by

Saturday Question: Have You Ever Gave Your Mother Perfume as a Gift?

Unlike the New Year Eve/Day or some common religious holidays, Mother’s Day is celebrated in different months either on the specific date or certain day of the month. But since it looks like countries from where many of my loyal readers come share the same day, the second Sunday of May, this SQ is in celebration of this beautiful holiday.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #214:

Have You Ever Gave Your Mother Perfume as a Gift?

Not necessarily for Mother’s Day, but for any other occasions or just because? If yes, was it something you knew she loved, or was it an experiment?

 

My Answer

In my childhood, since perfumes weren’t widely available, even adults used perfumes as gifts just occasionally, so no romantic stories about saving pennies and buying anything perfume-related. As I grew up and started earning money, times were hard, so money were designated for less frivolous, day-to-day necessities. But once we moved to the US and settled down, on each of my visits home I would bring my mom some perfume as a gift. And I always saved some perfume samples: since years ago department stores were much more generous with samples with purchase, I always had a bunch of extras to share with her.

She would actively use them up (but kept bottles for a while, so I know that she finished them), but I don’t think she cared enough to remember which ones she liked more. Or maybe she didn’t want to ask for another bottle trying to be considerate – even though I always asked for her wish list (in general, not necessarily perfume-related).

Since every time I would bring something different, the only three perfumes I remember were Diorella, Yves Rocher Desir de Nature and Elizabeth Arden Green Tea. I wish I could remember more. I wish I would have shared more.

Rusty and Orchid

How about you?

Have You Ever Gave Your Mother Perfume as a Gift?

Ysatis by Givenchy 1984
by

Ysatis by Givenchy 1984

Dear Gentle Reader (SORRY! I’ve been rewatching Bridgerton) Hey there ULGers! If you never heard of Givenchy Ysatis then you’re either very young or you’ve been living under a rock. It is celebrating its 40th birthday this year. Yep! Outrageous. Recently I was reminded of it because one of the regular Trivia night patrons wears it so beautifully. More than once I’ve asker her what magical elixir she is wafting to have a very happy reply of Ysatis. She’s so happy that even though I’m a perfume blogger and snob that her not very expensive or posh perfume gets noticed so often. Really, it smells extraordinary on her, so full and sensual and more-ish, I try to sit with her when she’s wearing it and just swim in the gorgeous gouts of fragrance.

Ysatis by Givenchy 1984

Ysatis by Givenchy 1984

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, Orange blossom, Brazilian rosewood, Galbanum  Neroli, Bergamot, Citrus notes, Mandarin orange, Coconut
Heart: Jasmine, Narcissus, Tuberose, Ylang-ylang, Egyptian rose, Florentine iris, Honey
Base: Civet, Amber, Castoreum, Clove, Musk, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Precious woods, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Bay rum, Vetiver

Above you will see the new, modern bottle and the Givenchy site tells us they have reinvented their iconic fragrances and repackaged them as the Heritage Collection. I’ve not had a sniff of the new one so cannot comment on the carnage, if there has been some.

In my life though, on a friend’s recent FaceBook Sale post I saw (and bought for a song) a half full vint-ish tester. Just so I can waft around the house smelling like a ripe old diva (yes, this is how it smells on me, and I’m LOVING it).

This was Dominique Ropion’s first commercial fine fragrance! What a start. Fragrantica has his current release count at 357.

So let’s parse this unbelievably kitchen sink style perfume. Ysatis opens with an aldehydic citrus burst already full to overflowing with a tropical white floral extravaganza. It’s also quite animalic, even this early. Honeyed and boozy. It’s so full on, everything seems to be happening at once but it’s never cacophonous. It feels large, a bit overwhelming but structured and focused.

The heart is animalic floral with shy undertones of suntan lotion and cocktails. No one flower sits atop the bouquet, it’s a big. fat, sexy melange. Here is where my heart swoons and the heart has a most impressive lifespan. After about 40 minutes the whole fragrance softens considerably but still pumps out the gorgeous fragrantly. Base is a very lightly spiced amber/sandalwood and I think this bottle is old enough that there is still some oakmoss swirling around adding its fuzzy lustre. Until writing this post I’d always put Ysatis into the BWF category but it’s categorized as a Floral Chypre.

