u/TurnoverOk4661

After falling in love with Lust In Paradise EDP I decided to traverse down the Ex Nihilo rabbit hole, and sharing some impressions in the process.

Blue Talisman - No wonder this is a brand favorite. Sparkly pear and bergamot to begin (I have recently learned that a pear note apparently is the way to my heart) with a fabulous, creamy and musky drydown. Oh I adore this one the more I smell it. Full bottle potential, super curious how the extrait compares. 8/10 for me, 10/10 if I smelled this in the wild.

The Hedonist - Unfortunately I can’t get behind this one at all. Ginger comes through way too sharply at the start, and as it evolves I’m devastated to say that it smells like cheap cleaning agent on me. Noooo! 3/10!

Fleur Narcotique - Flower menagerie explosion! Extraordinarily clean/soapy smell to start. I’m almost positive I’ve smelled this in a hotel lobby somewhere, and if I haven’t, an upscale hotel in nyc should use it. I get zero sweetness out of this, and more on the bitter/rind end of the citrus note. I dunno, not my favorite on my skin but I think I’d have a different reaction to this if I was in the wild. 5/10 for my skin, 7/10 if I smelled this in a cool, high end hotel.

Speed Legends - This is going directly to my partner. Nice masculine scent anchored by a clean musky start evolving into a soft, creamy vetiver. Even though it doesn’t feel particularly layered or complex, there’s beauty in its simplicity with the quality of the ingredients. This is a 6/10 for me, but an 8/10 if I smelled this on him.

Santal Calling - oh I love this, a lot. It’s no surprise there is Iris in here, that’s my ingredient siren song. Delicious musky sandalwood with a hint of sweetness. It smells better and better as it evolves. Not to be too snarky (but I’m gonna be snarky for a sec), this is what Santal 33 wishes it could be 😬. This has full bottle potential written all over it. 8.5/10 for me.

Lust in Paradise - I have the extrait which rocketed up to my Top 3 in my collection list (a rare 10/10). This one is way less sweet and bright than its extrait counterpart, and way more floral on the onset. The rose in this shines through the most, whereas EDP kicks off with more blackcurrant sweetness. I actually don’t think this would be redundant to my collection having the EDP, as it is beautiful, but for the price there are other interesting florals to discover if im feeling a new full bottle addition. Yum though, it’s beautiful, and I give it an 8/10.

What should my engagement scent be?! What should I bring on the trip?

A few key details:

He put a printed out piece a paper with various ring styles in front of me and said “if someone were to casually want to get you a ring of some sort soon which shape would be your favorite so I can tell them”.

I know he’s been scheming with my family on this. Will I be disappointed if it’s not on this trip? No, but it’s happening at some point soon.

It’s a HOT/tropical vacation. When we’re not lazing on the beach we will be exploring national parks/wandering around town.

I posted a crappy pic of my collection but if you don’t see anything you’d suggest/have a hot take for me maybe it’s yet another excuse to buy something 👀

A few I’m thinking about:

Guerlain - Rose Chérie travel size
Ex Nihilo - Lust in Paradise XDP travel size
Le Labo - Thé Matcha 29
Diptyque - Philosykos

All thoughts welcome!

Another work trip - 3 days in Paris? Way worse places to be jet lagged in meetings. Wanted to focus on specialness vs volume as I had so little free time. But this city is exceptionally dangerous for scent heads - everywhere I turned was a brick and mortar storefront of brands I typically only see at dept stores in the US. I took a bunch of photos if anyone’s interested but in the meantime here’s what I took home with a few light thoughts.

Guerlain - Rose Chérie. My first Guerlain purchase and it was extremely special. The store associate spent a ton of time with me and made me feel so elegant (I am not an elegant person) and that’s reflected in this scent - luxurious powdery rose that dries down into a deep sweetness after 5 hours -ish. She also gave me a mini travel version and a silk branded eye mask for my 14 hr flight home!

