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Saturday Question: What Was The Last Brand You Discovered?

Initially, I planned to ask about a new brand you discovered, but then I thought that since, with hundreds of brands out there, finding a new brand became less novel than it used to be 10 years ago, we mostly stopped being interested in brands’ stories. So, the question is about the brand that you haven’t tried before – be it a newly hatched or a well-established one.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #187:

What Was The Last Brand You Discovered?

Were you seeking it out or just came across their perfume(s)? Did you like what you tried? Did/will you add anything from that brand to your collection?

My Answer

These days, new (for me) brands rarely cross my path since I rarely visit stores that carry unusual/rare lines. And even when I do, there are so many perfumes from the brands I know that I haven’t tried that I usually do not have any energy left for discovering gems in the rough. Even when I go to high-end department stores, I rarely stop to try any brand I do not recognize: everything seems to be smelling like everything else and not worth engaging in the usual “dances” with an SA (“What type of perfumes do you like?”, “This is our most popular fragrance!”, etc.).

Mind Games attracted me with their bottles. There is something very appealing in chess pieces-themed bottles, though, it’s a dead end for the line since it’s limited by the number of different pieces. Unless, of course, they decide to create perfumes for each piece on the board (though, at this point, they chose not to use a pawn as an inspiration, even for a single perfume).

Our local Neiman Marcus didn’t carry all 10 perfumes in the line, but I tested 6 and even got samples to take home. What do I think about this collection? They are fine. Not good. Not bad. I thought that a couple was more interesting than the others, but in the end, I wasn’t impressed enough even to do a designated post about them. If, at some point, one of the decanters that I follow were to offer Gardez (pepper, spice, jasmine, orris, fruits, leather and wood), I would probably get a decant. The rest – I don’t think I’ll even finish the samples. But if anyone in the US is interested, Scentbird has 5 out of 10 perfumes from this line.

Mind Games Perfumes

How about you?

What Was The Last Brand You Discovered?

47 thoughts on “Saturday Question: What Was The Last Brand You Discovered?”

  2. I’m currently doing swaps with an Insta perfume friend. She’s pretty new to the fragrant rabbit hole & very active in discovering new things. She introduced me to a fragrance from the Matiere Premiere line. The opening was a gorgeous plush rose vanilla. At counter I could see how it might hook people in very easily. The spearmint chewing gum joined the party & these 3 notes stayed for days! I mean scrubbing & multiple baths/ showers. It just didn’t know when to quit!
    Not sure I want to try this brand again, Radical Rose scared me for its blunderbus volume & nuclear lifespan

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  3. What a crying shame they’re not fabulous Undina. It seems like ALL the thought has gone into the concept and none into the juice. BUMMER!

    I know I’m very late to the party but am just discovering how good Anatole Lebreton perfumes are. I’ve tried a couple and been blown away. Sadly, one of our local stores had them all on deep sale last year and I didn’t buy them, GRRR! But honestly didn’t know they’d be this good.
    I also have four Senyokô perfumes manufacturers samples that I need to get my sniff on. I am hearing whispers of good things.
    Portia xx

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    • You’re waaaaay head of me: I haven’t tried anything from either of the two brands you mentioned and I vaguely remember seeing those names. I hope to read about some of those in your reviews.

      Those Mind Games aren’t bad – they are just not spectacular. And at that price range, there are many perfumes that I enjoy much more.

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    • I recently discovered Anatole Lebreton, so I’m also late to the party. I added L’eau Scandaleuse to my collection and Grimoire is on my wishlist.

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  4. Dusita is the last brand I discovered or got to know is maybe more a more accurate way to put it.
    I have very little appetite to discover new brands these days. I re-discovered Neela Vermeire, I have a bottle of Trayee which I love now more than when I first got it, and I love Ashoka (which I thought I didn’t), Mohur and Rahele. Full bottles are not in the near future, so I enjoy the 2x 2 travel sprays and samples.

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    • Those 2x 2 travel sprays were great! I don’t think they are in production any longer though.
      I’m not trying to find new brands any longer either: there are too many of them, so unless it’s free, I won’t even consider paying to test their perfumes. At least not unless I get a recommendation from someone I trust.

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    • Dusita is wonderful! I own 2 full bottles, Issara and Rosarine and I have travel bottles of a couple of others that I bought during a special.. Moonlight in Chiangmai is a good one.

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  6. I bought something from a discounter and they included a sample from Exceptional Parfums. It was a generic shampoo floral and I had to look it up to confirm the brand’s name. Nothing gained there…
    A brand I’d like to sample is Aura of Kazakhstan—I’d heard of them before and the name floated my way again in an article about their newest fragrance, 7, which sounds right up my alley with its apricot-osmanthus forwardness.

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    • I haven’t heard that name before, but I can see that they invited at least one known perfumer for their initial collection. Apricot usually doesn’t work for me, and the first one notes of which I checked had cumin – my other nemesis. But I might be persuaded to try them if I read enough positive impressions.

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  7. A new to me brand is Parfums de Marly, I recently got a decant of Oriana, and while it’s very nice, I’m glad to say I don’t need a bottle. More money saved.

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    • I have Parfums de Marly’s most recent sample set of 7 scents. So far most of them lean too sweet for me, but I still have more to sample. The one I like best thus far is Althair, marketed to men apparently, but it’s totally unisex. It’s a good deep vanilla, very much like Indult Tihota.

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    • I like this brand even though I shouldn’t have. They won me with their lavender in one of their masculine scents (I think I have a decant of it), and I liked another scent enough to buy a bottle for my vSO. I’m yet to find a feminine offering to charm its way into my collection. I like many but so far didn’t love any.

