We've cleared through the waiting list for the Monday Mail — if you'd like other Now Smell This readers to help you find a new fragrance, this is a great time to sign up.
Today we're helping Eleni, who was a subject in the Monday Mail back in 2011, and says she absolutely adored the experience and discovered some real gems. She's since gone through a difficult breakup and wants to find some new perfumes that don't have any "olfactory baggage". She'd like to find an optimistic but sultry "let's start afresh" fragrance, ideally one that can transition from day to evening wear. If money were no object, Amouage Epic and Opus IV come close to what she wants, but she can't afford them (she can pay up to about €120). Here is what we know about Eleni:
She's in her late 20s, and living and working in Bucharest, Romania. She's a freelance theater director and also a stage manager at the National Opera.
She has really eclectic tastes and is open to anything — high-, middle- and lowbrow (artwise and otherwise) — as long as she feels a connection and can "mix & match". She says she sees "collage" and "remix" as a way of life, but she's also capable of enjoying a mouthwatering freshly baked slice of bread with a glass of milk, or a simple black dress.
Eleni is an "oriental, spice-laden-perfumes kind of gal", and tends to gravitate towards more complicated blends: Guerlain L'Heure Bleue, Chanel Bois des Iles, Tauer Perfumes L'air du desert and Lonestar Memories. Her previous Monday Mail experience had a clear winner — Parfumerie Générale Cadjmere, which she wore to death, and L'Artisan Dzonghka, her signature perfume for almost a year (sometimes worn layered with Hermès Eau des Merveilles). She likes notes of myrrh, sandalwood, iris, opoponax, incense, vetiver (the smoky-dirty kind), cinnamon, ginger, all kinds of spices, and also leather-rose combinations. She is occasionally infatuated with salty or amber-y perfumes.
Divas like Robert Piguet Bandit & Fracas, Caron Yatagan, Molinard Habanita and Chanel No. 19 do not work for Eleni. She dislikes lily, gardenia, orange blossom, green and fresh perfumes, and is ambivalent about patchouli-in-the-foreground. Most Muglers make her nauseous. Prada's Candy smells like poo to her, while she admires Serge Lutens' heavily indolic A la Nuit from afar.
Here is what Eleni has tried so far:
Tom Ford Noir de Noir: she cannot pull it off, no matter how much she wants to.
L'Artisan Coeur de Vetiver Sacre: perfectly blended, but not feminine enough.
L'Artisan Traversee du Bosphore: yummy but sickly sweet; she'd take it as a home scent.
L'Occitane Eau d'Iparie: she used to wear it, now it recalls too many painful memories.
Calvin Klein Obsession: a guilty pleasure. She feels great in it, but it's not exactly shy.
Chanel Coco Noir: great juicy top notes, the rest was meh.
Parfumerie Générale Iris Oriental: nice, but too tame and "proper".
Amouage Epic: just what the name implies — epic. She'd love a cheaper smell-alike.
What say you?
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Note: top image [cropped & tripled] is courtesy of Victoria at Bois de Jasmin.
Eleni, do try:
Parfum d’Empire Cuir Ottoman
Guerlain Songe d’Un Bois d’Ete
Majda Bekkali Mon Nom Est Rouge (similar to Epic Woman)
Annick Goutal Myrrhe Ardente
Van Cleef & Arpels Bois d’Iris
Dior Bois d’Argent
Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme
Seconding Rose Anonyme. Victoria from BdJ suggested it for me as a substitute for Epic and Guerlain Rose Nacrée du Désert, which I love and can’t afford either.
I have a few suggestions:
Odin Nomad
Parfumerie Generale Bois de Copaiba
Majda Bekkali Mon Nom Est Rouge
Frapin Caravelle Epicee
Hermes L’Ambre des Merveilles
biehl parfumkunstwerke EO-02
Hotel Costes Rouge!
I have a subscription to bergamot – new sample from Teo Cabanel Alahine this month and I think it would be perfect for you. Amber, oriental and spicy! I think I will love it for our super cold January.
I agree! And hey, off that topic but on this topic: did you find the other two, the Doll and Smell Bent, extremely small? I liked both of them, except the only way I could smell either was to put my nose right against my skin.
I agree. I actually gave 1 sample away and kept Doll. There was something intriguing about it – like I might go back to it.
Tom Ford Sahara Noir.
Oh I just had to answer as we like so many of the same scents, and I adore Epic (and you have inspired me to revisit Dzonghka). I would therefore recommend the following:
Parfums d’Empire Cuir Ottoman
Serge Lutens Chergui & Ambre Sultan
Bulgari Black
Andy Tauer, Incense Rose (it just shot to the top of my want list)
Parfums de Nicolai, Sacrebleu
Caron, Parfum Sacre
Cuir de Lancome (if you can find it)
Seconding Sacrebleu and suggesting Donna Karan Chaos
Here is what I suggest:
Tauer Incense Extreme and Incense Rose
Frederic Malle Portrait of A Lady
Ormonde Jayne Ta’If
Tom Ford Oud Fleur
Bottega Veneta EdP
Ann Gerard Cuir de Nacre
Aedes de Venustas Iris Nazarena
Good luck and stay warm. I hear it is snowing hard in Bucharest!
