...I really like Iso e Super. I like how it smells and I like what it can do to fragrance. I discovered Molecule One when the very stylish receptionist at my Dentists Practice was wearing it. There was this beautiful, ethereal, woody, smell with a note almost like Iris, and sandalwood, hovering in the air all around her. After that I bought it. It smells great to me, and I love it when I catch the trail of someone wearing it, which I do fairly regularly. It must be a word of mouth fragrance. There is a good dose of Iso E Super in Dolce and Gabana Light Blue. Encre Noir has one of the highest concentrations. I think It's around quite a bit in the Hermessance range, Poivre Samarcande being one. I hear people say that they are anosmic/allergic/it gives them headaches. Given the standards for safe materials nowadays I would think that it is safe, for the time being.....

...Thank you Cryptic. You are most welcome. Do go someday!

...Apologies if we already have a thread. If we do I can't find it.So, I was at Exsence. Here are some bits and bobs from my visit. This is almost the same as a report I posted on Basenotes. I hope you don't mind. There might be something to interest you. Exsence 2015;Bear in mind that there were around 160 exhibitors so you just have to target some and dip in where you can. I know that I will have completely missed a lot of great stuff. I would also stress that it is a trade show. It happens to be open to the public for a couple of days but it really is a trade show, visitors are not a priority, which makes the generosity of the following people, in giving us their time, all the more appreciated. I have three absolute standouts (both in terms of the fragrances AND the people presenting them), and some honourable mentions. Here they are, just in the order that we discovered them;Masque Milano; Terrific! I am really blown away by this whole collection, and I also want to tell you that Alessandro Brun, co- founder and creative director, gave me a lot of time and he personally talked me through the whole collection one at a time. He understood that I was genuinely interested and he was informative and very pleasant in return. He gave me samples of the range. Favourites are Terralba and Russian Tea. Meeting him and discovering Masque fragrances was one of the highlights of my visit.X - Ray Profumo. (The collection in it's new presentation seems to be called XRX Profumo) An oasis of FUN in a sea of snobbery. They are delightful! There seems to be little written about this brand. I don't know this, but I think that maybe the first launch didn't become that well known? They are being relaunched with a new presentation. But I tell you, the fragrances made us *smile*. They simply smelled great, and for me they stood out amongst some very sombre and serious collections. I think sometimes that we forget that above all perfume is meant to make you feel good! And this collection made my friend and I feel good. Ray Burns complete lack of pretension was so refreshing. Despite being very stylish, and handsome, and having a long history in a very chic business, he was fun, funny, and on the level. I didn't get the name of the woman that was working with him. I wish I had. She was lovely and she had lots to say about the fragrances. I'm looking forward to telling you more about these. And I can do that because they also gave us samples.Jul et Mad; I was nearly done in when we decided that we had to stop at Jul et Mad, and I am so pleased that we did. We met both Julien and Madalina and they were charming and lovely. The fragrances are wonderful, elegant, very chic. I absolutely fell for Terrasse a St_Germain, on the spot, and my friend was crazy about one of the others ( I can't remember which one). They gave us each a "love dose" of our favourite, which is a beautifully presented little miniature. I must order samples of the others somewhere so that I can join in a chat about them. Honourable mentions to;Bruno Acampora. Lovely friendly women and very generous with their samples which were offered enthusiatically. (not a common occurrence I can tell you !) I can't say much about the fragrances yet but I am really looking forward to trying them at my leisure. Puredistance;Very helpful, and interested in customers. gave us lovely little sample sets and brochures which I much look forward to trying properly. Mark Buxton. Because my friends would kill me if I didn't mention him! I didn't have much time at his stand myself but two of my friends had met him before and were keen to visit his stand again. One of my friends has his whole collection except the new ones and she will definately get those too, and he is a laugh.Castle Forbes. The Scottish ones that I had never smelled! It turns out they stock them in a place about two miles from my house! Male grooming type. Old fashioned and gentlemanly. I really liked their Fougere, "1445" and I will buy it. Angelo Pregoni . An honourable mention for Mr Pregoni. I know, I know. Say what you like and yep there was an installation with meat and fish on it, and yep, there was a buzz in the cafe about him. But I can only say that I met him and he was very gentlemanly. He was talking me through his newer fragrances and the concepts behind them. Then the press came to film him and we had to skedaddle out of the frame, but he directed an assistant to continue to attend to us. Was anyone else there? What was your experience?

...Hi everyone. There has been no response to passing on the samples. I don't want to keep them too long and I would like someone else to have the chance to try them, so I am going to offer them elsewhere. Have you written your reviews yet Flavorite? I must look.....