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  8. I have so little interest in exploring new brands lately, it’s hard to even remember which new one I tried, but I think it was Perfumehead. They are ridiculously overpriced and the packaging is boring, scents were just okay. I prefer to just focus on stuff I already own and love.

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    • At this point I don’t even want to know if I would like them: I shouldn’t pay that much for anything now, especially with dozens of great perfumes I already own. So, I’m glad you didn’t love them :)

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  10. It’s not a new brand, but I recently bought some Le Galion at a discounter. I really like them. So far I have Le’aime purdue, Tillel, and Jasmine. I love the older bottles but they’ve recently changed them.

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    • I tried just a couple of their perfumes. I know that it is a brand with a long history, but since it wasn’t carried in any B&M stores around, I wasn’t exposed to their line – and it wasn’t enticing enough to buy samples. But if I were to come by a deeply discounted bottle, I would be tempted.

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  11. Indeed, it’s becoming harder and harder to find anything decent. The sheer number of new releases is mind boggling and head spinning. However, two brands that I stumbled across (after hearing good things about online) that I think are worth a try are Eris Parfums and Les Indémodables. Both brands give a nod to the past while providing something entirely modern. Eris, in particular are geared more for vintage perfume lovers, though. From Eris I enjoyed Night flower, MXXX and Scorpio Rising. And for Les Indémodables it was their musk scent, Musc des Sables and their ambergris perfumes that hit the mark. In all honesty though, both brands entire lines are worth a shot. At last count they had 8 and 12 perfumes in their portfolios, respectively.

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    • These are the 2 best newer brands I have tried. My favorite from Les Indemodables is Rose de Jamal, a nice spicy rose. I bought a travel spray that I am enjoying very much. I samples all the Eris fragrances and can confirm that they are well made and very interesting. I didn’t love any of them so I didn’t buy anything, but I will test any new fragrances from this brand.

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    • Les Indemodables is definitely one brand from which I like almost everything they’ve done. This does not happen often. Eris Parfums is hard to get in Europe so I have to keep on trying. I just know I’m gonna like them.

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    • I tried The first 3 (or 4?) of Eris Parfums soon after the release and since then I like the brand even though none of those perfumes or later released ones got th the “love, have to have” status. But I agree with you, it is a very interesting brand. Les Indémodables sound familiar… I tried only their Iris Perle. I don’t remember what I thought. Probably should try other perfumes from their portfolio at some point.

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    • I enjoyed sampling these brands. I loved Green Spell and want to sample Ma Bete, as that ones seems to be right up my alley. I liked Mx en Mxxx. Not sure about Night Flower, I will have to retest. I liked all the Les Indemodables ones and loved Oriental Velours.

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  12. I’ve been testing quite a bit lately and discovered some new to me brands that a really enjoyed. Some I discovered through samples swaps. I found out about Anatole Lebreton, added L’eau Scandeleuse to my collection and Grimoire is on my wish list. But my main discoveries were by reading perfume blogs and forums helped me a lot. I found out about Vero Kern (two on the wish list), Angelos Créations Olfactives and St. Clair (my samples should arrive today, I’m very excited to try them). I rarely find a new exciting brand in store.

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    • I’m afraid you discovered Vero Profumo too late: I’m not sure if they will continue re-releasing those perfumes. Several places have some bottles, but, for example, Luckyscent haven’t restocked those that were sold out in a long time.

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  13. The latest brand I’ve discovered is Miguel Matos Perfumes. Yes, the same person who writes for Fragrantica. I was able to sample his scents this past spring during a trip to Barcelona and a visit to The Barcelona Perfumery, and came away with bottles of Miracle of Roses and Fado Jasmin. Both are gorgeous florals. The Barcelona Perfumery had the whole line, and they were all very interesting and different. Note: if you decide to visit the store, you have to make an appointment with the owner, but that was easy to do within 24 hours.

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    • I wasn’t familiar with the brand (I rarely read Fragrantica, but the name sounds vaguely familiar), but it must be good to warrant not one but two bottles at once!
      Thank you for the heads up on the store. I’m not sure when I get to Barcelona next time, but I really want to, and The Perfumery is one of the stores on my “must revisit” list.

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  14. My most recent new brand discovery is Libertine fragrances, an indie brand from Canada. I purchased a travel spray of their Gilded fragrance. It’s divine! Brown sugar, cardamom and cinnamon on top of resins and woods. The notes are cardamom, cinnamon bark, orange blossom, olibanum, immortelle, brown sugar, opoponax, and pale wood accord. (Not sure what are ‘pale woods’) I highly recommend their sample set at Ministry of Scent in SF.

    Maison Violet is another good new brand. Their Tagaret is a unisex floral and Nuee Bleu is a nice iris scent. I haven’t bought any decants or bottles, but I kept these samples to enjoy.

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  15. I’m constantly on a mission to find new perfume houses that are more affordable. I just don’t want to put up with the fact that I have to pay large sums to have a good perfume. Recently I’ve tried the brands Officina delle Essenze and Salle Privee. Officina delle Essenze is obviously an Italian brand with many perfumes in their collection. It’s a family business from Rome. Personally I like more their colognes than the Eau de Parfums. My favourites are Osmarine, osmanthus with a marine note and Puro Fico, a nice fig scent. They are both full bottle worthy in my opinion. Salle Privee is a Dutch designer house that also has perfumes and is worth checking out. My favourites are the two perfumes with lots of aromachemicals: Le Temps Perdu, ambrette and woody notes and their collaboration with the Dutch shop Skins, which is a nice woody pear. Salle Privee has 12 ml travel sizes.

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  16. Hello, dear Undina. I recently discovered a French brand called D’Orsay. It seems to be one of those heritage brands that’s been revived. All their fragrances I’ve tried so far have a soft and soothing quality. Definitely one to try.

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