Hi! I also share many of your favorites and your love for Epic. There are already a lot of great suggestions above, so I would only add Lorenzo Villoresi Piper Nigrum and Diptyque Eau Lente (addictive cinammon-clove-opoponax). Good luck!
I suggest Chanel Coromandel and Mona di Orio Vanille for Eleni.
As I’ve never tried either Epic or Opus IV this is a little more random than I would have liked.
L’ Artisan Dzing! a fun oriental and very versatile, if you found La Traversée too sweet Vanille Absolument might be worth a try, one of the driest vanillas I have ever tried.
Histoires de Parfum 1740. The 120 ml. bottle is out of your budget but they sell 60 ml bottles as well. It’s an immortelle leather that has one of the nicest ambery drydowns.
The original Comme des Garçons Eau de Parfum. Odd, spicy and memorable.
I second the Parfum d’Empire Cuir Ottoman and while you are exploring that line Ambre Russe, Fougère Royale and Aziyadé merit at least a try.
I also second the Goutal Myrrhe Ardente. Have you ever tried Songes? It is a white floral but it has a dusky quality that you might like.
I hope you find something that suits you!
Big second to Ambre Russe; it was the first thing I thought of.
I’ll add Kenzo Jungle Elephant – it is an oriental spicefest on me.
Abdes Salaam Mecca Balsam
Tauer Eau d’Epices
Guerlain Nahema (isn’t Epic the big rose one?)
Sonoma Scent Studio – Sienna Musk and/or her rose scents
Seconding Caron Parfum Sacré and the Tauer suggestions. I will also add Eau des Baux by L’Occitane (marketed as masculine but I think it works well for either gender) and Prada Infusion d’Iris, maybe the edp because I think the incense might be more prominent in that one.
Oh, so sorry you went through a difficult break-up, Eleni. Cheers to new beginnings.
Though not that much of a bargain, de Bachmakov by The Different Company reminds me of Amouage Epic.
If you like Epic so much, it’s worth checking out prices on Fragrancenet and Beauty Encounter every now and then. They sometimes have some really great deals. And Fragrancenet usually has a 20% off coupon…
Hmmm…the discounts may not work for you in Romania. Wondering if you can find similar discounts where you live?
Salty perfumes would be VCA Midnight in Paris (cheap if you can find it) and Miller Harris Fleurs de Sel.
Hi there,
My suggestion is Mitsouko in extrait if you do not already wear it…
and, a bit risky, have you tried La Petite Robe Noir EDP? Although it is sweet and not exactly popular, and on top of that you don’t like its precursor Lolita Lempicka, I find it transport a lot of beautiful soft and gentle Guerlinade pastry feel and happiness!
If you enjoy Obsession you might like Youth Dew Amber Nude. It’s discontinued but still available online. Second Chaos and had you actually tried Dior Bois d’Argent the last time?
Indochine and Cuir Venenum from Parfumerie General, Tauer Phi and SL Daim Blond.
Hi Eleni, I hope things are getting easier for you by the day.
I second Guerlain Songe d’Un Bois d’Ete
Ormonde Jayne Woman.
Madja Bekkali Tendre est un Nuit
Parfums de Nicolai Maharahni Intense or Maharaja
Miller Harris L’air de Rein
Lutens Fille en Aiguilles
Hello Eleni! I missed the last time you were featured on Monday Mail, but you sound like my scent twin! I’m looking forward to reading all the suggestions you get. 🙂 I would second the following:
Bois de Copaiba (lovely and reminiscent of L’Heure Bleue), Alahine (more “perfumey” smelling than I’m usually drawn to but a light sparkling amber), Kenzo Jungle L’Elephant (fabulous spices, with one caveat – husband thought there was a little too much patchouli),
OJ Woman (careful – get it on your coat and you will be smelling it the rest of winter… though it’s okay because it’s that beautiful).
And I’d like to add SL Chene and SSS Champagne du Bois, two of my favorites! Enjoy your hunt!
p.s. Mixing Eau des Merveilles with Dzongkha is genius. I never would have paired the two!
I know Ormonde Jayne Woman gets over-recommended in the Monday Mail, but it feels very similar to me to Epic Woman, with it’s green hemlock. OJ Ta’if has a similar greeness with the added femininity of rose, and may also be worth a try. (Oops, I see I’m already non-original to this post! Guess I should say I’m seconding or thirding those recommendations, then!)
I also second the Tauer recommendations.
I hoard my little Epic sample! Patricia de Nicolai just released Rose Oud, which received very positive reviews (I haven’t tried it yet, but I can’t wait since her perfumes are so classy and reasonably priced). Also, you might enjoy La Fille de Berlin, the already mentioned Chergui and others in the Lutens line. Wishing your new perfume will carry the happiest associations!
Hi Eleni, understand about the perfume baggage …
Nothing original, but in case the number of voices on a recommendation nudge you in a direction: Supporting Chanel Coromandel, which you will like also if you like CK Obsession. It lasts well on me, and can be a good, sophisticated mix of the things you like: oriental, patch (but subtle), mix and matchable, and layer-able too (with crisper eaux de cologne scents) and memorable and distinct — for new memories!