...I'm fluent in English, but also in Afrikaans (a language indigenous to South Africa) which is Dutch/Flemish based. I understand Flemish and can converse with a natural speaker, and can follow a conversation in Dutch too. I speak Spanish really poorly and enough French to order breakfast in Paris :). The French become very helpful when one attempts to speak their language! I also curse very well in Italian teehee. I love languages but don't really have the time to learn something else ... altho' I'd love to learn Arabic.

...:wink: ... you have a very valid point Michali!!

...Yep :wink: ... moving right along!!

...I think it's fine when Western houses delve into the magic that Oud represents ... their rate of success is quite hit or miss, but as a 'note du jour' Oud has become marketable. I have to say that I prefer my Ouds from more authentic sources, but what really confuses me is that quite a few houses have produced Ouds that are aimed solely at the Middle Eastern market. Lauder and del Pozo are guilty of this. I don't understand the logic behind placing an Oud fragrance in this market (and denying it to the rest of us) when that market is already saturated with Oud frags. I see that Lauder's Wood Mystique (probably their best release of the last 10 years) is now available in high end department stores here in South Africa, and I have it on good authority (one of my friends is a brand manager) that the Sales assistants demanded to be able to sell it, when it was initially touted for release in the Gulf states only. This is gratifying ... altho' their Aramis release Perfume Calligraphy has now replaced it in the 'Middle East only' scenario ... and it's a relatively good Oud - I tried it at Dubai International a few weeks ago. I also recently bought a bottle of Oud et Rose by S.T Dupont in Saudi Arabia ... it's really gorgeous but once again only available in the Gulf. How can a fragrance survive the competition when it's audience is limited to a populace already over familiar with it's star note? Doesn't make any sense!For me it's not so much about 'who's Oud is missing', but about 'who's well done Oud is available' ...

...I too prefer Fleur du Male, but I sometimes still drown myself in Le Male ... just to get up people's noses LOL, especially if they are severely 'verkrampt' (an Afrikaans word that literally means uptight) ... I'm a little evil that way :twisted:

...Guusje:To me male/female is only marketing.Wear what you want I my motto I want a bottle of "Carthusia Uomo" 8)I'm with Guusje on this one. Why bow down to manipulative marketing? If it smells good on you wear it! I've been wearing the hell out of Michael Kors by Michael Kors lately ... everyone I come into contact with loves it.

...Love: Tuberose, Jasmine, Rose, Tuberose, Oud, Frankincense, Orris, Tuberose, Sandalwood, Cedar, Guiac, Tuberose, Neroli, Bergamot, Vanilla, Tobacco and ummm ... did I mention Tuberose?Like: Herbs and Spices, Lavender, Tonka, Benzoin, Ylang Ylang, Citrus (in small doses), Civet, Caramel and Toffee, Licorice, Amber, Ambergris (in small concentrations)Dislike: Too much Patchouli (depends on what it's blended with), screechy Muguet, too much LeatherLoathe: Musk in any way shape or form ... ESPECIALLY when blended with Patchouli

...Sherapop, you make such a valid point with your migraine analogy! I feel sort of let down with myself that I can't appreciate this house ... not just because so many people gush about it but also because I've always maintained that my skin can take just about anything and make it smell good. Perhaps it has less to do with my skin and more to do with the development of my nose :). In times past I would spray something on and 9 times out of 10 just love it ... simply because it was beautiful for that particular time and place. I guess I just want to give whatever is in the bottle the benefit of the doubt, as I am fascinated by the art of perfumery and can appreciate the work that must go into creating one. In saying that I also realize that with more education comes a finer appreciation and also the room to be more critically objective. Still, however, there are many things I smell nowadays that send me into paroxysms of immediate glee. In point of fact I love the first 10 minutes of most Lutens I have tried. It's the darned drydown that doesn't love me back LOL.Oh well ... c'est la vie!

...Phew!!! I'm glad it's not just me Apicius! Chergui on me smells like mothballs ... and of course the ubiquitous unwashed armpit accord I get from all Lutens. So weird ... but then, I agree with you that this line is about the WOW factor. I think Sheldrake is more of a mad chemist than a perfumer ... sitting in his laboratory cackling as the money rolls in :).

...Christopher Sheldrake and I seem to have a 'hate/hate' relationship going on :( . I would dearly love to be able to wear Lutens and I have tried a significant number of them. For some reason they just turn on my skin ... every last one of them I have tried ends up smelling like I've not showered in months!!! Stale sweat :( ... it's just hateful!! Does anyone else have problems with this house? I suppose I don't have much room to complain as there are thousands of other frags out there which smell incredible on my skin. All the same ... once ... just once I would love to spray a Lutens and have it smell awesome after the first 10 minutes! I have just sampled Fumerie Turq and joyfully thought that it may be the one. I reached the 10 minute barrier about 20 minutes ago and now it just smells like unwashed armpit. Woe is me ... I have Lutens hating skin :(.

...I put up two new shelves in my bathroom yesterday ... it's not gonna solve the problem completely as one of my kitchen cabinets is still overflowing LOL ... but at least there's room not to be so squashed anymore ... I'm thinking of adding a fragrance 'pantry' ... ah well ... I'm sure push will come to shove one of these fine days! Samples are a crazy issue tho' :) ... trying to wrap my brain around that one ...

