r/Perfumes

What is the opinion on Animale Animale?

I'm looking for an A Men Pure Havane-esque or Pure Malt-esque scent, is Animale close?

Is it worth a blind buy at around USD 49 for 200ml?

Makes travelling much easier. Filled them up on my own. Makes re applying much easier especially when you’re hesitant about carrying the whole bottle.

IT DOESNT LAST. And smells normal.

Hi all, I've been ID'ing every frag I can in The Sopranos for sociocultural purposes and will be writing something up about the findings later.

I'm looking for an ID on the tall gold-capped bottle in the back of these wonky screenshots. The episode would have been filmed in mid- to late 1999. If you know what any other items in the shot are, feel free to chime in with that as well.

For anyone curious, this is from the season 2 finale and was on Angie Bonpensiero's dresser.

Thanks in advance for any insights!

EDIT: By popular demand — I'm midway through season 4. Jackie Jr. sprayed CK One in one scene and at Furio's housewarming party we see 2 bottles of YSL Kouros and 1 bottle of the old asymmetric Nautica colognes in his room.

I actually enjoyed this. I wasn't really into green scents until I fell in love with the Hermès Jardins and things just snowballed from there. Considering how popular Philosykos is in fraghead reddit, I thought about fig fragrances in general and trying a bunch of them sounded like a good idea at the time. In random order, let's start with:

Diptyque Philosykos EDT

Somewhere in the Dyptique headquarters...

Exec A: What do you think about fig perfumes?

Olivia Giacobetti: I gotchu fam.

Okay, so they may have been more professional than that but Diptyque truly committed to the fig hardcore. Fruit? Leaves? Wood? Philosykos has it all. The tree slapped me in the face in the opening and I was impressed as hell. I've never smelled anything like this. I spent some time admiring the great sillage and projection. I eagerly waited for any surprises and got... none? I still strongly smelled of fig, but nothing really changed. My husband who grew up with a fig tree in the backyard of his childhood home was giving me strange looks. I walked around the house doing chores and feeding my dogs while smelling like the most beautiful and expensive fig tree on the planet. Four hours later, it had turned into a skin scent that smelled of (surprise surprise!) fig tree. If you really like green scents and would love to commit to the fig lifestyle and ONLY the fig lifestyle, I strongly recommend Philosykos. If you prefer layered and more complex scents, read on.

Note: This is not blind buy safe. Get a sample before getting a decant or a bottle.

Note 2: This smells amazing on my husband. On me, it's a one-dimensional tree. On him, it's a multifaceted scent: sweet, woody, green and fresh. I'm a little put out.

• Scent: 8/10 For commitment.
• Projection: 9/10
• Sillage: 9/10
• Longevity: 7/10

Hermès Un Jardin en Méditerranée EDT

According to Hermès, the perfume is supposed to "evoke a walk through a secret Tunisian garden exuberantly overflowing with trees and flowers." In Jean-Claude Ellena's book, the story began when he saw a smiling young woman in a Tunisian garden tearing up and sniffing a fig leaf.

Other Parfums Jardins I've tested usually start with a blast of greens and citrus so I expected the same thing. Instead, Méditerranée's opening was a burst of lemon and surprisingly sweet fruit. I was worried that something was wrong and it didn't suit my skin chemistry because fig leaves are not supposed to be sweet. I found out later that it was due to a rich black currant note combined with bergamot during the composition, although that note is not in the official list. To me, it emulated the scent of tree-ripened figs just before the bitterness of the leaves creep in.

It's like there's a fig tree in a citrus grove and they're surrounded by shrubs of white oleander, orange blossoms and deep woody cedar. Half an hour in, they all merge into a harmonious whole as the florals grow stronger. I took a nap and when I woke up four hours later, it had turned into a skin scent. It seems impossible but it smelled even better, a lot more balanced. Méditerranée offers a complexity that other fig scents wish they had. Once again, a creation by Ellena has left me speechless. If you like citrus, sweet fruits and woody florals, this is an excellent entry into your fig adventure.

Note: Layering this with other perfumes is a crime. Even if you're a layering addict and are itching to spritz some random body mist over or under this, just don't.

