The best thing is that I love using alternatives, which are perfect for everyone’s budget. I know the smell isn’t exactly 100% the same, but keep in mind that they’re alternatives., I have no issue using these alternatives. Everyone has the right to buy and enjoy good-smelling fragrances. Recently, I’ve seen a few issues on social media about influencer accounts being banned for promoting these products. Why not? Niche brands charge 8x or 10x more just because of the brand name. Why can’t normal people buy dupes or alternatives? #Dupes #alternatives #good-smell #fragrances #perfumes

I'm after;

Black Diamond Incense by Ibrahim Al Qureshi (150ml retails for £60 GBP)

Reef 33 + others (33 retails for around £55 GBP).

Arabian Oud, Resala (100ml retails for £110GBP).

A quick search on Saudi websites makes me think they are cheaper over there, however IBRAQ perfumes are sold via stockists so hard to know prices for those.

Any tips on which stores to visit, how much I should be paying etc?

I guess dior sauvage elixir, but are there any iconic standalone/original fragrances that have really stood out after 2020? Im just wondering since I can’t think of any. Not including dupes or flankers unless they’re like vastly different

Ok, so there are many reasons people get into retail fragrances (i.e. bottled colognes and perfumes). Some fall into the "date night" train, where they are looking to impress a s.o. or new acquaintance. Others fall into the "office" category, where they want their coworkers to perceive them as interesting, clean, etc. A third is the gym crowd, A/K/A "cologne as deoderant" -- using cologne or perfume to mask B.O. or to project an identity in a volatile space with lots of other competing smells.

Having said that, a category I am most interested in, is people who spray fragrances around the house for their own personal upliftment. Sometimes I will feel like I'm in a mental funk, and then I reach for one of my bottles and douse myself in a cloud of it, and instantly feel measurably better. Smelling a great fragrance instantly makes a person more optimistic, stimulated, creative, soothed etc. It's like seeing a friend, or taking a small dose of an anti-depressant. Like a new dimension. 

I have typically used freshies for this, such as 'Versace Man Eau Fraiche.' The citrus, woods, and light muskiness stimulate the senses. Oud also has this effect, even though it is on the other end of the fragrance chart. I'm thinking of 'Le Labo Oud 27,' or TF 'Oud Wood.' Looking to make new purchases, some candidates I have seen are 'Xerjoff Shooting Stars: Nio,' 'Bleu de Chanel' (including flankers), and a few others. Not every fragrance that "smells good" is optimized for personal use or mood enhancement. I find that Polo (1978) smells strong and effective in public, but is slightly overpowered for home use.

Our mood is typically affected by our relationships, food we eat, endorphins, etc. Though "aromatherapy" has been known for millennia, modern "aromatherapy" framings can be insultingly simple -- A blast of Lavendar room spray comes to mind. As a word, "aromatherapy" is cheapened to mean almost any household or beauty product with a scent. Liquid hand-soap is "aromatherapy." Aveeno lotion is "aromatherapy." A car air freshener is "aromatherapy." But are these products actually THERAPEUTIC?

Fragrance community, are there bottles you reach for that have a "therapeutic" effect -- that simply make you feel awesome, comforted, stimulated, excited, etc.??? Not to impress others, but to impress yourself. Any thoughts on the subject matter?

Thanks……

What the hell? I went into the website 3 minutes after the fragrance was available, I waited about 10 min in queue to check out and the thing was already sold out? I hope it's just a website glitch because what the hell

Hi - I am new to wearing fragrances and looking for advice. I've worked in a career that meant wearing scent was not allowed and now I'm off the hook. I don't like synthetic perfumes or citrusy florals, but I love earthy, tobaccos, vanilla and sandalwood-type scents. Every other person who walks by in Europe smells amazing. Clean, yummy and expensive. No headaches! What's the secret sauce? Suggestions for how to get started?

Hello All,
Tamburins handed me a sample paper in the Korean airport. I wasnt considering the brand until I kept sniffing it and it grew on me. Now, I dont know what scent I was sniffing. It smelled like Milky Oolong Tea. It was light, maybe floral. And now, Im on their website and I have no idea which one it is. Any suggestions?