This is a no holds barred explosion of gratuitous fabulousness that would take a very secure man to pull it off, or a Drag Queen obvs. It’s built for an era of high octane perfume that walked into the room well ahead of the woman wearing it. Probably not office safe anymore and it would definitely clash with your ability to taste food. Projection, sillage and longevity are all off the charts. You are making a real time investment to smelling of Ysatis.

Did you? Would You Ysatis?
Portia xx

 

by

Sunday Self-care, Episode 11: Left Holding the [Makeup] Bags

After a 17-month hiatus, I hesitated to continue this series: over the months (years?) of quarantine and “new normal,” this term got overused and became a cliche in record time. But since I still plan to write from time to time about beauty products, I don’t want to start each of them by explaining what that not-perfume-related post is doing on my blog. So, the series will continue.

* * *

As I started writing this post, I realized that until a month ago, I didn’t buy a single makeup bag/case. Ever. I don’t remember what I did before moving to the US (most likely, I didn’t need anything special for the only two items I would regularly carry – a tube of lipstick and a pressed powder compact. For decades here, I would be using cases and bags I got as a part of GWPs or sets. Of all the free makeup organizers I used over the years, I thought Dior had the best ones, followed by Shiseido. Unfortunately, in recent years, in an attempt to increase profitability, most brands either stopped using free bags with their GWPs having replaced them with cardboard boxes or cheapened them significantly. That’s how I found myself thinking, for the first time, about finding the right cosmetics bag to buy.

* * *

The last drop was when recently sitting in the car (in the passenger seat!) I was trying to fish out something I needed from my makeup bag. I knew it was there but could not find it. I complained to my vSO: “I wish I had one of those makeup organizers that you can open wide and see everything in it!” – “Then why wouldn’t you?” he replied.

By now, I’ve been eyeing for a while a recently released Charlotte Tilbury makeup bag. But wouldn’t it be too easy if I were just to buy it and be done? Instead, I decided to order from Amazon two more travel cosmetic organizers that were previously recommended by content creators I watch. All three arrived, and I spent an afternoon unpacking them, checking out their features and taking photos from all possible angles.

Price, Origin & Where Purchased

Charlotte Tilbury,Telena and EACHY Makeup Bags

(Disclaimer: links are not affiliated)

Charlotte Tilbury, made in the USA, $45 (purchased from Nordstrom, currently sold out there but still available from the brand’s site and other retailers).

Telena, made in China, $16.79 (purchased from Amazon).

EACHY, made in China, $23.99 (purchased from Amazon).

Packaging

All three came in an external plastic bag. Telena and EACHY also had a protective white fabric-like cover; Charlotte Tilbury had a paper sleeve. Charlotte Tilbury and EACHY had internal fillings to hold the form, and Telena came in folded flat, but it easily restored its form once unfolded.

Charlotte Tilbury,Telena and EACHY Makeup Bags

All three are packed equally well with EACHY being just a smidge ahead.

Charlotte Tilbury 4.5
EACHY 5
Telena 4.5

Exterior

Both Telena and EACHY bags are made from polyurethane, and Charlotte Tilbury is made of polyester. All three are water resistant.

Charlotte Tilbury,Telena and EACHY Makeup Bags

EACHY bag is light beige/cream. It has a quilted pattern, a light beige handle, a matching plastic zipper with two nicely looking round plastic golden sliders and a single pull tab.

Telena bag is beige with a brown accent, brown handle and a golden plastic zipper with two regular golden plastic sliders and two pull tabs; it is made with a pebbled leather effect.

Charlotte Tilbury bag is pink (surprise!), looks almost like patent leather, has no handle and features the strangest embroidered image of a lipstick held by teeth (the brand’s site calls it “ICONIC lip print design”). Is it supposed to be an allusion to a cigarette? (But why?) Or should it somehow be a phallic reference? (But how?). It has a rose gold metal zipper with one metal slider molded in the form of lipstick and two pull tabs. Because of that “iconic” feature, the Charlotte Tilbury bag is my least favorite in this category.

Charlotte Tilbury 3.5
EACHY 4
Telena 4.5

Interior and Functionality

All three bags are supposed to lay flat when fully open, and they almost do that with EACHY managing this task slightly better right off the bat. The rest will get there with the use.