Le Labo -Vanille 44 - I like this scent but I’ll admit that I overspent just for the sake of exclusivity. I was so jet lagged and drenched in sweat from the Paris heatwave trying to explore Rue de Saint Honoré but it was just too much. While it’s a nice woody vanilla, it feels redundant to the other vanilla I have in my collection (Vanilla Haze). Oh well, still special.

Memo Paris - Odéon. Another city exclusive. This one feels a bit more special because I don’t have any patchouli notes in my collection. You can absolutely feel the wood balance out the sweet. Plus the associate gave me a ton of samples including Cap Camarat which is a light floral musk that I really liked but also felt a bit redundant to bottles in my collection. The apple note is really nice and refreshing though, so maybe a purchase after I finish others.

Honestly I’m glad I didn’t have more time or I’d go broke.

First time having such access to the Amouage line so I just spent a good hour smelling all that I could.

Spent a good amount of time with essences line (edited myself out of that pic) but everything felt a bit too strong and heavy. Ultimately I narrowed down my choices to Honor Woman and Existence. I loved Existences clean, soapy musk but ultimately I landed on Honor as it felt more elegant and I’m missing a Jasmine-forward note in my collection.

They were kind enough to give me a sampler set of Essence (3x 2 ml’s including Line 618, Remain, and Sequence, none of which I tried in the store but I’ll do a test soon). Overall a gorgeous desert inspired interior and just a pretty cool experience! Not sure I need another Amouage any time soon though but time will tell.

I am fortunate enough to have 3 days in Paris for a work trip (flying from west coast USA, which will be brutal time difference-wise but we suck it up). I believe I will have an afternoon of free time where I plan to just get lost in this general area and let Paris tell me what I need. Not really asking anything, I guess I’m anxious that I have such limited time and so much to smell. I saw some other threads that suggested going to Printemps/other department stores to find things I might not be able to find in the US so that’s also on the radar.

Another work trip, another side quest to explore a different city’s fragrance offerings. Had a wonderful time at ZGO perfumery where the staff was helpful and attentive. I posted the other day about stumbling upon a Zoologist event at Ministry of Scent (where I did buy my first one from the line) but this is before I knew about some of the shady business dealings that the community alerted me to, so I deleted it. Oh well, I’ll still describe the full pull because it’s fun and I had just had some great mescal and tacos before I was lucky enough to check out the event.

Zoologist - Panda. Got this at the Ministry of Scent event where the founder was there describing new offerings while staff shared sample strips as he took questions from the crowd. I assume due to the Scent Week event in SF this weekend it was packed and therefore I didn’t have the easiest time exploring much in the store beyond Zoologist, which was still cool because I’d never spend any time sniffing the collection. I wanted to get Snowy Owl but they were out of stock, so I ended up with Panda, which im actually pretty happy with. Citrus green dynamite that evolves well throughout the hours it lasts - upon second wear, im picking up earthy musk that just feels light and clean. Also I’m a sucker for iris which, while subtle here, is still a beautiful note. This buy came with a sample 3-pack of additional Zoologists, including Cow, Dragonfly and Elephant Sanctuary - haven’t dived into these yet.

Made my way over to ZGO where I was able to try a lot of stuff I’ve never had the privilege of smelling (eg Portrait of a Lady, which surprisingly turned out to be too amber-forward for me, as well as Toskavat, Sarah Baker, Jorum Studio and others) (Ugh I smelled Pony Boy and wanted to immediately buy but they were outta stock). Anyway, I landed on:

Ephemeral Dyadic - Missing Feeling. After smelling the peach one from Sarah Baker I decided peach was absolutely missing in my collection, but that one was too much for me. The store associate guided me to Missing Feeling and it was an immediate yes. Absolutely peach forward but balanced out perfectly with a bubbly champagne vibe. Very playful and feminine, perfect for the desert summer.