...I haven't tried them all but the ones that I have have tried are wonderful. The word from folk who have been lucky enough to get to know them all is that this collection is exceptional. According to Dior staff we will have them here in December. I am really looking forward to that.Of the ones that I have tried my favourite is Amber Nuit, which actually has a rose in it's in heart. It is a very beautiful rose amber in my view, rather than a woody amber. It has a beautiful transparency but it still has heft and presence, with great sillage and longevity. It wears beautifully. Granville is a terrific aromatic citrus herb and pine cologne in the style of Blenheim Bouquet if anyone is familiar with that. It is very, very good, exceptional in fact. It has great staying power for a fragrance of this type.Patchouli Imperial Another lovely one. An elegant woody patchouli with warm undertones.Leather Oud is all that you have heard about it and more. A reeking, animalic, warm animal body and barn notes on a woody, oudy base. If that's your thing you will love this one. I really look forward to trying the others! [/i]

...Cryptic:Foustie, your description of the way asafetida behaves in food reminds me of cooking with nam pla. In the bottle it smells exactly like what it is (fermented fish), but the stench thankfully disappears when blended with other ingredients and it adds depth to Thai food. Yes Cryptic, that is a really good analogy. Although Nam Pla doesn't stick to and stink out every other thing that it comes into contact with, including you! Asafoetida is mean!

...Flavorite:...somethings, one just can't un-smell. That says it all Flavorite!

...Apicius:The Parfumo search shows 10 perfumes with the fragrance note Asafoetida. Amazing!Wow! Now that is interesting.

...Hello everyone. I read a recent review of Cabochard in which one of our friends identified that Cabochard contains Asafoetida, and that it may be this note which gives this terrific fragrance it's character. Hmmm, I find this fascinating, and I think that it would make for a interesting discussion. Here is the thing, Asafoetida stinks! If Asafoetida is used in fragrance it must be to support another note or accord. I doubt very much if it would appear as an identifiable note in it's own right, in fact I am confident that it would not. Out of curiosity I have smelled Cabochard this morning, and I have smelled Asafoetida too. I love to cook Indian food, so I have Asafoetida in my store cupboard, although I use it very rarely. I personally can't smell Asafoetida in Cabochard, (which doesn't mean that it is not there). As I said, I would not expect to actually smell Asafoetida in any fragrance.Asafoetida is used as a seasoning in cooking. It is used at the level of a pinch. Think of it as a flavour enhancer. Any more would overwhelm everything else in a really unpleasant way. It's usually used as powder but I understand that it is also used fresh where available. I am talking about Asafoetida powder here. If you get Asafoetida on your hands, it is very difficult to get off and it is really not nice. If it is not stored tightly and securely in glass it will contaminate everything else in your cupboard. If you eat too much Asafoetida, your skin and sweat will smell of Asafoetida. How does it smell? It's difficult to describe, but here goes; try raw garlic, wild garlic flowers and roots, onions, and spring onions (scallions), concentrated and gone off, with a pungent, dusty, tangy, fetid smell. It is so strong and it is really stinky! ( I don't know anyone who wouldn't say that) I understand that some Hindu people traditionally used it as an alternative to onions and Garlic because those foods were prohibited, so that will give you some idea of it's qualities, although it is all that and more. I would be fascinated to hear of the use of Asafoetida in fragrance. Does anyone know anything more about this?

...Sorry I took a while. Busy...OK, my standout favourite is the fantastic "Vintage". It's just stunningly beautiful,ylang and heliotrope, nostalgic, beauty through a soft focus lense. Highly recommended.Of the others, I also like; Chic et Boheme, which is, well, exactly that, Chic et Boheme. Innocent Fragilite I think of this as a Fairy's fragrance! Again it does what the name says, very gentle and pretty, white flowers, light as a feather. The milky series; Hmmmm...... Lait de Biscuit, Lait de Vanille, Lait Concentree. I just don't connect with these at all personally, so I will leave it to someone better placed than me to say something about those.I am now happy to pass the samples on. UK only unfortunately because of the postal restrictions. I'm not sure what the rules are here about sample shares. If I'm doing something wrong please tell me in case I get into trouble!!Otherwise, post or PM or do whatever we do. Thank you very much for the opportunity to try these fragrances.

...Hello everyone, back again. Sorry I took so long. Just busy.I'll start with my favourite. BTW I just spent ages on this post then lost it! So here goes again.... VintageVintage is a plush fragrance and as such I find it quite different to the other fragrances in this line. I was going to describe Vintage as a floral oriental with particular almondy-floral notes but today (I'm wearing it), and I am going to go with my instincts and say that it is a heliotrope centric fragrance with a floral heart, through a soft focus lense. Vintage begins with a fruity note, but classy fruity. On paper it is clearly a lovely tangerine. On skin it is less clear to me and it morphs seamlessly into the floral heart, probably helped along by the ylang. We are told that the heart is ylang, jasmine and tuberose. Hmmmm, interesting, because these are not my personal favourites, but here they are lovely. To me they come off as a cohesive, very creamy floral accord. Is there a little Iris too? It really is a beautifully nostalgic accord. The base is also soft, with caramel and vanilla, and again something which whispers Iris to me. Vintage does make me think about plush fabric, the kind which appears as different colours depending on the direction of the light. Louise Brooks could be draped in this. It lasts, although it does become quietly, softly close to the skin and that will suit some people, but I would have preferred it to have billowed off the skin a bit more. I just think that it should. For me, the lovely almondy-floral notes are what gives this fragrance it's character and it is that which captures my heart. This is the second fragrance of this type that I have smelled recently, the other was by Oriza L Legrand, and I am utterly delighted by them. Vintage is a soft, creamy, nostalgic fragrance, sensual and feminine, a real beauty, through a soft focus lense.