Charlotte Tilbury,Telena and EACHY Makeup Bags open

EACHY and Telena bags have a solid colored interior that matches the exterior color, and Charlotte Tilbury bag has a contrasted much darker main color with a pattern created of repeating lines of the brand’s logo “CT” and the collection name “Pillow Talk” done in the pink color that matches the exterior. The fabric of the Charlotte Tilbury bag is so much superior to that used for the other two bags that it’s not even a contest (though I would have probably preferred to inverse the background and pattern colors to make it easier to find items on the lighter background). This is not to say that EACHY or Telena’s fabric is bad, but it could have been better.

Charlotte Tilbury bag has five main compartments, one zippered pocket on the internal “wall” and two smaller pockets on one of the divider panels. Interestingly, the internal zipper is plastic and not metal as the outside zipper.

Both Telena and EACHY bags have two main compartments divided by the zipped pocket “for brushes,” with a fabric one for Telena and a transparent plastic one for EACHY. While it’s not a bad idea, those pockets are not large enough for me to want to stick my nice brushes into. Both bags have one larger pocket on one “wall” and two smaller ones on the other.

Charlotte Tilbury 5
EACHY 4.5
Telena 4.5

Portability and the “Cat Test”

All three are not significantly different in measurements. Telena bag is the largest of the three: 250 mm x 120 mm x 120 mm / 9.84 inch x 4.72 inch x 4.72 inch, followed by EACHY: 235 mm x 105 mm x 110 mm / 9.25 inch x 4.13 inch x 4.33 inch, and Charlotte Tilbury, the smallest of them: 191 mm x 105 mm x 105 mm / 7.52 inch x 4.13 inch x 4.13 inch.

Charlotte Tilbury,Telena and EACHY Makeup Bags Size Comparison

The final consideration for me was how these bags fit into my purse.

While I managed to get each one of the three into my purse, Charlotte Tilbury’s bag was the only one that left some room for other important things I might want to fit in there, such as my wallet or sunglasses. I wished though it had been a little smaller.

The photo session took so long that Rusty finally decided it was time for the cat to get into the bag.

After examining EACHY and Charlotte Tilbury, he lost interest, so I’m not sure if it says anything about the Telena bag, or if it should be attributed to his short attention span.

Charlotte Tilbury 4.5
EACHY 4
Telena 4

My Choice

I didn’t do it while I was making my decision, but for this post, I calculated totals of all the ratings:

Charlotte Tilbury EACHY Telene
Packaging 4.5 5 4.5
Exterior 3.5 4 4.5
Interior 5 4.5 4.5
Portability 4.5 4 4
17.5 17.5 17.5

It explained my difficulties with choosing. If I could mix and match features, I would have preferred to have Charlotte Tilbury’s size, origin, metal zipper, interior construction and fabric quality, Telena’s exterior colors and pebbled leather effect and EACHY’s two round sliders (just preferably metal), central transparent zippered brush compartment, interior color (though, I wouldn’t mind keeping CT’s pattern – just in different colors) and its ability to open almost completely flat. But with the choices I had, I decided to go with Charlotte Tilbury as my purse makeup bag, which would replace the two I currently use (I carry a lot with me, not just makeup).

Charlotte Tilbury Makeup Bag and Two Bags it Replaced

… And then I decided to keep EACHY’s bag as a travel bag: I was preparing for a business trip and realized that I needed a larger bag, which I could put in my suitcase. It proved to be quite convenient. It seems like with my choices I took into consideration Rusty’s preferences.

 

… And by the time I finished writing this post, I figured out that I didn’t want to return Telena’s bag because I liked it as well. I’m not sure that I need it, so it might end up as a Christmas gift. But as of now, I’m left holding all the bags. Literally.

Rusty And Charlotte Tilbury Cosmetics Travel Bag

Images: My own

by

Saturday Question: What Are Your Top 5 Favorite Flankers?

Last week, as we discussed Mugler‘s Angel, the topic of this (and some other) perfume’s flankers was raised several times, and I realized that we haven’t discussed this question in the SQ series.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #213:

What Are Your Top 5 Favorite Flankers?

Do you have any in your collection? Do you consider them independent, “stand-alone” perfumes, or do you think that they are secondary to the original one?

