Today we're helping Kelly, who is looking for a scent that fits her personality and tastes rather than something for a specific occasion or context. She isn't worried about the price, and it doesn't matter if the perfume is from online, a high end department store or a drugstore. Here is what we know about Kelly:
She's in her late 20s.
She loves writing poetry and making music, and she works on these as much as time allows everyday.
She's shy, down to earth, and likes learning about anything creative and unusual.
Kelly likes leather notes, chypres and orientals. Perfumes she likes include Chanel No. 19, Chanel Cuir de Russie, Caron Tabac Blonde and Bvlgari Black.
Kelly dislikes gardenia and big florals like Robert Piguet Fracas and Michael Kors. Fruity-florals bore her so she tends towards more classic perfumes, but many of them are too well-mannered to be her holy grail.
Kelly liked the idea of Robert Piguet Bandit, but in practice it was too vegetal and medicinal. She also tried CB I Hate Perfume In the Library, and while she liked the concept it was too literal. She has not tried many niche fragrances.
What say you?
Note: top image is Bologna - no bill posting [cropped] by on1stsite. at flickr; some rights reserved.
I think she should try the Lutens line. Chergui and Ambre Sultan, to start with.
I think of Jolie Madame as a green leather…I do prefer the vintage, but the current version is enjoyed by many.
I also think you might like vintage Emeraude; pretty easy to find on ebay or etsy, I haven’t sniffed the current, but it sure wouldn’t break the bank to try some!
Y by YSL popped into my head; not sure why, thought you might enjoy some oakmoss! Also, try Yatigan by Caron and and maybe Vol de Nuit by Geurlain.
Yes, vintage Jolie Madame seems made for you, if you can find it. Also, vintage Shalimar has a much more pronounced leather note than the current version.
Also try Aramis, which is marketed to men but it’s a unisex leather chypre, or Azuree — same idea but with more citrus.
Other leathers to try: Serge Lutens Cuir Mauresque, Cuir de Lancome, Knize Ten.
In the same vein as Chanel 19, but less austere: Heure Exquise by Annick Goutal. Another great green floral is Silences by Jacomo.
Roughly in the same category:
Parfums de Nicolaï Odalisque and why not try Le Temps d’une Fête and New York from the same house as well.
Lauder’s Private Collection and Beautiful.
For bold and unusual you could do worse than Clinique’s Aromatics Elixir. Don’t be frightened by the rather assertive opening. It mellows considerably later on. Another great newish Chypre is Parfums d’Empire’s Azemour les Orangers. ( which isn’t fruity!)
I am slightly more hesitant about suggesting Goutal’s Ninfeo Mio. It has some fig, but it is quite a dry citrusy woodsy fragrance.
Perhaps the most recommended fragrance in the Monday Mail is Ormonde Jayne’s Woman. It is a green woody fragrance. Very beautiful and unusual.
Leatherwise I would suggest: Dzing! by L’Artisan Parfumeur. It is similar to Bvlgari’s Black but different enough to merit a try. Quite a soft leather. Parfums d’Empire Cuir Ottoman is another fairly soft leather.
I hope you have fun hunting!
Bottega veneta, even if it meght be too well-behaved for you, or Dzing! and some Cartiers of the heures-collection if you can find them (I don’t remember the numbers, but was thinking of the “horse-y” and the “smoke-y” ones, maybe someone else can help us out).
Angela contributed here on NST some months ago, with a good list of leather based scents, you could work through her suggestions: https://freebox.it.com/2013/01/21/leather-fragrances-101/%3C/a%3E – she also wrote a very witty short essay titles “the leather sisters” (?) which you should also find somewhere on this website
Yes, worth checking out the suggestions in the comments as well. Annikky mentions ELDO Afternoon of a Faun as a “worn, library room leather”, which reminds me I’d like to try it too. Perhaps it would be less literal than the CB (I am with you Kelly–that’s amazingly realistic! but perhaps more so than I’d like to wear regularly.)
