Reviews - is it too much to ask to wear the scent properly?

I’m so bored to see reviews where the scent is not actually described at all but I read a list of some other perfumes instead. What does it tell to me if one scent is like a sum of 5-10 other scents in the eyes of one reviewer? Nothing because even the point of those other scents seems to be missing and anyway the opinion is always subjective. So 5 or even 10 subjective opinions on 5 or even 10 different scents are used to describe 1 other scent, and that’s it. I would be more than super happy as well if these reviewers would wear the perfume like 10 times instead of 1 and then write a review. Or would even 5 be too much to ask? 3? Even the bottle is rated without ever being holding it. What do you think?

@Ninamariah I understand the frustration when the reviews aren't very helpful/what you hoped for. You're not alone in this!

For me, I can usually tell within 1 test whether it's a scent I'd want to wear in the future or not - so I won't wear it 3-10 times more if I dislike the scent from the beginning. But I'll still write a statement or review to share my experience, since I figure that experience could still be helpful - especially if no one else has shared anything yet.

I find it can also be helpful (for me, at least) when a reviewer references other fragrances. Even if I haven't tried them, looking at the notes + reviews of the other fragrances can sometimes help me gauge what it might smell like.

The reviews that are most frustrating for me are the ones that say something similar to, "It smells great! I love it!" and not much else. I'm happy to hear it smells great, but I wish I could hear just a bit more about the description. 😅

I'm with @Gourmandgrl. In most cases, I can tell with one wearing if I will want a fragrance or not. On rare occasions, it will take 2 separate wearings. When I review, I always base it on wearing the scent (that is, not just test strips) and for most of the day or the entire day. 

I don't mind if someone says a fragrance smells like "perfume A minus this note plus perfume B with this additional note" as long as some other standalone description is provided. It doesn't do me any good if I've never tried perfumes A and B and that's all there is. 

The one liners are pretty useless too, like "Get this, it's awesome"  or "Horrible, it stinks" doesn't tell me a whole lot and help me to decide if I'd like it or not. 

On the other hand, the long stories some reviewers conjure up about a fragrance don't help me much either since I don't think of fragrances in that way.

There are perfumes that require 3 or more wears to fully understand, but for most, especially mainstream designer fragrances, really only require one for a fairly experienced nose. To use music as an example, if I were to read a review of a Mahler symphony, I'd expect the writer to have listened to it more than once, but I don't think it takes more than one listen to get the full effect of a four-chord pop song, especially to a musician/professional music critic.

I've been recently going through a sample set from Sephora and I can tell you that Luna Rossa Ocean Eau de Parfum, Hero Eau de Parfum, Ralph's Club Eau de Parfum, and Valentino Uomo Born In Roma are all practically the same fragrance with very few differences. I do try to describe scents as much as possible in my reviews, but there's only so many times I can describe the same aromatic-woody-"amber" accord without drawing comparisons.

Also, why are comparisons necessarily more subjective than descriptions of the fragrance? I recently replied to a review of Outlands where the reviewer claimed there were no woody notes apparent. I disagree, and think there's a strong woody/earthy component. If I describe it as woody in my review and he describes it as gourmand, you're no closer to figuring out what the fragrance actually smells like than if we make comparisons.

These annoy me the most, even more than the one line "it's great" reviews. I feel like the German language reviewers do this more than on the English site and I'm so grateful they have been pushed down on here. "It smells like a witch in a dark forest in front of a bubbling cauldron," Na, it smells like birch tar and ethyl maltol, get over yourself.

😄  I guess our German colleagues are more imaginative - certainly more than this simple minded American (I speak for myself).  Just joshing guys.  😄 

I hate overly long narrative reviews as much as too short, one liner statements that say nothing. Perhaps the site should have a word limit for reviews the same as they do for statements. 

Thank you for your reply.