My Answer

In my pre-perfumista years, I expected perfume variations (the word “flanker” in its perfume-related meaning came to my life much later) to be exactly that: an almost identical composition with one or two notes intensified or maybe added. And I remember my surprise and indignation when some of those new versions smelled completely different from their predecessors.

Since then, I learned that in many cases, the only common denominator is the part of the name (and the desire to cash out on the popularity of the original one). While I can’t say with any confidence that my attitude towards flankers is affected by my past thoughts, somehow it happened that my top 5 favorites are those that still have the DNA of the original perfumes.

  1. Ormonde Jayne Ta’if Elixir
  2. Thierry Mugler Angel Taste of Fragrance
  3. Givenchy Amarige Mimosa
  4. Prada Infusion Mandarine
  5. Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Mimosa

How about you?

What Are Your Top 5 Favorite Flankers?

by

Saturday Question: What Do You Think About Mugler’s Angel Today?

How is this for a random SQ?!

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #212:

What Do You Think About Mugler’s Angel Today?

I am curious about your thoughts on this iconic perfume and the place it takes, in your opinion, in perfume history. But also, did you ever like it enough to own and wear? How do you feel about it today?

My Answer

I haven’t worn Angel in over two years, and it didn’t cross my mind until today, while grocery shopping, I caught a whiff of it on a fellow shopper. It sparked a wave of nostalgia, prompting me to dig out my 20+ year-old bottle and apply just the tiniest amount to my wrist. It wasn’t even a full spray – just a tiny squirt from the nozzle. But wow! I don’t know how I (or anyone around me) managed to survive any of the parties to which I wore it liberally sprayed (well, not hajusuuri-style liberally, but at least 3-4 sprays, as I remember). And you know what? I still like it.

Granted, I had an unusually emotional relationship with this perfume, so I may not be entirely objective. But I am in awe of the audacity it took the brand to release that perfume 32 years ago. At that time, we still were in the era of loud, bold, unapologetic  perfumes. But they all were still mostly perfumes in a more traditional vein, years away from polite minimalistic unisex creations or scent experiments of the how-far-can-we-stretch-a-perfume-definition-type. Angel stood out as something entirely different, so when it became popular, it single-handedly created a new trend in perfumery.

I wonder why the brand altered the formula. This perfume always struck me as somewhat artificial, so can we still blame IFRA? Or was it a cost-cutting measure? Is it be possible to recreate the original formula today? While my bottle is old, the juice inside smells different from what I remember in the ’90s. I’m not entirely sure if my bottle changed more than just the color or if I had an already reformulated version. Regardless, it doesn’t quite match my memory. I doubt I’ll wear it outside of my house these days. However, I’d be willing to pay $20-$25 for a 0.5 ml sample of the original Angel – just to see if all these years later I would still experience that surprise at the first sniff.

Mugler Angel

How about you?

What Do You Think About Mugler’s Angel Today?

Trajan by Electimuss London
by

Trajan by Electimuss London

Hi there ULGers, Hope your fortnight has been a good one. If not then let’s talk perfume and forget the world for a moment. I have an admission to make. Electimuss as a brand has completely passed me by. From the Electimuss site: “Electimuss means “to choose the best” in Latin and that ethos is at the heart of our brand. Exquisite oils and resins in our fragrances are rare and precious and blended with meticulous attention paid to every note and detail… We care passionately about quality. All of our fragrances are 25% or 30% Pure Parfum / Extrait and our blends are unashamedly decadent and daring.” They are inspired by Ancient Rome.

Before we go any further I do not understand why brands are doing extraits and acting as if it’s a better deal. It’s bloody annoying. You could do 50% of cheap as shit ingredients and it is still an extrait. Also, I like the projection of an EdT. Should I wish a stronger % then I’d like to buy a 7.5ml extrait spray like the old Guerlain cigarette lighter case and wear them together. For that extra rich, burnished depth. In my books (clearly I’m a dinosaur) having the extrait should be a glamorous add on.

Sorry, rant over.

Trajan by Electimuss London 2020

Electimuss site gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin, lemon, bergamot, blood orange
Heart: Lavender, sage, saffron
Base: Cedarwood, oak moss, ambergris

I’m unsure why I even bought this sample from Surrender To Chance. I was having a little retail therapy late at night. You know how it goes, right?

