Sniffapalooza Spring Fling 2024!

I hadn't been to an in-person Sniffapalooza event in years. I'd say at least ten, but probably more. Sniffa's regular Zoom events during the pandemic were a real life-saver though, giving me something to look forward to during the days when we weren't allowed to do much at all. Certainly not live perfume-sniffing. But live perfume sniffing is back, baby, and I'm here for it. Though I've done some solo sniffing the past couple of years, I thought it might be fun to do it in a group and with my BFF Andree, who had accompanied me on my earliest Sniffa excursions.

Back then, Sniffapalooza was a two day event. On Saturday we'd start at Bergdorf Goodman and work our way down 5th Avenue to Takashimaya, Henri Bendel, and Saks. Each of those stores was large enough to contain our crowd, making for a festive atmosphere. Sundays were spent at much smaller boutiques downtown--Le Labo, Lafco, Aedes de Venustas, Bond No. 9, Min New York--which meant we had to break up the party into more reasonably sized groups. Now, with the lack of uptown department stores, Sniffa is a downtown-only extravaganza. This year's agenda included visits to Le Labo, Malin & Goetz, Korres, Naxos Apothecary, Scent Bar, Mizensir, D.S. & Durga, Olfactory NYC, Trudon, and Harney & Sons. Most of these shops are the size of a luxurious broom closet. After stepping into the first shop, Malin & Goetz, and realizing there were already at least seventeen other people already crammed in there, I beat a hasty retreat as soon as I got my name tag and souvenir tote bag. Andree and I then scurried down the street to Scent Bar which had only two other customers. I figured most attendees would take the shops as they came upon them, but I thought it best if we skipped ahead to beat the crowds. 

the display at Korres

Korres sister company, Naxos Apothecary

We were able to visit each of the shops on the list at some point--excepting Olfactory NYC because I've had enough experience recently creating my own perfume. And since that neighborhood is chock full of other perfume boutiques, we added a couple more that were not part of the tour: Osswald and Diptyque. I had also wanted to check out Elorea, Fueguia 1833, Santa Maria Novella, and Byredo, but we ran out of time. Because in addition to sniffing, Sniffapalooza also involves eating. The customary lunch spot for some years has been La Mela, which has a private room large enough to accommodate 75 fragrance fans. Over nearly four hours, we enjoyed a five course family-style Italian meal that included salad, antipasti, pasta, a meat course, and dessert, while guest speakers told of indie and niche brands and plied us with samples. 

lunch at La Mela

Among the more intriguing scents introduced at the luncheon were those by Banomaria. The company's owner spent a lot of time explaining why she chose that name, but not nearly enough time giving us contact information. I hope to explore her scents more in an upcoming post, provided I can learn more about them. We also had a presentation by Maison Trudon, who was very generous with the samples and included a lovely scented wax cameo in addition to a few of their eaux de parfums. And visitors to their boutique were given a travel spray in a black velvet pouch (just under the DS & Durga box in the photo at the bottom of this post). I chose Bruma, a peppery green floral. Trudon is another line I will examine in depth at some point in the future.

Nils Beeman from Trudon

Unfortunately, when 75 enthusiastic people are enclosed in a small space, it can get quite loud, which makes it somewhat difficult to hear everything that is being said by presenters. Regardless, the lunch was quite good (the pasta was impressively al dente despite having been produced in large quantities and served on large platters) and the three-plus hours passed rather quickly.

So what did I buy? Just two fragrances: D.S. & Durga Steamed Rainbow and Naxos Apothecary Yria. I didn't have anything like either one in my collection. I was happy to be able to smell all of D.S & D's current scents in one place at one time. My past experiences with them led me to believe that all of their perfumes smelled literally of dirt (with other notes), but they actually have plenty of variety in their line. And Naxos fragrances were totally new to me and all quite lovely. 

The weekend's haul, including samples from side trips to Bergdorf's and Saks.

