I’m running a little late with this week’s SQ, but I hope my anniversary post kept you entertained while I was finishing this one.
Saturday Question #150:
Have You Tried Anything New Recently?
It’s almost the end of the first month of 2023. Have you tried anything new this year? It doesn’t have to be something just released – just new for you.
My Answer
I just went to my local Nordstrom to check if they already had new Tom Ford‘s perfumes. They did! Unfortunately, they stopped the sampling program, so I couldn’t make samples myself, and the SA I talked to didn’t have any manufacturer samples. So after I made sure that at least I didn’t hate them on paper, I courageously sprayed two perfumes on two wrists.
I’m not sure why Tom Ford decided that we needed 2 (two!) flankers for Lost Cherry – but here we have them: Cherry Smoke (2022) and Electric Cherry (2023).
On paper, I liked Electric Cherry better (notes: cherry, ginger, jasmine sambac, ambrettolide, pink pepper and musk), but as both perfumes developed, Cherry Smoke became more interesting (notes: sour cherry, saffron, leather, olive, Chinese osmanthus, apricot, woody notes, smoke and cypriol oil).
When I say “more interesting,” I don’t mean interesting enough for me to want to pay $240 for a 30 ml bottle. If you ask me, it’s a ridiculous price for this perfume. But if people pay the price, kudos to TF. Would I want to wear it if I were to get it for free? I don’t think I want more than a sample. But I’ll try to get that sample if I can.
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
I haven’t been to a department store, Ulta or Sephora in ages to sample anything. Right now I am enjoying my bottles :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, there’s that stuh stuh thingy again. I miss that😏
LikeLike
Or mayyybe it was just showing up that way on my screen. In that case it is I who is hallucinating.
LikeLike
Lol
Undina must have deleted it
LikeLike
Could have been an issue on my own screen either. Maybe it expects to see your comment on the double🤣
LikeLike
I recently went to Sephora – and there was absolutely nothing new to try. So, you didn’t miss on anything :)
LikeLike
I purchased the Weekend samples set from Arielle Shoshana this month. I loved the newest of the three, Friday. It’s a floral that doesn’t smell like anything else in my collection. There are many notes listed. So far none of them dominate but that may be because I don’t know what sweet pea and mimosa smell like :) I can’t wait to wear this in the spring because, as at least one person has commented, “it’s spring in a bottle.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
You had to say “mimosa,” hadn’t you?! :)
LikeLike
Hahaha! Yeah, sorry about that ;)
LikeLike
I also tried Cherry Smoke and Electric Cherry. Still prefer the original Lost Cherry, which is good because I have two bottles of it. My most recent testing is Guerlain’s new Jasmin Bonheur. The scent is nice, but there is something in it that is rough on my nose and throat, perhaps ambroxan which I am sensitive to. I wish perfumes weren’t filled with harsh aromachemicals nowadays, I never used to have this problem but now it happens with irritating frequency.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Companies started using the same aroma chemicals, so there are many recognizable scents, most of which smell too artificial. I dislike almost all all-natural perfumes (there are just 2 or 3 exceptions), so it’s not that type of complaint. But overly artificial scents do not inspire me – even though I don’t have any physical reaction to them.
LikeLike
I haven’t been to anywhere but Target and the grocery store of late, so I haven’t even smelled the latest at Sephora (which usually isn’t very interesting at my local). I bought the Scent Trunk December offering by Ineke Ruhland (travel spray) for my SIL for Christmas – Stroopwaffel – and tried that recently. A little too sweet for my taste but I expected that. My SIL lived in the Netherlands for several months, loves stroopwaffels as a treat so it was a “novelty” gift. Like Brigitte, I’m trying to enjoy what I have!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like Ineke, but her last perfume (Jaipur Chai or something like this) was awful on me. That’s the only reason I am not running to buy that new scent.
LikeLike
Earlier in the month, I tried some samples from Maher Olfactive that I’d bought a while ago. The one that I liked the most was Orris Forest, which to me was more forest than orris, with a prominent juniper note. Like others, I haven’t been to a department store recently and am focusing on rotating through my bottles.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t tried anything from Maher Olfactive, and those bottles do not appeal to me – so, I will try these if I come across the brand at a store. I think though that as far as online sampling goes, this brand’s proposition is a very fair one.