Stora Skuggan - Monkeyflower. I just like this one because it’s weird, to be honest. I tend to lean towards citrus floraly musks and I kinda just wanted something from Stora that I could wear in the daytime (Mistpouffer being my one blind buy which, while I like it, is a bit dramatic and feels more appropriate for a fancy night out which are few and far between lately.) How do I describe this - it’s like if playdough exists in nature. Wait I can do better than that. It’s like rolling in a spring meadow with the sun shining on your lightly sunscreened body. It has some light similarities with Thé Matcha by Le Labo actually - this is Thé Matcha’s little punk cousin.

Nishane - Meant to be Seen. My first Nishane! I had bought decants of this, Wulong Cha and Hundred Silent Ways which I liked, but apparently I’m a sucker for orris butter. What can I say, this is my girl - an elegant powder that has a muted floral evolution. This is weird but it smells like an expensive furniture store (good thing!)

Before I landed on this selection I had sprayed Ex Nihilo’s Lust in Paradise on my wrist and decided I loved it at the checkout counter, but I was already well beyond my budget for this trip. The sales guy was kind enough to give me a travel size of this one and I’m so happy! He was also nice enough to decant Acne Studios by Frederic Malle and his favorite one from Ephemeral Dyadic (Ozymandias).

Overall I’m very happy with my experience in SF, and while it was just a coincidence that the work trip coincided with Scent Week, i was just happy to go home and play with my new potions.

I am the luckiest person to stumble across this event at Ministry of Scent in SF (Mission). It was such a cool moment to hear more about (and smell) some new scents from the house (toucan - very tropical/papaya forward, St. Bernard - almost popcorn-y!) directly from the creator. I am on cloud nine! Ended up buying Snowy Owl, my first Zoologist.

Edit: Confirming this has now been sold.

I bought this one in store and liked it, but the 2x I sprayed it at home it just didn’t mesh well with my skin chemistry and decided I wasted my money and don’t want it. It’s been sprayed no more than 4x. I don’t have the box but will ship super safely. This is the 1.2 oz size I paid full price for ($200) so I’m asking for $75.

Imgur to product: https://imgur.com/a/s89rkSl

I’m looking on the Costco app and seeing the below stock. Is this a cheat code or has anyone here purchased from there and had a bad experience? Also I assume it highly varies by location, but I don’t know.

All the 75ml/2.5 fl oz sizes except where noted

PDM - Delina AND Valaya - $276
Xerjoff Naxos EDP and Erba Pura - $194 (3.4 fl oz)
Creed - Aventus for Her, Wind and Flowers - $265
Byredo - GWater, mixed emotions EDP - $206 (3.4 fl oz)

Plus a few Rojas for $217, Replicas for $96, and more. I’m new at this but these prices seem too good to be true (so it probably is? Buts it’s Costco!)

I know I’m not unique in this feeling but i figure the first step is recognizing you have a problem.

Spent some time this week at The Scent Room in LA, not to mention Blue Mercury having a killer sale. This week alone i went on a dopamine shopping splurge and got:

Orto Parisi - Risvelium (grapefruit rind explosion!)
Nassomatto - Narcotic V (the key mind changer that i actually love tuberose)
Imaginary Authors - Memoirs of a trespasser (just a sweet woody sexy vibe)
Diptyque - Philosykos (like a light blanket of green mist)
Diptyque - L’eau Papier (ahhh, a soft delightful sweet rice)

Anyway here’s my full collection I’m declaring myself done (for a while) (haha)

I’m still relatively early in my niche perfume journey but seeing my collection laid out like this has helped me hone in on what I actually like.

Screencapped my Parfumo collection with what appear to be my most preferred notes: Pink pepper, bergamot and rose. What are yours?

I’m most interested in finding the right tea scent for myself but I need to chill out a bit on the buying.

Pulled this group based on the notes I think I’ll like, to try and round out my collection with notes I don’t have, and general community discussion. Would love any thoughts, hot takes, whatever comes to mind!