D. S. & Durga Steamed Rainbow

Blood Mandarin, Orange, Elemi, Grass, Almond Blossom, Cedar, Violet, Vetiver

This scent is bright sunshine and literal rainbows. Perfumer David Seth Moltz wanted to create a scent that smelled like an actual rainbow, so he used ingredients that matched the colors. red mandarin orange, yellow elemi resin, green cedar, blue almond flower, indigo grass, and violet vetiver vapors. Steamed Rainbow smells like a garden immediately after a thunderstorm, when the hot ground has been cooled by the sudden rain and is now steaming with humidity. There's definite citrus and grass and flowering trees anchored by a resiny and almost honeyed sweetness. I've read some reviews that say there's a mildew quality to this fragrance, and I can see where they're coming from. Steamed Rainbow doesn't actually smell like mildew, but rather gives that sensation of dampness, and the pitch of the notes--if I may use musical terms here--is of the same frequency as the pitch of the scent of some mildew. (The scent of a damp basement, for example, is quite different than the smell of a wet gym bag that has been left in the truck of the car for too many days.) I honestly don't have anything like Steamed Rainbow in my collection and hope to wear it a lot this summer.

Naxos Apothecary Yria

Bergamot, Pink Pepper, Cereal, Rose, Jasmine, Benzoin, Patchouli

With its sparkling pink pepper opening and unusual cereal note, Yria would not have been out of place in L'Artisan Parfumer's fragrance collection circa 2003. I have several bottles of their scents from that era, when they were probably my favorite fragrance house. Their scents were fun, for instance, evoking peppers--both green chiles and sneezy white pepper--or Turkish delight, or wheat. Yria's cereal note is like a bowl of shredded wheat steeped in milk. It's unusual and stands out amid the bright top notes, floral heart, and base of sweet woody benzoin and patch. It was love at first sniff when I lifted the Monclin-style glass vessel to my nose. The pink pepper--which has recently become a favorite note of mine--grabbed me and the cereal note said "buy me." So I did. Yria is the kind of scent that can be worn most of the year, but I think I'll get most use out of it in the spring and summer months.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks

Blind Buy: Zara Ebony Wood

created with Ideogram AI and Adobe Photoshop

Zara Ebony Wood

Ebony, Cloves, Pink Pepper 

Despite not having much luck with either Jo Malone or Zara fragrances, I blind bought Ebony Wood from the Zara website, along with a few other of their scents. What can I say? I am easily influenced by the opinions of others, and I had heard really good things about Malone's creations for Zara. The non-Jo Malone scents were given away immediately. Only Ebony Wood was worth putting in my collection.

I'm not sure why this scent is called "ebony wood," considering that ebony isn't particularly fragrant. It's very dense and heavy, with a fine grain, and is quite expensive. The name of this scent evokes something very smooth, rich, and dark, possibly leaning quite masculine. In actuality, Ebony Wood is none of the above.

The scent opens with a ton of pink peppercorn with an almost grapefruit-like brightness. Like a pink-tinted lightbulb suddenly illuminated in a pitch black room, Ebony Wood radiates light. Yet, at the same time, there is a bit of depth to it, as the woody notes and cloves are also immediately present. The wood is somewhat cedar-like, so not heavy, and the cloves in no way make this seem like a holiday potpourri. They're there, and then they're not. 

Hours into the drydown the pink pepper is still hanging around but it's lost most of the grapefruit brightness and has picked up a musky sweetness. The woody notes are still around too, but have faded considerably and are rather buried by the sweetness. Yet I can't say the scent is measurably different from when I applied it early this morning. In any case, I really enjoy it.

As a graphic designer, I hate that so many fragrance companies have resorted to boring white labels with tiny sans serif print. As a consumer, I appreciate the heft of the bottle and the magnetic cap, which makes Ebony Wood seem like a much more expensive fragrance than it is ($39/90 for 100ml).

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

A Fragrant Prescription from Suzy and Nicola

As a graphic designer, I'm not particularly afraid of being replaced by AI just yet.
I asked Adobe Firefly to create a forest made of vanilla beans. This was the result. 
I'm not sure what the ratty old twine is supposed to represent.
Also, one doesn't encounter many wooden table tops in the forest.