• Scent: 10/10
• Projection: 9/10
• Sillage: 9/10
• Longevity: 7/10 - This turns to a skin scent after a couple of hours but then stays on my skin for at least four more hours.

Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Fico di Amalfi EDT

I sort of made a review of this in a previous post. This was the first fig scent I've tried and I'm ashamed to admit that I got a decant because of the lovely name. I watched Equalizer III and was insanely envious of Denzel Washington because he got to strut around the Amalfi Coast with his cappuccino and handkerchief.

Fico di Amalfi is romantic. Yes, it mainly smells of a fig tree but, like Shrek, it has layers. Close your eyes and imagine this. You are surrounded by many, many fig trees clinging to the rocky cliffs with the lemon trees. It's warm, but you feel cool in the shade. The sea breeze wafts towards you along with the gentle scent of jasmine from the sun-warmed walls weaving amongst the leaves. Wearing this perfume is like experiencing a slice of Mediterranean summer, and I'm tempted to grab my laptop and passport so I can work remote while surrounded by the lovely scent of the groves.

Note: Longevity isn't great so you'll be spraying more often. Wonderful for spring and summer or for when you miss the warmth in winter. Take it with you on vacation, you won't regret it.

• Scent: 9/10
• Projection: 8/10
• Sillage: 8/10
• Longevity: 6/10

Prada Infusion de Figue EDP

The bottle is simple, ethereal and beautiful, the kind that should be a prominent vanity prop in a sweeping romance movie.

The opening is pure fig tree, like Prada is competing with Diptyque on who could make the figgiest fig of them all, followed by citrus. You will not find gentle florals here. Underneath the citrus and fig heart are the woody, piney and bitter base notes. The pretty bottle is misleading because there is nothing delicate about this perfume. The dry down reminded me of the Malin+Goetz' Atelier Bloem fig lotion from that obscenely expensive Kimpton hotel room. (I begrudgingly bought the obscenely expensive toiletry set but that's another story.)

If you're looking for something vegetal, wild and woody, look no further than Infusions de Figue. It's not for the faint-hearted. If you prefer sweet scents or florals, it is 100% guaranteed that you won't like this.

Note: Restrict yourself to 1-2 sprays if you'll be indoors with people especially in an office environment. This one is strong. I wonder if the rest of Prada's Infusions line are as aggressive.

• Scent: 7/10 - Not my type but it delivered what it promised.
• Projection: 9/10
• Sillage: 9/10
• Longevity: 7/10

Nest New York Indigo EDP

I have a complicated relationship with Nest because a sample of their Madagascar Vanilla oil almost made me throw up. I tried three more times on different occasions, thinking that it is impossible for me to dislike one of my favorite notes of all time and that maybe it was just the weather or hormones. Nothing changed, I found it so disgusting that it turned me off all vanilla fragrances for a entire year. It took hesitantly sniffing a sample of The 7 Virtues Vanilla Woods to release me from that funk.

Anyway...

*sprays*

Now I understand the hype. Indigo is the perfect blend of black tea, bergamot, sweet figs and a soft woody base. The sweetness is exactly the same as what I smelled in Un Jardin en Méditerranée during a warm day.

It would have been easy for Indigo to get syrupy in the opening but the tea balances it. Like I'm watching my heathen cousin drop three sugar cubes in her cup as I sip my unsweetened oolong and let the warmth spread all over my body before biting into a ripe juicy fig. The citrus adds a freshness to the entire mix. The dry down is a beautiful soft focus of itself: the tea note gets stronger, the sweetness withdraws, and it's like being surrounded by a calming fragrant cloud.

I think Indigo is a year-round type of fragrance. I look forward to how it would be like in the cold.

Note: Why did I wait so long?

• Scent: 9/10
• Projection: 8/10
• Sillage: 8/10
• Longevity: 9/10

***********

There are tons more but I think I'll stop here. I'm a little figged out right now and I have all these samples and decants to use up.

Once again, this is a friendly reminder to not blind buy full bottles of fig scents. These are not the friendly vanillas and gentle white florals of your childhood. Forget the decants, just get samples. These fragrances can be expensive and are not guaranteed to suit or be loved by everyone. But when one gets to you, well, RIP wallet.

