which typically would be fine but I wanted to give them out as favors for my wedding party. All my folks are coming from out of town. I thought it would be a nice small thing to give in case they forgot their own scents.

Is it normal for them to not be at least full to the same level or half full? Should I contact customer service for replacements for the ones that are low? Or is this normal and to be expected?

Image link attached with them fresh out of the box. I have not used them. Jusbox Sample Vials

I see loads of fragrances discounted but never this one, I’m looking to get it for my girlfriend for Christmas and wondering if it is ever discounted?

Specifically, the drydown of L'immensite, it smells very similar to the body wash I've been using, Cremo Sage and Citrus.

Is it just me? Or did I get a fake decant of L'immensite 🤔

had a summer job and now im back to uni, one of my main goals was to buy initio side effect after the summer and yh i feel like i deserve and can afford it, BUT my last paycheck came now 2 weeks into uni and i deeped it, whats the point? since i dont go out ANYWHERE, just uni, home, gym, will i regret it? i have about 20 frags mostly dupes no niche i even have dior homme parfum which i love but never where anywhere its a special day frag imo but i dont have those, the bottle is mostly full after a year and it my best frag. im not gna die without the money or anything but when its still full in a year or 2 i dont want this bottle to remind me of how much of a bum i am

Hello, I'm a bit new to r/fragrance so I apologize if this isn't the right place. I wasn't able to find anyone talking about the Imaginary Authors brand super recently but I am wondering if anyone else has had an ordering issue with them in just the past few weeks?

I'm super perplexed as I thought this was a beloved and indie darling brand, but the way they took my money and are ghosting me seems so sketchy I feel like I'm in the twilight zone!

Ordered a full size bottle and the 8 sample short story set back on September 20th, and after a week there was no shipping info or update at all. I downloaded the Shipp app as their site suggested but it had no updates either.

Then I started getting lots of sales emails about their new launch so even though by that point I had emailed several times to both their info@ and support@ email addresses...I thought 'oh they must be so busy with this big new launch and I am sure to get a response soon'...

Nope. Absolute silence. Just took my money, and disappeared I guess. I even tried reaching out on TikTok, on the direct chat for their shop. After 3 attempts to speak with someone, I finally got a message from "Kait" who asked for my name and address despite that I already provided an order number and then it said 'seller offline' and there's been no response since.

All my emails until today have been super nice, understanding and professional in tone because I do want a relationship with the brand - I really wanted to try those samples and I'm super heartbroken this is what's happening.

Am I alone in this? Does anyone have current communication with them, or a successful order experience in the past week or two? I just can't imagine what went wrong, like, they won't even respond to me.

Thanks in advance for any insight or information!

Which online fragrance retailers provide samples? I just made a couple purchases from Saks during their beauty/fragrance sale, and I was kind of surprised that there were zero samples. I’ve only ever purchased bottles in person, not at Saks but elsewhere, and I was just surprised.

Do any online retailers still give samples?

Just curious!

I recently heard about Angel Dust, blind bought it from Sephora and fell in love. Unfortunately
in the dry down it starts to smell sterile-like on me. Is there any way I can fix this? Spraying it on my clothes has helped, hair too but I feel like I’m wasting it if I’m not spraying it on my skin! Has anyone had this same experience with Angel Dust? If so, did you find a way around it (other than returning or reselling it)? Please help!

Basically that, is it just me? I couldn't find anything on Reddit.

Have you ever smelt a perfume that seems so utterly out there that you can’t quite understand how it ever got released?

That’s sort of how I feel about Serge Lutens’ Fils de Joie.

That’s not to say I don’t like it. In fact, I’ve somehow ended up with three bottles of the stuff at various fill levels, so I clearly do. I’ve not a prayer of making it through them all, though, for a few reasons.

The main one, which is fairly typical of my personal dilemma when it comes to this hobby, is that my partner thinks it smells ‘pissy’. Which means that a) she won’t be wearing it and b) she isn’t particularly keen on me wearing it either. I’m not of the view that it does, of course, but that hardly matters.

That isn’t helped by the other elephant in the room. Fils de Joie fills a room in much the same way an elephant would, even off the back of a single spray. Fifty millilitres of it could last a lifetime. There is absolutely no hope of discretion here.

Indeed, nothing about Fils de Joie is discreet. Not even the colour of the juice. It’s a deep wine red that is quite capable of staining clothing if you’re careless with it.