I found the most fabulous perfume-related podcast a few months ago: On the Scent. Hosts Nicola Bonn and Suzy Nightingale not only discuss perfume and perfumers, but they also offer "prescriptions" for listeners' fragrant questions. I've sampled several scents based on their recommendations; not all of them are for me. One in particular--which they talked up quite a bit--was so awful on my skin, I questioned if I received the correct sample from Luckyscent.* When I tried it on my hubby, however, he liked it. The scent is a bit expensive for me to invest in if I don't want to smell it, so I decided to write to Suzy and Nicola and ask for suggestions that might work better for both hubby and myself.

Hello, lovelies! I am totally enamored of your podcast, and your lovely voices, and your thoughts on fragrance. I have been an avid fan of scent for the last 25 years or so, and it's wonderful to have found a non-judgmental source to learn about new releases and others that I might have missed along the way. You accompany me on my daily walks through the neighborhood, and also make my work day so much more pleasant. 

I need a prescription for my husband, please. I put a dab of Matiere Premiere Vanilla Powder on my husband to see if it smelled vaguely similar on him to the way it smells on me. (While I have met him and agree that Aurelien Guichard is quite a tasty morsel, I am not a fan of this particular creation of his. On my skin, it's a very sharp vetiver-type green note, no coconut, no powder, no obvious vanilla; I am not a fan of stabby vetiver at all. I have to wonder if the sample I have is of a different scent completely.) Hubby sniffed his arm and immediately said, "ooh, I like that!" Hubby rarely loves something at first sniff. Unfortunately, while it's not quite as unpleasant on his skin as on mine, I cannot abide the way it smells. I am wondering if there is something else you can recommend that is a dry woody fragrance (which is the part he liked) perhaps with an amber or vanilla backdrop. He normally wears Obsession for Men (which is divine on him) and he has confiscated both of my bottles of Essential Parfums Orange X Santal and Bois Imperiale and wears them in the summer. He isn't a fan of overt pachouli, nor cedar (though I enjoy both), but he rather enjoys amber scents. What are your recommendations, O fragrant goddesses? Thank you so much!

Suzy recommended three scents: Tom Ford Tobacco Vanilla, Maya Njie Vanilj, and 1907 Perfumes Vanilla Dry. Immediately I ordered a Maya Nije discovery set, which includes Vanilj. I tried TF Tobacco Vanilla at Sephora. But the Vanilla Dry I skipped. Suzy admits that she hadn't smelled it, but as the notes include ylang-ylang, jasmine, monoi, and lily of the valley, I can't imagine it's not quite floral and girly. In any case, I couldn't find a place in the US where I could buy a reasonably priced sample.

Vanilj

Vanilla, Cardamom, Patchouli, Musk, Cedarwood, Amber

Vanilj is a big winner. It's both woodsy and fairly dry, but it's also infused with a warm and almost milky vanilla backed with musk and amber. Delicious, completely unisex, and definitely full-bottle worthy. 

Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille

Tobacco Leaf, Spicy Notes, Vanilla, Cacao, Tonka Bean, Tobacco Blossom, Dried Fruits, Woody Notes

Tobacco Vanille starts out a big slug of root beer, coming from what I assume are the "spicy notes." I had heard that the tobacco is reminiscent of cigars, but that's not the case for us. The tobacco is fairly sweet, more like a flavored pipe tobacco. The scent is overall quite cozy and warm, not at all dry, and something I'd wear in the chill of winter. While we both like this scent, it's prohibitively expensive, and we are not likely to invest unless I can find a real deal.

(I'd love a fragrance that smelled like the inside of a wooden cigar box, specifically the kind lined with a thin sheet of cedar. My Mom and I collected empty cigar boxes that we sometimes used in art projects, but mostly just opened and huffed the delicious lingering aroma.) 