LikeLike
I have done some sampling recently of fragrances by Les Indemodables
and Eris Perfumes. One of the Fragrantica writers, Nicola Thomas, has been raving about Eris’s new Scorpio Rising fragrance, so I decided to order a sample set. I also just got a sample set from Les Indemodables, which I like very much. I got a nice decant of Iris Perle and I’m thinking about a small decant of Rose de Jamal also from Les Indemodables. Someone had commented earlier on UGL, recommending Les Indemodables, and I am definitely liking what I have smelled so far. Both of these brands feature Antoine Lie as the perfumer and I’m finding that I like many of his creations.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like Eris perfumes – not sure yet if I need any of them in my collection, but I like several enough to keep testing my samples.
I think I tried Iris Perle, but I don’t remember anything. I will try the brand once I’m off my “no-buy.”
LikeLike
I got a discovery box of samples of the “Discover” range from Marks & Spencer. There is quite a buzz in the UK about them. The samples were £5 for 7x2ml samples. A full 30ml bottle of this range is also just £5!
Have already thunked the Warm Neroli sample. It’s quite lovely, a simple, straight up woody neroli that wears close. Lasts just 4 hrs tops but who cares at that price point
I also blind bought an 11ml size Sand & Sable after Portia pressed my “buy” button. Again less than £10. It’s a big ol’ white floral, heavy on the tuberose a la Truth & Dare and Fracas from the single spray I tested.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You paid it forward on the Sand & Sable, I couldn’t resist the urge to buy – for the princely sum of €7.70! You also mentioned Truth or Dare in another comment – course, I just had to throw a couple of those into the cart as well. I seem to have hit a bit of a buying mania that I need to get out of sooner rather than later. I’m hammering my card.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Those T&D bubbles are the ultimate Hollywood glam bath. Maybe more Bollywood with all that tuberose.
When things are so cheap it’s rude to turn them down surely?
LikeLike
Woo Hoo! I’ll take those two enabler pins thank you Alityke and Cassieflower
Portia xx
LikeLiked by 2 people
Those are some impressive scores! I’m glad you found something for a song, and it is nice and enjoyable.
LikeLike
Well. . . I have been trying a few things, and long story short, the absolute best is one that a seller sent me for free along with an order for something else. This is a dupe of Fragrance du Bois Oud Jaune Intense and it’s made by Perfume Parlour in the UK. My friend and I were testing it in a far away from everyone else corner of a café and the lady who brought our drinks to us commented that it “smells lovely over here.” My friend ordered her own bottle plus the body lotion, and my niece just ordered it as well. It’s really very good with decent longevity. I suppose I should mention my experience with Shalimar Millésime Tonka. I bought it blind so I have zero comeback on my slight disappointment – not with the scent but with the abysmal longevity. I was actually happy to find a slight leather aspect that isn’t given in the notes list. But it disappears in half an hour, despite around 20 sprays. And yes, it was bought from legitimate retailer. It’s likely that it’s my own skin chemistry causing this, my general well-being is a bit off.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Next to her mamma SMT does disappear quickly. I thought it was really short like you but got DH to sniff my wrist & he could smell “something ice creamy”. His sense of smell is usually rubbish so I reckon that the SMT was still there but her sillage is about an inch. Definitely gone completely by the 4 hour mark.
Still going on todays perfume prices, £94 for 50ml of a LtdEd of SMT’s quality is good value. She is bloody gorgeous after all
LikeLike
I would have offered to buy that Shalimar from you if it weren’t for my “no-buy.” But if you still have it by the time I get my perfume budget back, and you’re still unhappy with it, let’s talk! :)
LikeLike
I’ve been on a sample set binge recently (trying not to buy FB – ha!). I have a bunch that I haven’t tested yet like Cherigan, For the Scent of It, L’Aventure, Voskanian and Phronema. I did try the Anjali Perfume set and really enjoyed all of them – she does a great job incorporating her Indian culture in very wearable yet unique scents. I was really disappointed in the four new Amouage scents… makes me miss the old Amouage. And another new to me house, Marlou, has four gorgeous retro styled scents that I adore. My newest purchase was Voyages Imaginaires, L’eau des Immortels – try this is you like Goutal Sables but want something more! (Done by Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen – what a pair!). Finally, I wanted to love Zoologist Harvest Mouse cause he’s such a cute little guy and I love grain notes but, sadly it just wasn’t interesting enough for my tastes to justify a FB (although well done).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed on Harvest Mouse. :-))
LikeLike
Thank you!!! I was bummed that I couldn’t try those new Amouage scents (and was fighting myself on [not] breaking my “no-buy” for those). Hearing that you didn’t like them, I feel better :)
I haven’t tried those other brands that you mentioned, but since I don’t know the brands I don’t feel like I’m missing out on them.