Bee, it’s hard to find modern perfumes to compete with the classics that Kelly mentions, such as No. 19, but I like your suggestion of the Cartier Heure perfumes. Fougeuse IV is the horsey one, and XIII is the smokey tea one, I believe. I liked those two the best, also, but there are fans of some of the others as well.
I suggest:
Parfum d’Empire Cuir Ottoman
Chanel Antaeus
Ann Gerard Cuir de Nacree
I second the suggestions from Parfums de Nicolaï (especially Odalisque), the Serge Lutens suggestions, and Dzing!.
I will also suggest Dzongkha by L’Artisan Parfumeur, which has some leather in it and is very contemplative and unusual.
I also wonder if there’s a Tauer you might like? Lonestar Memories, perhaps?
I have also heard good things about leather fragrances by PK Perfumes, which is a new indie line based in the U.S., but I haven’t tried any of them myself.
We have similar tastes! I would suggest Cabochard, FM Noir Epices or Le Parfum de Therese, or maybe an absinthe scent. Maybe try a cooler incense like Passage d’Enfer.
2nd Noir Espices!
I second both Ormonde Woman, which is a truly amazing and unique scent a lot of people love, and Bottega Venetta or its flanker, which is an interesting leather/floral. Balmain’s Ivoire is a lovely green scent, which is also unique, and something you won’t smell on everyone else.
How about PdE’s Equistrius? Supposed to appeal to fans of Cuir de Russie.
Yep. Equistrius has come so close to full bottle status so many times, so much of the year, I can’t believe I don’t own it. I would, if only I could buy it locally rather than online. Chocolate and iris…
SL Bas de Soie for a pretty iris;
Cuir de Lancome for a pretty suede.
Somewhat out of my wheelhouse so I wasn’t sure I would have much to add–until I took a midday study break to sniff a little perfume and happened on an Idole tester. Seems pretty good candidate for a somewhat less mannered leather! I’ve got the EDP on and I’d guess that’s probably what you want rather than the EDT–I’m imagining a lighter version might feel a little tame at least as compared with the other things you mention, but maybe someone who’s smelled both can say more definitively!
Hi Kelly, I think you would enjoy Dior’s Bois D’Argent and Geisha Noir by Aroma M.
Plus here some suggestions that should be interesting to you to smell and you might even get to love them, I do…: Rien by Etat Libre Orange, Le Labo Oud 27, and Yatagan by Caron.
Since you seem to have a thing for classic structures try also Fleur de Cassie-very classic but not boring!
Iris Oriental
Miss Dior
Dioressence
Portrait of a Lady
Shalimar or one of it’s flankers
Heeley Cuir Pleine Fleur and PG Cuir Venenum for leather. Chanel Coco is amazing. And, gee, if money is not important, Amouage Beloved or Aftelier Parfum Privé. I also love some of the other Afteliers like Tango. I’m not the Sonoma Scent Studio expert here, but I love Tabac Aurea and others are worth exploring.
I second the Heeley. Their Iris de Nuit is another great scent.
Things for Kelly to try, L’Artisan Dzing! for a soft, interesting spin on leather, Shalimar in EDP, Possibly L’air de Rien for an earthy bookish leather, I find it to be very sensual and tame, and just because it’s so easy and versatile Prada L’Eau Ambree for it’s smooth softness and warmth.
Hi Kelly,
I see you like Cuir de Russie, so maybe you’ve already tried the other Exclusifs from Chanel, but if not, I think both 31 Rue Cambon and 28 La Pausa would be worth your while.
Enjoy your search!
Hi Kelly. We seem to like some of the same scents. I suggest taking a sniff at Estee Lauder’s Youth Dew and Azuree.
I’ll second knize ten and add in Centennial from Soivohle
Chiming in very late to second Yatagan and Silences. And, if price is of no concern, for something truly unusual (and in no way too well-mannered), try JAR Ferme tes Yeux.
I second Dzing! (leather, unusual). Another great leather to try is 1740 Histoires des Parfums. Unexpected chypre and a masterpiece is Timbuktu.