Of course I know as well if I want to wear the perfume in the future or not but mostly that splits into two different cases: another one are the scents which are so simple that it's easy to say a lot even in based on one wearing and another one are very complex scents which has so much to tell and I'm excited to know more about them. In the latter case it's impossible to write a review yet, at least which give some value to the reader, but of course the statement is ok. And honestly, my opinion still is that if people would spend a little bit more time with the scents, at least what they like, their opinions would be more accurate and valuable. And the statement can be written in so many ways. If only accords are listed and I see the same accords  here next to the picture of the perfume, those are not so relevant to tell. If that is all which has been written. Of course I have as well statements which not always tell so much but what I mean here is the style in overall: when the main point of the writer is only to do it quickly and be among the first people to say something. In that kind of attitude the main point of reviews is forgotten.

And about the references of other perfumes: mostly it works but in the same time I assume that the reviewer explain how it's similar. It doesn't work if just saying that "the opening is like X". The opening is like that in the eyes (or should I say nose) of that writer, it's maybe not like that to me and that is the problem. So in this kind of references it doesn't help if I check the accords or the notes of the perfume nor if I know how the scent smells to my nose. All references need explanation. And of course the more popular is the fragrance which used as a reference the better it works. But when the scent is described like "X is like A + half of B + C - D - the middle phase of E", is it really useful? The result can be whatever actually.

And in the end, I agree totally with you that only telling if the perfume is great or bad doesn't give anything to the reader.

All the time I want to be a better writer myself and I don't think myself as a good writer, that is not why I'm criticising. I just want to hear other people's opinions and learn myself in the same time.

Thank you for your reply. 

I explained my thoughts in my reply to @Gourmandgrl but shortly here as well: there are so many scents which can't totally be understood properly in the first wearing and the more complex is the scent the more opinions evolve during the few wearings and more there is a possibility to describe the scent in the way which is not what I'm actually thinking about the scent. 

I'm writing statements in based of one wearing too but to write a review like that is questionable. Sometimes but rarely I do that if I feel that I have something more to say and it doesn't fit into the statement.  It's very common as well that the first impression is like "this is exactly like the scent X" and after trying it the 2nd and the 3rd time it's not the opinion anymore but there is only some little nuance which made me think about the other scent.

And exactly that was my point in comparing perfumes: if the reader hasn't smell it or the reviewers opinion about the scent used as a reference differs a lot from yours, the point of view is redundant. 

What comes to the long reviews I admit that I write sometimes too long ones. I just get so excited when writing and I fell deeper and deeper to the scent. I don't know if it would be practical or not but sometimes I feel that it would be good to have 3 different length in reviews and the readers could easily choose which ones they want to read. I always want to read everything.

It's anyway good that you can choose wheather you read them or not. Personally I like then quite simple vocabulary is used. Some people write in the way which is so poetic that I don't understand anything but maybe that is my problem since English is not my native language. In overall it's good that we have different kind of writers because people like different kind of ways to express the perfume and always we can choose which style suits us best and which style tells us the most. One point in this discuss is very important: I am a blind buyer and that's why I take this all conversation so seriously. 😆 That's why I want some value by reading the reviews.

I absolutely agree with you. Thank you for your reply.

I think it's good that they don't limit it since it would make writing a lot more difficult. I write reviews to IG and every time I feel that something important points are missing and that's why I like to write more specific reviews here. I think it's more subjective opinion which kind of reviews we like and only by reading we can learn who are the ones we like to follow. Actually if I like some reviewer's style I can even ask if she/he has tried some scent which has got my interest and asking their opinion. Like I have told many times I'm a blind buyer and that's why I have some reviewers who means a world to me, I can truly trust what they are saying and I can truly trust that I will think in the same way of that perfume.

Thank you so much for commenting.

Two years ago, I wrote an article on Parfumo about writing fragrance reviews here.

I've got to say, I'm gonna go with @Gourmandgrl. They've pretty much summarized my own feelings. I can also usually tell in one go if I'll love a perfume or not. Sometimes, when it oscillates between an 8 or 9, I'll be wearing it again and I'll have made up my mind in less than 3 tries. Sure, some perfumes have way more depth than others (looking at miche fragrances here, mostly), but it doesn't mean I can't quite catch the depth on my first round trying it out.

I'm for referencing other fragrances. If I don't know the name of the fragrances that are being referenced, I just pass over it. I DO expect though a nice explanation to the comparison made. Only saying it smells similar to Y fragrance without saying how they found similarities between X and Y is lazy writing.

