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Hi Sherapop,
Firstly I just want to thank you for your numerous insightful posts on fragrantica! I have been spending many an hour browsing here to learn more about different perfumes. I have also spent some time on your blogs and have thoroughly enjoyed it!
I am very saddened by the death of your cat.... I am a cat lover too and have a beautiful Cornish Rex called Cleo(she has diabetes and has to be monitored closely).
Secondly: I am very new to the world of perfume(where have I spent my life before??!!) and am now obsessed about it(I do have some OCD traits;-)). As I am a perfume virgin(just my saying), I would like to be introduced to perfume the right way! Sooooo, I have been wondering if you could compile a list of say 50/100(or as many as needed) must have perfumes(works of art/memorable/just plaingoodsmelling/personal loves/etc).
You can either email me or post it on your blog. It is just that I am completely lost and with a limited budget it is difficult to know where to start! I am also not in an area where I have free access to perfume in general and not even closely to any of the niche/better perfumes. I have to buy online and am completely overwhelmed by the selection!
Thirdly: Could you also please recommend some trustworthy online retailers? I am looking at Fragrancenet and FragranceX. I am in NZ and am moving back to South Africa soon. I will make sure that retailers deliver to these countries.
Thanks again for all your beautiful writing!
Hope your move went very well and that you are settled in already...
Madie
ps: I wish I could write as well as you but English is my second language... How did you learn to write this good?
----------------------------------It all starts with adverbs, Madie. (Sorry, I could not resist...)
It's always nice to find signs of intelligent life and gestures of civility out there in the vast universe of perfume users and aspiring perfumistas, and it occurred to me that Madie's request for a list of "must sniff" perfumes is an excellent idea. In fact, as I packed my (ahem) hundreds of bottles of perfume, many of which I have not worn in recent memory, I started reaching for some "must sniffs" because I could not gamble under the circumstances with scents which might necessitate an extra bath. Time was of the essence! So what are my "top fifty or one hundred must-sniff perfumes"? I think that I'm just going to list these in whatever order they pop into my mind. Let's try five at a time, starting with:
1. Robert Piguet Fracas: because a shinier and pinker tuberose perfume there could never be!
2. Guerlain Chamade: because, well, smell it, and then you'll know why!
3. Creed Fleurs de Bulgarie: because a rose is a rose is a rose and would smell as scrumptious by any other name!
4. Etat Libre d'Orange Putain des Palaces: because some people think that it smells like dirty private parts, but I think that it smells as clean a newborn babe's bottom!
5. Prada Infusion d'Iris: because according to the Parfumo.net database, I've logged this perfume more than any other since January 2012--though I have not worn it since I drained my first (ahem) 200ml bottle! This summer I'll definitely be cracking open the splash bottle the size of a San Pellegrino--yes, that's right: 800ml (courtesy of Fragrancenet.com, in case you were wondering...as Madie was!) Looking forward to smelling all clean and powdery and wafting of cedar and iris throughout the hottest months of summer!
That's all for today, but I'll add five more items to the list tomorrow... stay tuned... And many thanks to Madie for suggesting that I do this! (entries 6-10)
I am amazed to say that your "top 64 list" (above) from Parfumo and mine do not have a SINGLE thing in common! As a matter of fact, there's only one on yours of which I've bought a full bottle (though I have smelled most of the ones on yours and, I would guess, vice-versa). Any rate, there are some fun lists out there in cyberspace on this topic. This is a much-cited one: http://www.nstperfume.com/2007/11/26/100-fragrances-every-perfumista-should-try/ (She has done some updates to it, but just lined out her original choices, so you can see the evolution of the list.I like the breadth of this one - not necessarily all things she likes, but a fair number of "reference" ones.) (Surrender to Chance sells samplers that include all of these.)
ReplyDeleteHow did I lose this comment, hmm... Well, let's try to reconstruct it.
DeleteGood morning, pitbull friend! To be honest, I am not amazed at the disparity at all, given that you and I often smell completely different things in the very same perfume. Bear in mind that the "You Have Often Worn" is not really a "best of" or "must sniff" list. Instead, it's a documentation of perfumes which I feel safe wearing anytime and just about anywhere, up to and including right after a bath and right before bed.
These lists are inherently idiosyncratic, of course. I predict that you will demur from today's entries, in which white flowers will figure prominently!
Thanks for stopping by, pitbull friend! I look forward to your further feedback on this exercise...
Dear Shera
ReplyDeleteI've loved this brilliant idea about "must-sniff list"!
I absolutely with 4 (I have a sample but I'm planing to get a full bottle) and 5 (yes! I have it!). I have to smell the other three now.
Can't wait for the next ones!
Cheers
Virginia
Thanks so much for the vote of confidence, Virginia! This should be a lot of fun. I don't usually do this kind of thing because I feel that perfume reception is inherently subjective. I have reviewed lots of perfumes (2300 and counting ;-), but I think of my reviews more as a personal log of what I've worn and what I was thinking about at the time, including what memories are evoked. While packing for The Big Move, I began thinking about the distinction between perfumes which I really cherish, and all the rest...
DeleteOnward!
Dear Shera Pop,
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely delighted with the response to my humble request!!! I am definitely going to start my collection of worthwhile perfumes using your list as guide! Why should I re-invent the wheel so to speak??? You have definitely done the groundwork(2300 reviews!! WOW!!).
Although my nose is not yet trained, I can see it getting better by reading good reviews(like yours which is mostly objective) and sniffing some good perfumes... I understand that perfume is a very subjective science/art but how can I learn if I don't have a reference point?
Thank you again for your "much more than anticipated" response!!!!
Madie
You are most welcome, Madie! I am happy that you found the posts and are enjoying the series!
DeletePlease always remember that perfume appreciation is largely a matter of taste, so if you do not like violets and roses and cedar and iris, you may or may not agree with the items on my list... It will definitely give you a place to start, but I highly recommend that you try out a perfume (preferably from a large sample) before you buy. Some of the entries are not perfumes which I wear very often, but I feel that they are important enough to know about.
Have fun, and please report back on your discoveries!