...we are, Sorceress. ;) Interesting read. Thanks for sharing, PontNeuf!My thoughts? Chicken-and-egg.The rise of the scent snob is explicitly attributed to mass-market blandness. And I agree, the more pointless iteration...

...PontNeuf:I have increasingly purchased online as I have made rather bad experiences with sales personnel in general. (...) Here in Germany I find sales staff... personnel in general. (...) Here in Germany I find sales staff in stores quite difficult and I avoid them whenever I can.I am sorry to hear that, PontNeuf. And I am pleased to report this is not always the case in Germany.A few weeks ago, I realised I actually am in a sales relationship. Went back to a...

...goodness! I just clicked on your link and must say I adore your photos, Pontneuf. Loved the tree with green/orange leaves at the center. You have quite an eye. Thanks for sharing them... Loved the tree with green/orange leaves at the center. You have quite an eye. Thanks for sharing them.PontNeuf:@Briarthorn:Well, the most striking photo/s I have gathered so far are either sad postmortems or other serious portraits. They tend to burn...

...No such thing for me (anymore). I grab for what my mood wants me to. Can be an expensive one or a cheapie....as long as it makes me feel good......to me perfume is an accessory, not a treasure to lock away for those rare moments that too often will not come anyway...

...Reason tells me not to have a large collection but the rest of my brain (it is the dominating part) ignores that completely. Since I made peace with myself to simply accept my addiction I have been feeling better :-)I try not to see perfume as holy grails, I bought them to be used, not to decorate a shelf or drawer....so, if one goes bad (which has not yet happened so far) or I lose interest in one the world is still OK :-)

..."Akowa" by MicallefMasculine (I smell lavender with vetyver) but at the same time soft with cocoa in the background. It has a soapy feel and smells "vintage" to me which is not a bad thing for me. I bet Marlene Dietrich would have like that one.

...Got myself a bottle of 100% Ciara the other day and am currently waiting for a 15EUR bottle of 40ml John Galliano.....which I think is a pretty good bargain, new and unboxed.

...I find the opening pleasantly quirky, too, probably for how he's used the storax and clove. I think it's Hyacinth that's elevating the florals.PontNeuf:Monsieur Serge´s relatively new offering named "Tuberose Criminelle" found ist way into my perfume wardrobe. After the rather strange (but...

...Monsieur Serge´s relatively new offering named "Tuberose Criminelle" found ist way into my perfume wardrobe. After the rather strange (but nonetheless fitting) opening with evergreen the tuberose shows its beautiful face. On me I find this scent pretty tame and non-challenging. Pleasantly floral in total.

...I fully agree with you that after all it´s purely a matter of taste. Same as with movies, literature, music or outfit styles and as with all fields in which humans roam with their personal view there will be highly discussed differences :-) Jerry Cotton vs. Dorian Grey, so to speak :-) I think someone should write a novel letting both meet and solve a crime case :-) Sorry, I am drifting away from your interesting topic.Celeb scents are often scoffed at. True. I admit I have sinned with vanity, too, thinking that my exquisite taste cannot be at all represented by something as tacky as a Rihanna scent :-/ I admit this kind of thinking is foolish and certainly not fair and I have already made a big exception from my priniciple.I own Dita von Teese´s "Erotique". When I decided to purchase this scent I began to analyse why I was willing to do so. I came to the conclusion : I like Dita. And maybe I was also sold for that sleazy but yet appealing perfume name (please don´t judge me *g*). And maybe also the very alluring low price made me think no harm can be done in buying the stuff and seeing how much I will like it in the long run."Erotique" is a deadringer for Comme des Garcon´s "Wonderwood". Two different price levels, niche vs. celeb. Ouch. What a sacrilege of holy niche perfumery ! To even dare comparing these scents. I do, nonetheless. I once owned "Wonderwood" and sold it because it caused me terrible migraines. With an issue like that the actually beautiful scent did nothing for me."Erotique" did not make my head hurt and it smells very nice. Unlike other celebrity perfumes it is pretty unsweet, almost masculine. The bottle is no piece of art but OK. I am not a bottle collector anyway."Erotique" showed me that I can move away from my sometimes biased views. Owning and wearing this scent did not ruin my perfume wardrobe nor did anyone come up to me saying, "Oh no, she´s wearing THAT celeb stuff again." Admitted, I am not so much anymore into fruity-floral-musky stuff like Lancome´s "La vie est belle" (which is, IMHO, the perfect scent caliber for a standard celeb scent) and so Dita´s scent was different from the start and hence attractive to me.Maybe very young buyers are more susceptible to celebrity merchandise and so the Rihanna-Madonna-Heidi Klum-juices are directed with emphasis on this particular peer group.....older brawls like me appreciate some good old Opium and Poison and terrorise their surroundings with that *lol* :-)I forgot to mention another one I have dearly loved since teen age : Gabriela Sabatini. She may not be a celebrity anymore but in the 80s she was one of THE tennis stars. Guess we can count her in this discussion. Not a floral-fruity one either.....she got me hooked over decades with a woody-floral composition.Are expensive niche houses always better than cheapies ? Hmmmmm.............................hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...........................hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...............no. I came across some pretty stinky niche scents worth a small fortune. One thing is for sure : I will never ever have "Woman X" on my skin as long as my nose is alive. Go figure :-)And psssttt : I have always had a liking for Elizabeth Taylors "White Diamonds" but please do not tell anyone :-)

...@Briarthorn :I must admit I only smelled "Lady Vengeance" once. As far as I can remember it is almost the same scent as the "extreme" version. Almost. The "extreme" version is much more patchouli-laden than the regular Vengeance scent. In my opinion LV was softer with a bit less sillage. So, if you prefer more of the rose and less of the earthy bytones I would recommend to test the LV.Both scents are very nicely done, maybe it is just my twisted scent brain but I usually fall for "extreme" or "noir" versions :-) The LV would have been an equally good choice for me.