...Hello everyone. I have the samples. I'll be some time making my way through them but just for the sake of an initial impression here are some thoughts. These are rough impressions and as always are only my humble opinion...Chic et Boheme;Contrary to our good friend Drseid I don't find Chic et Boheme too sweet, (and I don't like sweet generally), I get a little tart edge to it which keeps it bright and which I enjoy. What did impress me straight away is that there is an accord in this fragrance which reminds me very much of Shalimar Parfum Initial. I thought that it was maybe an accord of bergamot and Iris, amongst other things, but Chabaud tell us the florals in Chic et Boheme are around Ylang Ylang. Im not hugely fond of Ylang usually but this accord is very nice. After a short time an aromatic note appears, geranium perhaps, and then it settles into a quiet drydown.I could see my seventeen year old niece feeling quite chic and cool in this.

...Hi Mia. I have let tincturereall know that I would very much like to join in. I'm in the UK.

...Oh dear. I respect Shalimar but I don't like it, and actually I adore Shalimar Parfum Initial. Personally I think that Thierry Wasser made a beautiful,clever,and very well considered job of it. What a shame if sales have not beed goood. There doesn't seem to be any firm news about Shalimar Parfum Initial though? The L'Eau seems to be going and there are concerns about SPI? If I am understanding it correctly. Let's keep our ears/eyes open (and get a back up now!)

...This house has been a great find for you then. Enjoy!

...Thats great Tnahowru. It will be nice to hear what you think of this collection.

...Hello everyone. I have been trying them too. Here are my thoughts on Jardins D'Armide.Jardins D'Armide; What a joy this is! I defy any fragrance lover not to react when they smell Jardins D'Armide, even if it is not to one's personal taste. I can't imagine that anyone would find it uninteresting. The opening of this fragrance immediately brings to mind sugared almond dragees, every time! That's a bit odd maybe because I don't think that those particular confections have much of a smell actually, but that is the first image that pops up and floats around. In fact, if you can imagine sweet sugared almonds, and those tiny candied violets which can be found in Madrid, add some orange flower water, some sweetly aromatic dried rose petals, some geranium soap, old fashioned iris powder, and some soft, billowy (and strangely not sweet) nutty vanilla, then you would be with me on this one. It is so gloriously old fashioned! Underscoring this feast of sweetmeats is a sweetly nostalgic floral accord, built around that lovely old fashioned aromatic rose. In time the fragrance settles into an aromatic accord of rose/violet/iris/geranium.Jardins D'Armide is certainly sweet and powdery but of course that is it's charm. There is a little brighness too which provides a perfect foil. It is delighful, charming, nostalgic. It strikes me that it was made with unrestrained pleasure and perhaps even a little humour. Official notes; (from the OLL website)Top notes: Old Rose, Orange Blossom and Iris Powder. Heart notes: Florentine iris, Violet Wild, Glycine and Carnation India. Base notes: Honey, Almond, Tonka and Musk.I am sure that this fragrance will have it's detractors. It won't be to everyones taste. It is very old fashioned after all, and it will be perceived by some as overtly feminine, too sweet, too powdery. But I also think that it will melt the hearts of many. It presents itself as an homage to fragrances past, with little or no compromise to suit current tastes, and in my view it should be respected for that alone. Dare I say that it would be utterly intriguing on a man.

...Penhaligons Juniper Sling is great. It has a beautiful Juniper topnote, although for me it then has a dominant pepper note which takes over from the Juniper quite early in to the development. It also has vetiver and it has an ambery leathery drydown which sits very close to the skin but is long lasting.There is also Pell Wall Perfumes Gin and Lime. I have never smelled it.PS: I hope that it is isn't Juniper that your husband dislikes!

...I really love classic Eau de Colognes.Acqua de Genova. Tart/sour opening with a lovely lime in the citrus accord, then herbs, with a more floral heart than many others of the genre. Beautiful. A classic.Santa Maria Novella Acqua di Sicilia. Only launched in the late 1990's. My absolute favourite. Bright citrus with petitgrain, shot through with a very refreshing bitter green streak which I always think is cypress. Very effective in lifting the spirits. Alvarez Gomez Agua de Colonia Concentrada. A Spanish Cologne. Inexpensive. Robust and artisanal in style. Juicy citrus, lots of herbs, and geranium. Splash/spray with abandon. A feel good Cologne.Penhaligons Blenheim Bouquet Eau de Toilette. A Cologne by any other name. Citrus, herbs and pine, terrific. Elegantly masculine and stylish for the girls too. and many others........

...Fendi, the original. I loved it. It can still be found on ebay but it is so expensive now that I feel that I have missed the boat. I did manage to get a bottle of the original Armani, which was around about the same time as the Fendi, and it is wonderful. But I would love the Fendi.....