I think a diversity in writing and different styles are what makes reviews so enjoyable. That's why often times people start to follow certain influencers or reviewers because the review format fits what the person is looking for. Some go for long stories and elaborate metaphors, while others prefer being logical and down to earth, while some people mix those two up. I love reading people's different opinions. Everything is so subjective, that I don't rely ONLY on reviews anyways.

I can usually tell with 1 try if I'll if it's a meh or The major exception is if my tastes change by the time I spring for a bottle after sampling it, but that's not the same problem. As for art perfumes which are an experience, I typically only get the full experience the first time I smell it. A very few art perfumes will reward me with more the second time, like getting more out of a novel on reading it later in life, but the experience won't be the same. The incredibly poetic responses I have to experience perfumes are first time wearings. Only. Always. By the tenth time I may still love it but I won't be transported out of my self to a full new experience. 

Not 100% sure how you can even tell whether a reviewer has worn the fragrance once, twice, or ten times before reviewing it.  What, pray tell, is the tell?  

Like many before me have said, I know enough about a scent in one wearing to write on it.  Sometimes my reviews will be based on one wear, sometimes, on 1000 wears over years.  I have been into perfume for, oh, 30 years at this point, so I am pretty darn familiar with notes and accords, performance aspects, etc.  

I seek out comparisons in reviews because if haven't nosed the fragrance, there's a damn good chance I've smelled the one it's compared to.  That's why I like to draw comparisons in my own reviews, in case there are others out there like me.  Besides, when you've smelled thousands of perfumes, many of them do smell quiet similar.

As for writing style, preference is all mood-dependant for me.  Sometimes I wax poetic; sometimes I'm too the point.  Sometimes I'm in the mood to spend time leisurely reading reviews for entertainment; sometimes I'm looking for a quick summary before I pull the trigger on a blind buy.  Thank goodness there's a variety of styles out there.

Personally, I think it's more reasonable to expect the reader to accommodate different reviewing styles than it is to expect the writer to accommodate a single reader's personal style preference.

You are absolutely right because you have knowledge and experience enough and therefore my criticism wasn't aimed at you. Unfortunately there are many people out there who don't have knowledge enough and it's quite easy to notice. If someone doesn't distinguish between clear fragrance families or, for example, says that a fragrance is Rose Oud, even though the fragrance clearly has neither, then it would be worth really practicing your knowledge before you start analyzing. Whatever they write, is not a problem for me, but there are also many people who trust every assessment. It's a skill of its own to distinguish whether the writer has enough experience or not, and you can conclude that on some level. This same issue applies to comparing scents: it's perfectly fine when the person comparing has a basic understanding of scents. But when the person doesn't have a grasp of scent families, notes, and note separation, the end result is anything but informative. Despite my frustration, these extreme cases are fortunately few, especially on this site.

So my request, whether it is so difficult to properly use a fragrance before writing, is for the group of people who do not clearly recognize the features of fragrances, notes, which raw materials are used to create which fragrance, etc. When I started this thread, I had read yet another review that is as misleading as you can read. Each of us smells fragrances differently and everyone has their own opinions of course, that is great, but you can't get a tuberose scent from a rose scent and it is not a matter of opinion (to put it bluntly).

As for different writing styles, I definitely like all the different styles myself. It would be really boring to always read the same texts, written in the same formula.

Thank you for your opinion, which I agree.

With due respect, @Ninamariah, this sounds like a completely different gripe than the one you presented in this thread initially. What your current complaint boils down to – is that some reviewers lack experience with perfumes. That isn't a problem that can be solved by wearing the same thing several times.

If someone never smelled tuberose before and can't differentiate it from rose, making them wear the same tuberose-forward perfume again and again won't make them see the error of their ways. It'll just make them miserable three, five, ten times in a row. To gain experience a person needs to build a larger olfactory library by trying lots and lots of different scents.

But at the end of the day, even if someone lacks the experience or the language to explain what they felt, it doesn't change the fact that they felt a particular way about a perfume. And I believe they have as much right to share their personal opinions as anyone else. If you or a theoretical third person find their reviews unhelpful – that's okay. To each their own.