Trajan is named for a Roman emperor whose claim to fame was the expansion of Roman trade frontiers down the Silk Road. Expanding the empires access to sought after goods from Asia. So I was expecting a heavily spiced incense fragrance with all the dark trademarks of the travel. It was a surprise that citrus came from Southeast Asia, Lavender from mainland Eurasia, Sage is Mediterranean and Asia Minor, Saffron from Central Asia, Cedar is Mediterranean and Himalayas, Oakmoss the Balkans and Far East and Ambergris comes from beaches the world over but the Chinese called it Dragon Spit. After having an early interior sneer yet again I have been brought back to reality. Though these are not the notes I’d have most connected with the Silk Road there is definite relevance. Sorry Electimuss for my judgmental attitude.

Trajan Electimuss

How does it smell? The opening is like a slightly tweaked Baccarat Rouge 540. Much less headache inducing but very reminiscent. The lavender is a very nice touch and it appears magically in the second or third minute and stays for a while. As the initial fury subsides there is a fantastic Play Doh vibe underpinned by bakery or maybe cookie dough and Trajan becomes something much more interesting.

My nose is also telling me there are some flowers hiding within the construct but I can’t pin them down. You know that powdery smoothness of petals, the feeling of peony or crabapple petals without the fragrance of them.

The base smells similar to loads of other mass-tige offerings. Very nice ambery/woodsy/vanilla all smooshed together into that reliably comfortable and wearable melange.

OK, it’s 5.03pm tomorrow now. The base is BR450 and ETERNAL. It will not wash off. 

The bottle looks gorgeous.

Sound good?
Portia xx

 

by

Saturday Question: Do You Like Chypres?

It’s a full-blown spring here, and since I feel that chypre perfumes fit that time of the year. Of course, you might love them all-year-round or hate altogether. So, let’s talk about them.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #211:

Do You Like Chypres?

If yes, do you choose them more often in any particular period/weather? What are your top 3-5 chypres? If no, is there an exception – one or two that you do wear?

My Answer

I can’t say that I dislike chypres, but they clearly constitute the small part of my collection. I counted 12 perfumes in this family that I periodically wear, but for today’s SQ answer I’ll choose 5 (I can’t believe I don’t have a picture of PoaL with Rusty!): Miss Dior, Amouage Memoir Woman, Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady, Sisley Eau du Soir, Chanel Cuir de Russie.

 

How about you?

Do You Like Chypres?

by

Saturday Question: What Percentage Off Would Motivate You to Make a Purchase?

This week my YouTube stream is overflown with Sephora spring sale recommendations, so discounts, sales and offers are on my mind. I know that most of my readers slowed down in their quest for new perfumes, especially when it comes to full bottles acquisitions. But let’s talk in general of what seems interesting or significant enough to consider a purchase.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #210:

What Percentage Off Would Motivate You to Make a Purchase?

Let’s not talk about one-of-a-kind bargains, eBay finds or insanely discounted blind buys. But when it comes to regular stores, specialized online perfume boutiques or brands’ sites, what would incentivize you enough to buy perfume that you had on your wish list for some time?

Bonus – the same question but about skincare, beauty and makeup.

My Answer

As I said, Sephora was on my mind. My friend was supposed to share with me her Rouge status, and I was contemplating (strictly necessary!) purchases with her great 20% off discount… when we discovered that her status had elapsed before that sale. That was a disappointment! But after some considerations, I realized that 15% that I could get with my own status wasn’t that much worse, and I would end up spending probably just $5-7 dollars more. Still, before settling for “mere” 15%, I looked around to make sure that I couldn’t do better somewhere else. And while many brands offer the same 15% and sometimes even 20% for the first purchase, usually one has to spend $50+ to get a free shipping. And since each of the items that I planned to buy was under that threshold, placing separate orders at brands’ sites would end up costing more then buying everything at Sephora, which I did. None of the few items I bought was perfume-related (if not to count a free sample that I chose but might not get if they run out of those), but it made me think about discounts when it comes to getting perfumes.

I realized that my expectations and valuation of offers and discounts heavily depend on what I think is possible. I remember hunting 6 months for free shipping from the brand that usually didn’t offer either discounts or free shipping and being ecstatic when I managed to get it. On the other hand, if I know that some sites do 20% off once in a while, I would be patiently waiting to get that discount not being tempted by anything less. And for sites and brands that never do site-wide sales, I would be checking for some bundle or extra samples offer because it feels wrong to pay the full price and not to get anything “extra” – even if I don’t need it.