I got my TF sample at Nordstrom after relating my Matiere Premiere story to the SA. Her suggestion was to try both versions of Tom Ford Grey Vetiver, the original EDP and the new Parfum. While Fragrantica lists far more notes for the EDP than the Parfum, I'm not sure they're different enough to pay the extra $40 - $60 bucks. Neither of us have issues with fragrance not lasting on our skin, so the extra concentration of perfume oils would be a waste. In any case, Tom Ford Grey Vetiver is a quite pleasant earthy aromatic scent with lots of grapefruit and woods, and the vetiver note is not in any way stabby. So score one for Suzi and one for the TF SA at Nordie's--we'll be purchasing both Vanilj and Grey Vetiver.

* I tried Vanilla Powder twice on a recent trip to NYC. Once at ScentBar, on paper, where it smelled significantly different from the sample I received from their parent company, LuckyScent. The second time was at Saks, where I tested the scent on my skin. There, it smelled rather unpleasant, like my LS sample. However, the long drydown was a lovely powdery vanilla. At this point, I can't say that I am 100% sure that I know what this scent smells like.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks

Adventures in Layering: Chocolate and Patchouli

for whatever reason, my bottle of Bisquit says "biscuit." Also, the bottle design is quite
different from any other Arte Profumi bottle. I don't know if it's an old design or a new one,
but I can only find one image online that shows a similar bottle for this fragrance. 

Though it's definitely Spring, we're still getting the occasional chilly day. For my early morning walk earlier this week it was a balmy 41F. To be very honest, I don't mind chilly mornings at all--in fact, I prefer them. And because it was going to be cool-ish all day, I wanted to wear a fragrance that was on the cozy side. But I also wanted to wear something with a good bit of patchouli in it. So I layered two of my favorites: Arte Profumi Bisquit, which smells like hot fudge, and Obvious Un Patchouli, a warm balsamic patch that is neither hippie-like nor green. They meshed beautifully, as if they were one gorgeous scent with a rich chocolate-y patchouli vibe. I kept sniffing myself all day and was happy to find it still lingering on my jacket a few days later.

Arte Profumi Bisquit

Chocolate, Cacao, Vanilla, Coffee, Bitter Orange

I've tried lots of chocolate perfumes and few have caught my fancy; so many smell like a sad plastic simulacrum of the real thing. I tried Montale Chocolate Greedy, and while that is a somewhat realistic chocolate scent, I find the drydown to be nauseating and bread-like. (Considering bread is one of my favorite foods, I'm not sure why.) Though the notes are similar to those of the Montale scent, Bisquit is much better to my nose. It smells like an Oreo that has had most of the cream scraped away, opening with a dry cocoa with a hint of bitterness and smoke in the background. It then becomes sweeter, almost like milk chocolate, but not quite lactonic. I don't smell the orange, but there's an earthiness that might be patchouli. It's quite delicious and the best chocolate scent I've found so far.

Obvious Un Patchouli

Tonka Bean, Indonesian Patchouli Leaf, Australian Sandalwood, Virginia Cedar, Cade oil, Tolu Balsam

This is a lovely middle-of-the-road patchouli fragrance. To my mind, there are multiple kinds of patch scents. Some are the earthy, "dirty hippy," sort of scent that is reviled by my husband for the bad memories they stir up of times spent with a group of people who seemed to think patchouli and pot were good substitutes for a nice shower. Others are squeaky clean and soapy, more green than earthy, like the patch notes in Gris Dior and Britney Spears Believe. The patchouli in Obvious Un Patchouli is somewhere in the middle, green but not soapy, earthy but not dirty, and surrounded by woody and resinous notes. The tonka adds a bit of sweetness and the cade a little smoke and it all adds up to create a patchouli that might be the best version of itself. 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Maya Njie

photo illustration of Minnie Riperton by theminx

I had heard Suzy Nightingale mention Maya Nije's fragrances more than once on the On the Scent podcast, and of course she recommended Vanilj to me in a fragrant prescription. I desperately wanted to try the line but wasn't even sure I'd be able to get hold of samples. Lucky me, the company very recently started shipping to the US--in fact, I received an email saying I was one of their first US customers.