Sharing this now because I feel like I’ve completed a “phase one” of this hobby and want to pause before buying more (she tells herself…) I am extremely lucky that my job takes me around the world. While it can be intense schedule-wise, I always try to make time to explore the local spots.

Top shelf: heavier scents that I reserve for a night out. From left to right:

Phronema, St. Moses of Ethiopia - Powdery iris extravaganza with a lovely blackberry drydown

Amouage, Guidance 46 - Picked up from Nordstrom during their last sale. I love this scent like most but it’s very heavy on me.

Diptyque, Volutes - Definitely my most masculine leaning scent but I love the depth of an ambers tobacco so much I don’t care.

Bynomads, Oud Kyphi - Recent pickup from a small line in São Paulo, Brazil. Another amber, with vanilla drydown. Very long lasting!

Stora Skuggan, Mistpouffer - My only blind buy. I don’t regret this one but I’m struggling to find an opportunity to wear it, I think it’ll be better in the colder seasons.

Second shelf, left to right:

(Kinda hidden) All Saints, Sunset Riot - I bought this as my daily scent before I got into this hobby. A nice fruity freshness that’s pretty inoffensive but kind of a classic for me

Juliette has a Gun, Moscow Mule - Also one I bought years ago. I liked it when I first sampled it but I pretty much hate it now.

Maison Matine, Poom Poom - I think this is the scent that got me into this hobby. I bought this one because I adored the scent, then I started researching fragrances and realized the depth of the hobby. A great everyday scent like Sunset Riot, but it doesn’t last more than an hour on me.

Byredo, Mojave Ghost EDP - I bought this at Dover Street Market in Tokyo before I got into the hobby. My entry point into Byredo - would like to get a sample set to see how I feel about others.

Diptyque, Lazulio - I’ve posted elsewhere on Reddit about my undying love for this fragrance. Had buyers remorse at first, went back to see if I should exchange and the sales rep convinced me to keep it and I’m so happy he did.

Le Labo The Matcha 29 - First in store experience purchase after i decided this was my new hobby. I had read so much about Santal 33 and had to smell for myself but ended up liking this gal way more.

Phebo, Ginga - Copying a previous review I posted on the Niche subreddit, this was from a recent pickup in São Paulo, from one of brazils most prominent fragrance brands. Ginga is mango all the way but I’m going to assume they were going for a ginger effect here because that’s ALL I get up front. But really it’s the sharpness of ginger balanced with the softness of mango and a hint of floral.

Fugazzi, Vanilla Haze - had a sample of this and had intended to buy when I happened upon it eventually. Randomly found a high end fragrance store near some errands I had to run so I dropped in. I wasn’t dressed particularly nice, but not disheveled either, but I went in and asked the sales rep if they had any Zoologist since I’d never tried any before. She replied “you might want to try a department store for that.” Was she big-dogging me? Did she misunderstand me? I wanted to assume best intent so I decide not to spar. Started talking while exhibiting some semblance of knowledge and she started to engage with me more. Anyway, that’s how I ended up with this one.

Bynomads, K-Musk - The other pickup from this line after that São Paulo trip. I felt I needed it since I don’t think they ship to the US.

Granado, Époque Tropical - Granado is another of Brazils more prominent brands. Fruity and musky but only lasts no more than an hour.

Phebo - Lichee y Pimienta - Another copy from my other review I posted after that Brazil trip. Hits hard with the lychee up front but then the pepper comes in shortly after. Also feels like you might need to over spray for any form of longevity.

Ok I really need to stop now

Out taking my mom out for Mother’s Day brunch, the hostess sat us down at our table and began pouring us water. “Someone at this table smells amazing. Like something earthy, musky but fruity.”

Clocked it! I just got back from a trip to Brazil where I admittedly went crazy. Brazil has an incredible fragrance culture but anything imported is subject to very high import taxes, so I only bought local/native brands. The scents are Époque Tropicale by Granado and K-Musk by a newer brand called Bynomads.