So, both for perfumes and beauty items that I plan to buy anyway, any discount is good and enough to push my decision – as long as I think that it’s the best I can do before I need to use it (if I’m running out of some beauty items) or have to buy it (if perfume is getting harder to get or being discontinued).

How about you?

What Percentage Off Would Motivate You to Make a Purchase?

Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition by Imaginary Authors 2023
by

Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition by Imaginary Authors 2023

Hey there crew, I don’t know if you remember the original but I had to sell mine on. It was just too much of whatever it was and drove me a bit bonkers when I wore it. It was relentless, combative and at some points disgusting. Problem was though that I loved that initial rush of opening. Yes, it was awesome and awful at the same time. That kind of contrapuntal can wear a person down after about 16 hours. Seriously. So I was very excited to read that a reimagined, less torturous version was being released last year. So now we have Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition! On my last Surrender To Chance trawl I grabbed a decant. Let’s see how it unfolds together…

Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition by Imaginary Authors 2023

Imaginary Authors give these featured accords:
Geranium, Spanish Rose, Patchouli, Black Musk, Tobacco, Sandalwood, Bull’s Blood

First I’d like to say how impressive the retail price is on a bottle. 50ml is US$105! They also give FREE US Shipping over US$75 spend. Imaginary Authors is seriously niche perfumery and could charge well above for their stellar product. That they are so generous with their talent makes me love them even more.

From the Imaginary Authors site: “The women and men in these pages are lovers and brawlers, bullfighters and boxers, soft talkers and hard drinkers. They inhabit dusty Spanish villages and dank, dark brothels…” Some of the best and funnest ad speak I’ve ever come across. There’s more too.

How does Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition smell? Straight out of the gate (see what I did there) sharp geranium and tobacco. Less car crash and more perfume than my memory of the previous iteration. Lightly salty, brine, under the boardwalk. It’s just enough to add colour and far less metallic. Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition feels more Arabic Rose/Patch/Oud and infinitely more accessible to me as a fragrance wearer. Maybe I was overcome by the marketing last time but it could also be a swapping out of costus for other accords.

Bull's Blood 2nd Edition by Imaginary Authors 2023

Still excellent longevity and above average projection. If you found the original version unwearable but loved the idea then this new Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition will probably float your boat on much calmer seas. Yes, it’s still a big deal, over the top and a little confrontational but now it does it with a smile and a cheeky wink.

Did you smell the original? Memories? Does Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition sound like a better option?
Portia xx

by

Saturday Question: Do You Like Modern Niche Perfumes?

I know, I know, it’s a very broad question. But I thought: if “Do you like vintage perfumes?” is a legitimate question, why wouldn’t this one be?

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #209:

Do You Like Modern Niche Perfumes?

Give your own definition to what you consider “modern,” and what you classify as “niche,” and after that tell me whether you like them, find new favorites, I’ll even dare to say – buy them?

My Answer

As a rule, I do not feel old (or even “older”). But recently I caught myself thinking that the way I feel about new niche perfumes that I come across makes me sound old, because my mental mantra these days is: “in my time” perfumes were better.

I am not talking about ingredients that were banned and substituted (even though, of course, that plays its role in my perception of new perfumes). I am not even complaining about lack of originality or not being memorable. But more and more I test new perfumes that smell either very minimalistic or too gender-neutral or overly artificial or not really perfume-y.

And after a while, I realized that those are not just poorly constructed perfumes (well, some of them are), but it seems like a new style. The industry keeps creating new aroma chemicals that become popular, and many new brands eagerly utilize them. They are not necessarily unpleasant, they don’t even smell identical. But many of them have some recognizable characteristics that just don’t excite or inspire me. And if perfumes aren’t expensive, I think: “Of course, how much could these aroma chemicals cost?” And if they are expensive, I think: “How could these aroma chemicals cost that much?!!”

I’m not a fan of vintage perfumes. I remember hundreds of perfumes of the past that I didn’t like. And I still come across some perfumes I like. But in general, I do not like the prevailing style of modern niche perfumes.

 

How about you?

Do You Like Modern Niche Perfumes?