Maya Nije, of Scandinavian and Gambian heritage, started her line in 2016. Fascinated by photographs from the 60s and 70s and their faded color palettes, she wondered what those pictures would smell like. And so she made those photos come to life. 

As a self-taught perfumer, her practice was developed through experimentation; the blending of raw materials with a variety of essential oils, aroma compounds and resins; nature and science combining in autobiographical fragrances. Maya’s olfactory identity draws inspiration from her upbringing, as well as an archive of intimate family photographs from the 1960s; the small Swedish summer house surrounded by mercurial forests, the visits to her grandparents’ sparsely furnished flat on Sunday afternoons, Uncle Lars' and Aunt Erene’s wedding. A bottling of a time, place and spirit.

included in the discovery set were these reproductions of family
 photos with descriptions of each scent on the backs.

A lovely concept, and some lovely scents.

Les Fleurs

Bergamot, Neroli, Pulpy Fig, Citrusy Magnolia, Floral Musk, Unwilted Wood

This scent takes me back nearly 40 years to sleepovers at my then-best friend's house, where I would camp out on the floor in the room she shared with her younger sister. The room smelled of her shampoo and the whole house smelled of her father's cigarettes. I am guessing that the "unwilted" wood note is what might be evoking the nicotine for me. It's not very strong, more of a suggestion lurking beyond the huge floral muskiness of it all. I am also reminded of Faberge Babe, which I wore from time to time in the late 70s--early 80s. Inspired by Minnie Riperton's 1970 song by the same name, Les Fleurs is a well-blended evocation of big hair, lip gloss, fun times, and youth.

Nordic Cedar

Cardamom, Patchouli, Musk, Cedarwood, Ambergris

I've never smelled anything like this before. Nordic Cedar starts out underwater, as if the solid forms of cardamom pods, patchouli leaves, and cedar branches are submerged in a body of fresh water. There's nothing marine about this scent at all, mind you, it's merely watery. After a few moments, the water effect evaporates, so to speak, revealing the scent of fresh lumber dusted with ground cardamom over a lightly musky base. 

Tobak

Tobacco Leaf, Vetiver, Cinnamon, Tonka, Musk, Leather

The first sniff of Tobak took my husband back to barbershops of his youth, with their scents of pomades, hair oils, and that powder they put on and brushed off the back of necks to make sure there weren't any itchy hairs left behind. And cigarette smoke, of course, because everyone smoked back then. The scent was actually inspired by Maya's memories of her grandfather's apartment, which smelled of pipe tobacco and the cinnamon buns her mom would bake to take on visits. And while it leans masculine, I think anyone could wear it. Tobak is pleasantly warm and cozy, yet light, and would be perfect in the cooler months.

Tropica

Citrus, Pineapple, Mediterranean Fig, Iris, Coconut, Ambergris, Sandalwood

I am sunning myself on a lounge chair somewhere on the Mediterranean coast, cold drink in hand, reminiscing about the pina coladas of a long ago Hawaiian vacation. Right now, however, the breeze is wafting the scent of figs my way. Though fig and coconut play quite nicely together, I am immediately snapped out of my tropical reverie. Tropica's juicy pineapple note fades too quickly for my liking and is replaced by fig. While not a favorite note of mine, I appreciate that the fig in Tropica is more creamy than green (or dusty, as I perceive fig in some cases). The sandalwood in the drydown is subtle and really allows the fig to shine. Some might dismiss Tropica as a "beachy" scent, but I'm betting that it is quite cozy in the colder months as well as a great scent for summer.

Vanilj

Vanilla, Cardamom, Patchouli, Musk, Cedarwood, Amber

Vanilj is Nordic Cedar with the added surprise of vanilla. Rather than starting out underwater, the spicy and woody elements of Vanilj are submerged in a bowl of warm milk flavored with vanilla and just the barest hint of sweetness. Though the name of the scent is vanilla in Swedish, the cardamom and cedarwood are nearly as strong. Totally unisex and completely delicious. 