LikeLike
I tried Perfume d’Empire Mal-aimé, which I like very much. Very green!
LikeLike
Sounds interesting! I like green perfumes.
LikeLike
Hi Crew,
Yes, I’m doing a monthly Sample/Decant Thunk Challenge over at Perfume Posse this year. So there are DOZENS, well 4 dozen this month, of new or revisits.
I think my last department store purchase was Guerlain AA Vetiver Neroli. So beautiful. Post coming.
Portia xx
LikeLike
I’ll check out your report on PP about decants and will be waiting on the post about Vetiver Neroli.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m having a testing spree. Just counted: As of today, I have this year tested 48 perfumes that I did not know before. Many of them vintages having a carnation note. In that context I rediscovered vintage Égoïste, which I used to wear as my signature scent. I also fell in love with a vintage Bellodgia from the 50s and the original version of Ungaro’s Diva as an extrait. Apart from that theme, I was quite surprised by and taken with Djélem (SuléKó), which contributed to alleviating my dislike of immortelle, and Milonga Verde (Fueguia 1833), which smells wonderfully of a dry summer forest plus some freshness. The year has been off to a good start!
LikeLike
48?! Wow! I’m not sure if I tested that many new perfumes in the whole year 2022. Well, probably I have (I didn’t calculate yearly stats for the technical reason, so I don’t know for a fact yet), but still it sounds impressive!
I tried 3 of Suleko perfumes, but I don’t remember whether Djelem was one of them. I should probably find those samples and revisit them.
LikeLike
I finished sampling the Eris perfume samples and I must say that I’m not a fan. Most of the scents are very heavy on tarry leathers and prominent animalics. A couple of them got scrubbed! Not to my taste. Scorpio Rising is a good incense/resin/woods scent, but I already have some beautiful fragrances in that genre and I don’t need any more.
I also tried the new Zoologist fragrances and I liked Cardinal best, but I already have many citrusy green scents so I don’t think I’ll buy it or the others. Macaque Fuji Apple and Harvest Mouse were both pleasant and likeable, but they didn’t wow me like Rose de Jamal from Les Indemodables.
LikeLike
May I recommend to hold on to Eris samples and try them again in late spring-early summer? I don’t think you’ll love them, but I think that in warmer weather they are interesting enough to try again. Once you know what expect from them, they might suddenly smell better than you remembered.
LikeLike
That’s a really good idea! I’ll do that. I definitely liked Scorpio Rising and may get a decant of it and I also liked Green Spell. I think It will be more appealing in warm weather for sure.
LikeLike
Yes, Givenchy L’Interdit (the latest version), and Kurkdijan Baccarat Rouge 540. The latter struck me as a bit like Cuir de Russie – well, that kind of classy vibe, but with a pine note instead of a leather one.
LikeLike
I still can’t understand what everyone sees (well, smells) in BR540! I will try it again when I’m at the store, but it surprises me how not interesting or pleasant I found it on previous attempts. Am I that much dislike MFK?
LikeLike
It’s the pine note – wrong on every level in a perfume of that supposedly smooth, urbane style.
LikeLike
Why yes I have. I’ve only gotten one bottle and I consider that a victory!
Francesca Bianchi Sticky Lips – it’s powdery spicy semi-dirty patchouli with tonka, tobacco, a little bit of rose and violet. If you had smelled Sticky Fingers, Sticky Lips is quite similar to it, and therefore, wearable.
According to the collateral material that came with it: “Sticky Lips is a limited edition created as a gift to my friends and to my loyal business partners, to celebrate the New Year 2023. Only 500 pieces were artisanally produced. From January 2023, the few remaining pieces will be sold to collectors.”
I am not a friend, and I suppose one could put me in the category of a collector unless said collector ends up not ever using the bottles.
LikeLike
You are definitely a collector! :)
I did smell SF (thanks to you!). Interesting that you managed to get that Uber-limited edition. You have a talent!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You certainly are a collector of some renown!
I look forward to seeing which owl will be supporting Sticky Lips on IG
LikeLike
I love all the owls, too!!
LikeLike