My dog dropped my Duchess Rose bottle and the cap was no on. The nozzle from what I can feel, is no longer on the mechanism that functions to spray the fragrance. I can pull it up but if I push down, there is no resistance, and it stays down.

Is there a fix I can try for this? I can’t pop off the nozzle either I’ve tried. I can’t unscrew the top and decant into another bottle either. The bottle was brand new too, so the bottle is full.

Any suggestions?

I've got a bunch of perfumes at home and some at work. I'm trying to figure out a system to keep track of everything. Some people use spreadsheets but that seems like too much work. I was thinking of just taking a photo of each stash and keeping the pictures on my phone. Has anyone else solved this problem in a clever way? I'm curious to hear your solutions.

Hi FragHeads 👋🏼

i just ordered the sampling kit of ormonde jayne maainly because i wanted to try montabaco, nawab and ormonde man. Cause i heard from different creators a lot of good things 🙄

But hobestly im shocked - all the scents seam to be very synthetic and boring. At least in my opinion. Does anyone else have similar experiences ?

Benjamin Esposito is the perfumer for House Of Mammoth and is what I like to call a silly goose, but a silly goose that makes you feel things. The concepts are nerdy, a little weird, comforting, philosophical and heartbreaking.

The first perfume that caught my eye was purely for the name - DinoS'mores. The classic camping treat enjoyed by the dinosaurs we know and love of the Mesozoic era. If there was ever a tasty treat that would let my beloved Brachiosaurus and Allosaurus hang out by a campfire for 5 minutes without fisticuffs happening...well, this is what that smells like.

Then I found Everett; it's based on a real boy. The description that is given for it sounds like the nostalgia of being 6 years old again. Now, that sounds like a pleasant enough story but I saw a video of Ben talking about the story behind the perfume and oh boy did I cry. Everett drowned in a pond when he was 3. The design of the bottle is a half-coloured image of the House Of Mammoth logo, colouring book style, with crayons lying around which was designed by Everett's dad. The artwork on the bottle represents a life unfinished. Damn, a knife to the heart.

Snippid is the life cycle of a leaf. A LEAF! Not a perfume that just smells green or woody or like an autumn day, oh no, no, no. Ben has decided to give us this particular leaf's backstory, from the beginning where he's (yes, it's a he) fresh and full of life to his eventual drying out. The idea to take something so ordinary and turn it into a journey of the life of a leaf. If photosynthesis was a note, I wouldn't even question it in this. I would smell the chlorophyll producing energy for our little leaf buddy.

And that's barely scratching the surface. There's the nerdy (Shire, Kryptonite), the philosophical (You & I (Will Die)), and the deeply personal (Embrace). There's seemingly no limit to where Ben finds inspiration.

I think that's what draws me particularly to House of Mammoth. The phenomenal way Ben brings you into the inner workings of the world through humour, curiosity, nostalgia and some very real human emotion. To me, House of Mammoth demonstrates the ability to find inspiration not just in heavy philosophical or emotional ideas, but in the seemingly insignificant, exploring them in a playful or deeply meaningful way. And I don't think one is any less worthy of artistic appreciation than the other. House of Mammoth has an extraordinary emotional range. One minute I'm emotionally invested in an imaginary leaf, and the next I'm crumpled on the floor, sobbing in the foetal position.