...I've tried but two of the Keiko Mecheri's ... way back in the beginning of my fascination with Tuberose I ordered a sample of the eponymous fragrance by this house. I didn't really like it at the time but I'm sure were I to try it again with a slightly more experienced nose my opinion would differ. I was gifted a bottle of Cuir Cordoba by a friend some time ago and to my surprise, I actually wear it quite often when I am working in the Seychelles. It seems to suit the humidity there and I often get complimented on it. The difficulty is that these frags are not readily available where I live, so I have to try and find them in Duty Free shops during my travels or order blind. There's so much out there that is more of a priority for me, but I suppose that in time I will make a return to exploring the frags of house Mecheri.

...This is definitely a topic that can spark much heated debate. It's a difficult situation that really just boils down to taste and in a certain degree, experience. One of my reasons for seeking out niche fragrances is that like many others, I'm on the hunt for the ever elusive 'signature' fragrance. Along the way I have become a collector (a passtime I thoroughly enjoy) and probably would not give up collecting now even if that one fragrance presented itself. In niche fragrances I find a world of 'pushing the envelope' and being creative, something lacking (albeit not completely) from the designer market of the last 15 years or so. Notable exceptions include fragrances like Michael Kors by Michael Kors, Encre Noire by Lalique and Mugler's Pure Havane.Another reason I find myself delving into the niche world is the constant (and irritating) reformulations that destroy my enjoyment of many fragrances that I have loved and lived in since the 80's. Aramis and Chanel are particularly guilty of this destruction. The Tuscany of old has been reduced from a leatherbound roar to a mewling pup whimpering at the teat. Some of the erstwhile giants from Chanel (most notably no 19 and Antaeus) are but a whisper of what they used to be ... and the biggest rub of all ... cost more than they ever did! The same thing has happened at Dior and in a smaller measure at Guerlain. If it comes down to spending money on niche for something with superior longevity and sillage, then that is the route I must take ... personally. That's what this wonderful exploration into the world of smell hinges on for me ... smelling the way I like to smell (after all, fragrance is about one's personality), and not like 1 Million (sic) other people out there :D.

...These would definitely be a part of my collection if they were stronger and longer lasting. Unfortunately I have perfume eating skin, so both of these only last about an hour on me. I can't justify what they cost here in South Africa with that. IMHO I do think that Iris is the better of the two ... Homme is a little too dry on my nose.

...Let's see ... 1975 and my age wasn't yet in double digits when my Father won a trip to Europe via the company he worked for as a rep. I knew that it was far away and that he would fly there on a 'big aeroplane' but I was more excited about the fact that he would go to Spain as one of his stops. I was a budding young dancer and when asked what I wanted as a gift I requested "spanish dancer dolls" ... teehee ... great excitement!That excitement was surpassed, however, upon his return by the presentation of a small bottle of 4711 eau de cologne. Back then, these were apparently handed out to travellers to refresh themselves (even in economy class!! - how things have changed) and I fell in love with 'smelly' things. Something must have 'clicked' because I started noticing the fragrant world around me ... the heavenly scent of rose when I stuffed my nose into an exquitisely opened flower, the smell of a freshly mowed lawn and the gorgeous scent of the earth after a rainstorm. All too soon my little bottle of cologne was finished. I played at my Mothers dressing table regularly from then on, gratified to receive a spritz of Blue Grass every now and then :). Dad also had a bottle of Old Spice in the bathroom cabinet ... I loved the way the stopper came out of it with a faint "pop".Fast forwarding a few years I was finally a teenager and by this time my Mom was wearing Private Collection. I LOVED IT!!! ... desperately wanting to know what was in it! I became rather friendly with one of the ladies at the local Lauder counter (also a friend of my Mom) and she introduced me to my first grown up fragrance ... all for myself ... Aramis 900. It was a long love affair and pocket money was diligently saved up so that I could buy my own. I thought I would always wear it ... a signature 'til death us do part' ... not to be so!Around the age of 16 or so I was after a holiday job and was lucky enough to get one at an Aramis counter. I studiously read all of the promotional material and was soon peddling fragrances. It was an opportunity to try a vast number of different things. I found myself leaning more toward frags designed for women ... Oh! the scandal! I had many more jobs in the Industry after that, eventually moving on to work for Chanel. Heaven was found in a bottle of No.5 and I still wear Coco quite often! To this day, there is nothing more wonderful in the world to me than a luxurious fragrance department with hundreds of tester bottles beautifully arranged on glistening counters!I've been a collector on and off since then. More than that I am also an ardent 'wearer' of fragrances. It's become more of a passion in the last 10 years or so, especially with the advent of the Internet. So much information at one's fingertips!What a privelege to belong to a community such as this! Thanks for the wonderful forum.

...Without a doubt a bottle of Shalimar Parfum Initial :)

...Hallé Berry plays Dorothy Dandridge and during the casting of the lead for the first all black musical to hit Hollywood, she struts into Otto Preminger's office seductively attired with a red rose tucked behind her ear declaring "I am Carmen Jones".I've always imagined that the fragrance she would be wearing is Tabu :D .