...Sniff Fest. I've also put the "Rose of Bulgaria for Men" on my wish list. It doesn't seem to be readily available here in the states though :( @ PontNeuf, I think what many call the "dated and Old Lady" are some of the best. Those "old ladies" wore the scents they did (before they were "old") because...

...Patchouli Incense / Labdanum / Styrax / OppoponaxSpices (cloves !, cinnamon, vanilla, tonka etc.)Herbs (rosemary, thyme, mint, laurel)Lemon / Orange Tuberose / Gardenia / Rose / Iris / Violet SandalwoodNot so pleasant on me / less easy to wear :- Vetiver (often turns awfully sour on me)- Honey (oh my.....too animalic with my chemistry)- Grapefruit (does NOT smell like lemon on me, it turns into catpee...there goes my dream to ever wear Pamplelune)- Lily of the valley, syringa/lilac (I love smelling the real flowers but not in perfumes)- Aquatic notes often turn quite synthetic and harsh on me- Neroli (I really like it but it does not like my skin, it turns out rather synthetic and unpleasantly soapy on me)- Cedar (smells ultra masculine on me, that often ruins it for me)- Leather (often a fail on me with only a few exceptions)

...Great timing, Briarthorn :-) It so happens I wore a soliflore rose scent today :-)I started out with roses in an oriental setting and in chypres but recently I also have moved towards the soapy/romantic type of rose. Today I wore Crabtree & Evelyn´s "Evelyn Rose" which overall got rather negative reviews in some forums but I must say it is a lovely one. There is a slightly fruity touch to it but no patchouli, no amber, no vanilla (at least not on my skin) and that makes this one rather stand out in my collection.Yes, it may smell terribly dated and old-lady-like but such a soft and unsexy rose comforts me and gives me a friendly hug. Some other rose fragrances I really dig are :"Fashion Decree" by Atkinson --> Chypre, lots of patchouli. Has a rather cool/reserved aura, almost austere. Anna Wintour in a bottle :-)"Coco" by Chanel --> Peppery and sexy, warm, glowing with sensuality. A classic, one of my all-time staples."Knowing" by Estee Lauder --> Chypre, dark, mysterious, Titania´s realm as a perfume. Masterpiece, I would not want to ever be without it."Very irresistible L´Intense" by Givenchy --> Fruity-floral, gothic girl between teen and grown-up, soft and sensual. Plum lingers in the background. I have worn it on and off for some time, actually I enjoy this one more than I admit :-)"Vengeance Extreme" by Juliet has a gun --> Chypre-oriental, loads and tons and gazillions of patchouli leaves mixed in that concoction. Earthy. leathery, smoldering and yet somewhat soft, a demanding kiss of roses. Wonderful ! "Black Aoud" by Montale --> Oriental, much has been said and written on this one. Some love it, some hate it. I love this plushy dark red rose and the tangerine that softens the patchouli vibe. Ultrastrong formulation but phantastic with one spray under clothing.If someone is into a fruity and soft rose scent I recommend Atkinson´s "Rose in Wonderland". Romantic and very lady-like.The more well-known roses such as "Chloe" and "Paris" (YSL) are not my cup of tea. There is something in there that just does not harmonize in my opinion....I am still guessing what this might be.

...PontNeuf, I've never tried a Juliette Has A Gun fragrance so "Vengeance Extreme" might be interesting. Leather and patchouli, hmm...Sleuth and Flavorite, the...

..."All good things" by LushThe most difficult scent in my wardrobe. It scares the wits out of me but I love its quirkiness.

...@scentfan : i love montale's black aoud, too....actually i never could understsnd why this one is labelled masculine so often....i find it very unisex, there is so much rose in this scent....another masculine one that i simply adore is habit rouge. currently i own the edt but am thinking of getting the edp version as well. it is so soft and cuddly in a nostalgic way. gorgeous.dior homme is very likeable, too, for us ladies, i think......and i like eau sauvage as a cologne-like alternative for the citrus genre.not to be forgotten : bel ami by hermes, i like spicy leather.

...One of my favourite patch scents is "Vengeance Extreme" by Juliette has a gun.If you also like roses and leather then this one might be of interest for your search.Or "Fashion Decree" by Atkinsons. Lots of patchouli, also with roses but a bit more feminine. Both medium-sweet and definitely unisex (despite what their name might suggest).

...I like them both sweet and very unsweet.Sweet goes for orientals and florals, unsweet/bitter for chypres.A very sweet oriental powerhouse which I very much enjoy is i.e. "Aqaba Classic" (almost a twin of Opium) and an example for unsweet powerhouse might be "Azuree" or "Knowing", both by Estee Lauder.

...My first experience with Caron was with their Parfum Sacré, back in my teenage days when I owned a miniature bottle *walkingdownmemorylane*. Very spicy and quite straightforward. I sort of liked it and still did not dare wear it.Years passed and when I was in my 30s I retried Parfum Sacré. Although I enjoy peppery notes a lot I could not become real friends with PS. Something was just not right (on my skin)....to be continued. I might dare another try a few years from now. It is definitely a very well done oriental fragrance.Currently I own Tabac Blonde. Now this one is more up my alley. There is quite a bit of aldehyde in the beginning but that soon changes into tobacco and a woody (sandalwood ?) scent. TB smells pure vintage to me although my bottle surely isn´t. This is what I imagine the great old Hollywood stars to smell like. Well, whenever I will visit Paris again then stopping by their boutique (Avenue Montaigne if I am not mistaken ?) is a must.