House of Mammoth is a brand I genuinely love and want to see more people discovering. There's something wonderful about experiencing the scent journey Ben has laid out, but also being able to bring your own imagination into it. To interpret how the perfume smells, what it represents and what the story means to YOU

Hello there!
So, I’ve never been a fan of collecting and trying different perfumes. Until last month, I was perfectly happy wearing one perfume everywhere.
I used to be the guy who wore Versace Pour Homme EDT everywhere, and I was completely comfortable with it.
But in this past month, I’ve somehow managed to collect these six perfumes.
1. Ombre Leather clone
It’s surprisingly good and smells like the original one. 7.5/10
2. Acqua di Giò clone
Average. It’s like a very bad backbencher copy of the original one. 4/10
3. Issey Miyake Le Sel d’Issey EDT
Wonderful perfume. I’m amazed by the fact that it doesn’t have much sweetness, yet it still feels airy and atmospheric.
Created by renowned perfumer Quentin Bisch, who has also worked on fragrances such as Rabanne 1 Million Parfum and Essential Parfums Bois Impérial. 8.5/10
4. Narciso Rodriguez Bleu Noir EDT
An amazing, sophisticated and spicy perfume. It has this understated luxury element to it, which I absolutely love.
Created by Sonia Constant, who has also worked on Tom Ford Ombre Leather and many other fragrances. 9/10
5. Lalique Encre Noire EDT
A dark, forest-like fragrance. I really like how it carries this haunting atmosphere. It took me a few days to get into it, but now I find it beautiful.
Created by Nathalie Lorson, who has also worked on fragrances such as YSL Black Opium. 9/10
6. Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme EDT
Probably my favourite smell of the six. I love its fresh, citrusy character, particularly the yuzu.
My only concern is its performance, which I’m still figuring out. 8/10
A little experiment
I’ve also started experimenting with layering some of these fragrances.
Bleu Noir + Encre Noire is my favourite combination so far. The spicy character of Bleu Noir creates an interesting contrast with the dark, atmospheric quality of Encre Noire.
Le Sel d’Issey + Ombre Leather is another interesting combination. The airy quality of Le Sel d’Issey seems to make the leather feel as if it’s floating in the air.
I come from a sound design background, and now I’m applying the same logic to fragrances. It’s basically experimenting with sounds in a different format.
I’m curious to see where these experiments take me.

Sold out in 10 mins… I guess I’ll see it on eBay for $100 instead of the $20 it sold for.

Scarcity marketing sucks.

Hey everyone!

I recently sampled Amouage Reflection 45 while travelling and absolutely loved it. I found it on sale back home for around $500 CAD, which is still the most I’d ever spend on a fragrance, but I’m willing to splurge if it’s worth it.

While researching, I came across Assaf I’m Here Enable, which some describe as a middle ground between Reflection Man and Reflection 45.

Has anyone tried both? I’m curious whether the Assaf is genuinely close enough to make Reflection 45 hard to justify, or if it’s one of those dupes that smells similar but has a noticeable difference in quality, depth, and refinement.

Would love to hear some firsthand comparisons before pulling the trigger!

I know the average comment will crap on me (rightfully so, it like a 20+ year old $3 toilette spray you can buy anywehre), and the smell has been overused.....yet i still spray it and nobody complains ever, and the smell makes me so happy that i still use it 20 years later what are yall thoughts on it?

I just got an email from Caron about this fragrance, but it looks like it’s been around long enough for at least a couple of reviews out there, so I’m curious if anyone around here has gotten their schnoze on it and what they think!

Sucker for Caron generally and astringent/aromatic lavender notes, am currently FOMOing about this new dude, in the base notes below are very unusual and interesting

https://www.parfumscaron.com/en/products/pour-un-homme-renaissance

Top notes: Enriched French clary sage oil Orpur®, French lavender oil Orpur®

Heart notes: Oak wood accord, Ambrofix™

Base notes: Roasted barley extract Orpur®, Fir balsam resinoid

My SL sample haul just came in, containing Chergui, Ambre Sultan and Bois Vanille. I instantly noticed something smelling amazing in the packaging. I removed the bottlecaps and smelled for that exact scent, and it ended up being Chergui.

I instantly did 2 sprays to the back of my neck and was blown away. The opening was fresh/harsh but in a very pleasant way. After the drydown it becomes absolutely gorgeous and I'm actually kind of moved by it. The interplay between the florals, honey and tobacco is awesome. This is the best scent I've smelled in years of sample hauls, I think.

I truly regret not looking into Serge Lutens earlier, as I've heard that older formulations were even better.