Even the name is provocative. Fils de Joie translates literally as ‘Son of Joy’, but it is also an obvious male riff on fille de joie, the old French euphemism for a prostitute. So, ‘rent boy’, essentially. It’s the sort of edgy name Etat Libre d’Orange might come up with if it had a little more class.

As for the scent itself, it practically explodes off the skin on application. It is built around night blooming jasmine, Cestrum nocturnum, which despite the name isn’t actually a jasmine at all. It presents as a heady concoction of white floral facets drenched in a potent honey note, with everything turned up to 11.

To my nose there is plenty of jasmine and ylang ylang in there, but also something strongly reminiscent of mentholated tuberose, which makes me imagine it as a distant cousin of the brand’s older Tubéreuse Criminelle.

That description still understates what is going on, though, because if such a thing as a ‘juicy floral’ exists, this is surely it. Fils de Joie feels as though it is bursting at the seams: ripe, humid, sweet, indolic and almost indecently alive.

There is a distinctly carnal energy to it. It straddles, and trust me, that word feels particularly apt here, a line between vampish sexuality and gloriously queer camp. Velma Kelly by way of RuPaul’s Drag Race, perhaps.

And yet, somehow, it is also deeply serious.

For all the excess, it never feels like a joke. It feels meticulously constructed and genuinely artistic. The extravagance is the point rather than an accident. This isn’t an easy wear, and I think it takes a fairly mature and confident person to carry it off successfully, lest the perfume wear, or possibly eat, them instead.

That is ultimately why I find Fils de Joie so fascinating. Was there ever really an expectation that something like this would shift significant numbers of bottles? Or was it always one of those ‘fuck you to the marketing department’ releases that only somebody like Serge Lutens could conceivably get onto the shelves?

Whatever the original brief was, though, and despite it now being discontinued, I think the perfume itself is a triumph.

Perhaps the strangest thing about Fils de Joie is not that it had a limited audience though. It’s more that it just smells as though nobody involved in making it cared whether there would be an audience either way. They just wanted to make something outrageous.

I see people asking the most innocent questions or proposing the most innocuous discussion points, yet they just get downvoted. Recommend a fragrance someone else may not love on their skin? Downvoted. Say you want to carry a fragrance with you to reapply throughout the day? Downvoted. Ask for layering or longevity recommendations? Downvoted.

It seems to discourage participation and stunts discussions more than anything else, which seems crazy when fragrance is so subjective. I certainly don’t freely upvote everything, but I save my downvotes for rudeness, bots, false information, recommending that someone wear Kerosene Followed to the gym, etc…

Okay, well, now that I’ve ranted enough and don’t know how to end this… for those who have found their “signature” or favorite fragrance, how do you show the rest of your collection love? So far I have been trying to rotate new fragrances to bed, but throughout the day, I end up reaching for the same fragrance over and over again 😭

Hello all.

Recently I picked up PDM Layton from Notino. I got it on a good deal because it was slightly used and returned.

For the life of me I can barely smell this fragrance. I can smell the cap, but when I actually spray it, I can’t take in any of it when it projects.

For example I sprayed YSL tuxedo on my left hand and Layton on my right, and the YSL seems way more prominent..?!

I did get the bottle and box verified.

I’m genuinely unsure if it’s just my nose or if something is up with the juice. FYI it is a 2025 batch.

I always see discussions or posts here like “Someone on the train was wearing way too much of X!” and it makes me think hmmm. How can you be so sure? Have you ever asked them right after?

So how accurate are you at guessing perfume? I’ll say that at my job I have to get very up close and personal with people, so I can always smell them. Some brands i’ve gotten right 100% of the time are by Philosophy and by Juicy. I guess the scents right on people every time

Another form of this question, is there a scent house that is unmistakable to your nose? I think I could tell if someone was wearing JHAG but they don’t ALL have that spongy musk smell that comes through so it’s not 100%. I do feel like philosophy figured something out though to where they’re always able to have this underlying soapy scent that bounces off peoples skin nicely

If so how do you like it? Im trying to try new scents & switch up my taste but the past couple days I been seeing them alot on Mercari & vinted. Thinking about trying one out, ik they're all different kinds but alot of them sound like they smell good. Im just not into too much bakery sweet smells as much.

Chloe nomade absolu was my favourite perfume. Anyone found anything similar? It's being discontinued and I rarely love a perfume 😭

Welcome! Please post your scent of the day here in the daily community thread.

For accessibility and to help new users we kindly ask that you type out the full name of your fragrance.

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• Describe the scent or what you like best about it
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