I love gourmands and anything with vanilla

These ones are Lattafa Angham and Nobel Blush, Paris Corner Marshmallow Blush, Maison Alhambra The White Cloud and Mia Dolcezza and Riffs Ciao in no particular order

Hello! So, background context. I know jack shit about scents, except for what I’ve picked up in the past week from looking at the fragrance subreddits. So… If I use the word dry down incorrectly, my bad lolol

My lifelong love is the OG Glossier You formula. I have a bottle that’s still about 2/3rds full. I’ve never been into perfume beyond loving that one scent. I was recently gifted JHAG Not a Perfume and it was similar enough to You that it’s sparked a horrible new interest in scents lol.

I posted a week or two ago to some perfume subreddit asking about dupes for You, and Room 1015 Sonic Flower popped up repeatedly. I filed it under “things to possibly buy down the road,” mostly because I didn’t have the perfume itch yet.

SAME DAY, I saw that Scentbird had their 60% off the first month sale going. Did I do very much research? No. Did I see pepper as a scent note and black out? Yeah. So, I spent 9 whole dollars on a 10ml sample of Sonic Flower, and I got a fancy little case for it.

I immediately had buyer’s regret after researching it further. I saw the description kneaded eraser and pencil shavings thrown around 💀 I got the vibe it was a love it or hate it scent.

I got it 2 days ago, and I’ve collected my thoughts!

I LOVE it. I found 3-4 spray is perfect, and it has pretty good lasting power. Projection is decent, but I don’t think you’d want this scent to project too far 💀 It’s the sort of scent where like if you accidentally bumped into someone on the subway, instead of being embarrassed you’d be like damn you smell good. But you wouldn’t smell it from a seat or two away. If that makes any sense?

The first 5 minutes is straight pepper and pencil shavings. I probably will not apply this one right before leaving the house lol. The pencil shaving smell chills the fuck out and so does the pepper—I think they start to blend with the ambroxan, the sweetness of the jasmine starts showing through subtly, and then the cashmere sort of settles it all out. The orris is just sort of a lovely wash over the entire thing. The longer it sits, the more the floral develops. Musky, peppery, and floral would be my descriptors I guess. If the smell I’m thinking is cashmere is actually cashmere, that’s a little strong for me. I think it makes it a little warmer than I’d prefer. But it’s sort of at the tail end, not a strong starting note. It feels like You’s more mature cousin lol.

I feel like an idiot trying to talk like you guys, but I hope all of that makes sense. I can completely see why people would hate it. It is startlingly reminiscent of pencil shavings at first, and it’s a very nuanced scent. If applied heavily, layered poorly, or it didn’t mesh with your body chemistry, I can see this being sort of nasty.

So, given that I think I love contentious skin scents, and that it works beautifully with my skin chemistry, I rate it a solid 9/10. It might shift to a 9.5 after more testing.

I’d say don’t blind buy unless you really fuck with You/Not a Perfume/weirder skin scents. But if you’re looking to try something funky, then I’d nominate this as a suggestion. I don’t feel like I did a good job of selling anyone on it, but I’m excited to have a new hobby!!!

Hi all, I’m looking for tried and true recommendations for PDM perfumes/cologne purchases from the gray market. Out of all the fragrances I have tried over the decades, PDM’s Delina family smells the best on me. I’m very sensitive to fragrances, and most others have a distinct “chemical” smell. I’ve looked at Venba, FragFlex, MaxAroma, Aura Fragrance, Jomashop, etc. but the prices do vary significantly for some of these fragrances, and some are sold out.

I am aware of the pink tax and would like your opinions on whether the gray market for these fragrances is legitimate, or is it best and safest for me to just bite the bullet and pay retail. Also, how often do these gray market retailers restock these fragrances? Delina La Rosee is on my list to purchase but it’s sold out currently on MaxAroma - Venba has it in stock currently.

Thank you all in advance!

While walking around my local Costco I found they had a ton of fragrances at $99. Found Creed Silver Mountain Water sitting towards the back of the shelf and doubted the price. Took it to check out to verify.

Long story short, I bagged my first Creed for $99 bucks 🤯