But to be honest, I find your argument about this theoretical person "who trusts every assessment" especially shaky. Even if we assume that this adult who believes everything they read on the internet exists, I don't think everyone else is supposed to curate their lives and personal experiences so as not to accidentally mislead them.

My reviews, for example, are written first and foremost for myself. If other people find them helpful – that's great. If not – it's whatever. Everyone's noses/preferences are different, after all. I have no ill will or intention to mislead anyone; but if someone throws away their money based solely on an opinion from me – a random person on the internet whom they've never met, whatever result comes out of it is on them.

@Ursaw thank you so much for your comment and time.

The text I wrote at the beginning was incomplete in every way considering the whole, what was involved. Somehow I was expecting that my point would come out without explanation and that was my mistake.

Comparing different fragrances is naturally misleading if you don't distinguish notes or fragrance categories in any way, and that's what I meant in the beginning and that's what I meant in the last comment. By wearing a fragrance many times, even an inexperienced person can get more out of the fragrance, more thoughts about the fragrance arise, and at the same time, you have certainly tried something else and gained experience. Of course, you don't learn anything if you only wear the same fragrance dozens of times, but I know from experience back in the days and what beginners has told me that over time the fragrance also opens up better to the inexperienced, it should be obvious.

I advise and train people every day about fragrances, and one of the most important insights for inexperienced fragrance enthusiasts is to give fragrances time. A lot of people give up after the first or second try because for some reason the fragrance doesn't open up to them and they think it smells different than it should. By encouraging them to use the fragrance a few more times, maybe once a week in between other fragrances, this bad or strange scent suddenly becomes good. These people are very happy to be guided in ways that open up their world of fragrances.

I emphasize that I have been talking all along about those who have no experience enough. And the extent of experience that is needed for understanding is very personal. In any case, even a person who has tried hundreds of fragrances can be inexperienced if they are not properly familiar with the scents they have tried. Believe it or not, I've also had to teach people that a scent on paper is usually not the same as it is on the skin, and that many scents need the skin and its warmth to develop as they are meant to. And that on some people's skin, certain ingredients and notes can become unpleasant, because everyone's skin is different. I'm absolutely certain that those who try fragrances almost exclusively on a test strip will not be able to describe the scents in the way they deserve - not even if they have hundreds of scents behind them. However, each of us has our own style of wearing and experimenting with fragrances and everyone has the right to write whatever they want. Furthermore, my perspective and motives for my comment were not presented in any way in the opening.

Unfortunately, there is a huge group of fragrance users who actually believe and trust even the craziest reviews because they automatically think the writer is more experienced than them. These are the people who only read and don't consider themselves "good" enough to write anything. Even today, not all people have the ability to think critically or question something that sounds "professional" to them. These things come up every day when I advise people. Yet, as you said, it is not the responsibility of this "inexperienced" writer what people get out of the text or whether their knowledge is sufficient to say that, for example, a certain note is not present in a fragrance at all, not even close to it. And there is nothing to be done about it if this "inexperienced" person who describes fragrances experiences it themselves that it is exactly as they write about it. Personal associations, experiences with notes, how notes appear on each person's skin, etc., etc. are of course personal matters, even the fact that two completely different fragrances, composed of different categories and different notes, feel the same. That is their personal opinion at the time of writing. But, here we come to the point again that if those fragrances had really been worn with enough thought, I dare say that they would no longer be the same for the wearer.

I think my point in the original text didn't come across the way I thought it would, because I think about things the same way you do. That was my take on how frustrating it is when people can't give time to perfumes. That was my personal experience and opinion that there are so many wonderful things that go unexperienced. And the reason I'm interested in it is because I deal with this issue every day with different people. This is why I feel and think that published reviews and texts are always intended to influence the reader in some way, either to give an experience, a thrill, or to help them choose a fragrance. I actually blind buy the most of my fragrances based solely on what I read, and the writer's experience and knowledge of fragrances, combined with my own experience and knowledge, is very important. For someone who doesn't use reviews for this purpose, the "quality" of the review is understandably irrelevant.