...Hahah, there is definitely something about this -- I think we tend to choose both the perfumes and accessories/decorations/etc that suit the mood or a state of mind, and perfume can be a focus to help pull it all together. I never thought about it that way but I am definitely trying to choose by perfume when I am picking design elements or clothes :)

...I have my eyes on J-Lo's "Deseo", what's your verdict on that one?

...Tnahowru:How are you all getting samples from this house?eBay and swaps mostly, also some decanters offer them (like Surrender to Chance). I have to admit I am no CdG fan though, I am much more at home with more mainstream-y offerings :)I am curious about this collaboration though, anyone tried it yet?

..."N°5 Eau Première". It's imho more versatile and contemporary than N°5 (which is gorgeous in its own right too), and a better fit for me at this time of my life. I also sampled "Cristalle" properly and I'm thinking it could be a good fit, some day.

...Drseid:Well, with the last offering worn today I wrap up my time with Chaboud. I want to again thank MiaVonTrost for the opportunity to try the house...My final verdict I am afraid is not very good. There are a couple standouts, however, as Fleur de Figuier and Lait Concentre while both not my kind of compositions are indeed very well put together and smell quite good. That said, there is just too much of a super-sweet focus to most compositions in the line, and none are innovative, IMO. I guess I just like my compositions with a bit more spunk, excitement (and less sweetness) than these.Now that I am through with my samples I would be happy to pass on the whole set for someone else to try and post their own impressions. If anyone is interested, please PM me and I will send them on to you (US based preferred to avoid potential customs issues but I will mail anywhere in the world except the UK due to mailing restrictions). Whoever PMs me first gets them, with the hope that they too will forward to another when finished.Edit:The first responder was Sweetgrass, so I will send the sample set out to her shortly.And this was sorted out too, thank you MiaTrost and Drseid for you generousity! I am really looking forward to sampling this house :)

...Triffid:Sometimes it's a fine line between 'bright' and 'screechy'.Two likeable, designer, jasmine-centric perfumes that I find suitable for warm weather are Dior "Pure Poison" and Bvlgari "Mon Jasmin Noir". Both have some sparkle, a 'clean' jasmine with no rose and bases that are woody and not heavily oriental. You may need to experiment with how much to spray. By contrast, for cooler weather I prefer something lush like Montale Jasmin Full or Patou's Joy.Thank you for your recommendations! I just realized most of these I have as samples but never really tried properly - I tried "Pure Poison" around Christmas when it was very dry and cold and probably most of its genius was lost on me. I will soon get my hands on both "Joy" and "Mon Jasmin Noir" as it happens, so I am really looking forward to those! I really liked "Jasmin Noir" as a clean generic mainstream jasmine workhorse as well...Pipette, apparently "La Route d'Emeraude" has been discontinued :/ Would it be hard to find though?

...While I adore jasmine, some of my jasmine-centric favourites are getting a bit heavy to wear in the summer. I am now wondering if there are any good sparkly jasmine perfumes that are good for the summer? E.g. I liked the idea behind "Aqua Allegoria Jasminora" but that one was just a tad too flat and boring for me, even though I loved the combination of greenness and jasmine. Also I do not like prominent rose notes.

...My buy list is getting out of hand I swear but I sniffed "Jasmin Noir" and kind of fell in love!

...Please let this not be true, I still haven't gotten around to buying my FB and I don't want to eBay hunt for it :( I have grown to love SPI.

...Cryptic:Maybe even more fun if we throw in some pictures/gifs?Sweetgrass:"Samsara" = "Alien" = P.S.: No offense intended!Hahahahahahahaaaaa :lol: And lol I know, Alien isn't for everybody, it just works for me :) Also I totally agree on your assessment of Samsara!

...Tnahowru (again a lot of stuff I haven't tried but...)Fave: "Cheap and Chic - I Love Love"Least fave: "J'Adore"Come on people this is a fun game!

...Triffid- This was hard because there was a lot of stuff I haven't tried, so my choices are on the obvious end of the spectrum. Fave: "Cuir de Russie"Least fave: "Rive Gauche"

...Woop woop, I have gotten another spontaneous perfume compliment, this time on "Alien" :)

...I think most of my collection (at least the full bottles) are florals and/or orientals -- by far those are the groups that most consistently please me. Leather and tobacco accords are to my liking while I won't wear that many leather/tobacco scents alone. While woodies are nice, most of the time they are just too bland.I thought I hated chypres, but the warmer it gets the more they appeal to me! My tastes are definitely expanding so who knows what I'll grow up to like.

...Afaik the old "Panthère de Cartier" has been discontinued some time ago and this year's "La Panthère" should be considered a whole different perfume. At least this is what I've gleaned from bloggers who have gotten to sample the new release.

...I broke my rather haphazardly (self-)imposed no-buy to buy a mini of "Alien Eau Extraordinaire" and a sample of "Sous le Vent".

...I purchased the sample pack around Christmas but haven't gotten around to properly sampling all of the seven perfumes included, except "Oeillet Louis XV" which I loved (but can be near suffocating in the wrong situations and at the wrong doses) and "Chypre-Mousse" which has a knock-out sillage. Definitely worth exploring if you don't mind perfumes to smell kind of old-fashioned. Some of them are downright charming in that aspect while others, not so much, but isn't that the case for all perfumes? ;) I find that the two I have tested were pretty good in terms of sillage and longevity at least, even though I wouldn't say they got my love 100% without reservations.

...I got the first spontaneous comment on my perfume ever a few weeks ago, for "Shalimar Parfum Initial". I love it!

...Tnahowru:Sweetgrass:Two things:"31 rue Cambon", and "Shalimar Parfum Initial". One for my birthday, another to celebrate some future achievement or other.Just ordered a samp of "31 rue Cambon".Oohh congrats, I am not sure if I should hope you like it as much as I do or that you don't like it at all bc it's so expensive :lol:

...Greysolon, I can confirm that in a cold and dry climate "Chamade" smells kinda flat and reminds me of old makeup more than any celebrated perfume. Humidity and temperature do affect perfume, some scents just open up in warmer weather and more humid climates and I think that's why a lot of famous green scents are just flat of even noxious here.As for water chemistry being a myth, I don't even get what you're trying to say, EM. It is a well known fact that different water supplies contain different minerals which can in turn affect the water's properties in e.g. washing and cooking. Some of those minerals are accumulated in the human body as well. Where is the myth?Edit: oh that was a deleted user trying to start some shit... never mind