K-Musk Notes:

Top notes: Fig Leaf, Carrot, Yuzu
Middle notes: Cashmere Wood, Neroli, Ginger, Tumeric, Ambrette
Base notes: Palo Santo, Neroli, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood, Suede

I will be chasing this high forever.

Here for work, but taking advantage of the 4 hr time difference to get some exploration done in the morning. I have a couple extra days so if anyone has any other suggestions, send them over! (Edit: added what I spent in USD)

Granado - Époque Tropical - So bright and citrusy with a touch of floral. The mandarin comes in strong, but feels like you need to spray a lot of this for any form of longevity as it softens after an hour or 2.

Granado - Various - I only had a chance to sample a few of these but I got them as gifts. The Coleção comes with 5x 10ml travel sprays with Folia, Expedição, Boemia, Nostalgia and Époque Tropical. The other gift set, Trio Elixer, comes with Neroli, Sãndalo, and Ambar. While I didn’t want to open the gifts up for this particular post, I will say that the cool thing about these scents is that while they have familiar ingredients, they all feel local and endemic to the tropical environment.

I spent $158 total USD at Granado (the Époque Tropical and 3 gift sets.)

Phebo - Lichia e Pimenta - This is such a unique scent. Hits hard with the lychee up front but then the pepper comes in shortly after. Also feels like you might need to over spray for any form of longevity. ($59 USD)

Phebo - Ginga - I can’t believe my luck that I went on a day when it was a BOGO free (the Google Translate exchange I had with the store rep indicated it is because they are coming out with new packaging). Ginga is mango all the way but I’m going to assume they were going for a ginger effect here because that’s ALL I get up front. But really it’s the sharpness of ginger balanced with the softness of mango and a hint of floral. Another one that feels like it needs to be sprayed a bunch for any particular staying power but I love the scent. ($59 USD)

Bynomads - Oud Kyphi - There is no way I would’ve known about this house if it wasn’t for my Brazilian colleague who mentioned her friends line and where it was sold (if you’re here/local, it’s at Pinga in Paulista area). But wow what a special smell - it appears it’s a brand new (2026) release including 6 total scents. I ended up with Oud Kyphi for its richness, depth, and sophistication to start, and I’m glad I did because it’s projection and staying power was felt all throughout the day. A sweet/spicy blend that later evolves into a soft vanilla after a few hours. Leaning a bit more masculine and evening appropriate but not overwhelming enough to just be for special occasions. ($180 USD)

I’m still new at this hobby so forgive the lack of sophistication here, but I guess if there’s one thing I learned with this haul, is that I like a peppery note!

This past week I had a work trip in Vegas. In the hour-ish of free time I had, I made my way over to the Wynn shops as they have a Dyptique and a Le Labo right next to each other.

I should note that I’m just beginning my fragrance collection and this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to really delve into both storefront experiences and actually test out their varieties. Here’s what I treated myself to:

Le Labo - Thé Matcha 26. Felt like I could’ve bought at least one other fragrance here but I landed on this one. While my palette is still developing, I didn’t really pick up matcha in this one, but I love the fresh, woody air.

Dyptique - Lazulio. This felt like a risky buy for me as a noob. I went in looking for a daytime, spring/summer scent and this was the third one suggested to me. It’s a heavy tart rhubarb to start with but after 10 mins on it evolves into a much softer, warm woody scent. Really cool.

Dyptique - Volutes. I really love a tobacco scent and don’t have one yet. This one feels sultry and as a woman it leaned a bit masculine but it makes me feel powerful and confident. I’m going to guess that it’s the sweetness of the honey that balances out the strength of the tobacco that guided me in this direction. Definitely more of an evening scent

Really wish I had the time to go to the Guerlain Boutique at the Bellagio but I love this hobby because there’s always something to experience out there. But I’m up to 6 in the collection now and I’m going to sit with these for a while!