Voyeur Verde

Bergamot, Mandarin, Cypress, Rosewood, Fennel, Iris, Ylang Ylang, Patchouli, Leather, Cedarwood, Frankincense

This opens with a blast of green that is both sharp and dry, almost a bit like turpentine, but not quite. Personally, I love the smell of turpentine, as it takes me back to my art school days. (This turps scent is not as noticeable on my skin, sadly.) I can then smell the iris--but not the ylang ylang--which marries beautifully with the leather. The drydown is rather like a pair of brand new leather gloves that come packaged in a box lined with cedarwood. I can detect a bit of incense as well, but the leather predominates on my skin as well as on paper. I'd say the scent is fairly unisex but that it leans toward masculine. 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks

Blind Buy: Britney Spears Believe

Adobe Firefly AI's interpretation of my request for still life with a bowl of tangerines
and guavas, with linden blossom and honeysuckle in a vase, and patchouli leaves on the tabletop.
It could be worse.

Britney Spears Believe

Guava, Tangerine, Lime Blossom, Honeysuckle, Patchouli, Praline, Amber

I had heard good things about Britney's fragrances, particularly Curious, but I imagined all of them smelled like a variation on Pink Sugar. I'm not saying that's a bad thing--I wore Pink Sugar for a minute when it came out. Eventually, however, the unrelenting sweetness got to be too much for me. Once I hit my 40s, I didn't really want to smell like cotton candy anymore. Then, while perusing Fragrancenet, I stumbled upon Believe, a lovely chartreuse juice in a somewhat fancy faceted bottle. I'm a sucker for lime green, so I went to Fragrantica to check out the notes and the reviews to make sure my $15 would be well-spent. And when I saw the first review, which is poorly spelled and horribly punctuated, I knew I'd like Believe. 

Its one of the most disapointing perfumes ive ever smelled, theres almost nothing here but strong overpowering patchouli. the notes seem very balanced when you read them off the list and then you smell the fragrance and theres just an overpowering patchouli with very little depth. Maybe its because i had heard good things or maybe because i enjoy every other britney perfume but this is the biggest perfume disappointment for me.

I'm not big on fruitchouli scents, or tropical fruity notes, but I thought I'd take a gamble on this one. Yes, mainly because it disappointed a Fragrantica user whose perfume wardrobe includes 36 fragrances, 21 of which have at least one shade of pink on the bottle and include scents by Avril Lavigne, Paris Hilton, Nicki Minaj, and for heaven's sake, Katie Price aka Jordan. Happily, Believe doesn't give off any kind of girly pink vibes. In fact, I feel it's more closely related to other bright scents with a soapy patchouli note like Dior Gris, which I also own and love. Though I can detect the tiniest bit of praline in the drydown, it doesn't make Believe sweet. Overall it's a citrussy patchouli with a light floralcy and a bit of effervescence that brings to mind one of my favorite candies when I was a kid--Zotz. Zotz were fruity hard candies filled with sherbet--a sweet powder containing baking soda that fizzes when it comes in contact with moisture. Zotz weren't easy to find, and they came in strips of four or five pieces that I had to share with my little brother, so they were a real treat. It's nice being an adult and knowing I can splash out on a big bag of assorted flavors and not have to share (though I will). And now I'm sharing the news of Believe with you. If you like Dior Gris, I think you'll like Believe. And you'll save hundreds. 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks

Scentcraft - Real or Rip-off, part 2

When last I wrote about Scentcraft, I indicated that I was unhappy with the first batch of the "bespoke" fragrance I had created. My online discussion with Scentcraft's AI, Arty, led me to believe that I would receive a scent or scents with a base of orange blossom, orange oil, and amber, with added notes of vanilla, patchouli, musk, iris, and lactonic notes. A sexy creamsicle is what I was after. What I received were three pleasant scents that were all rather sweet, none of which matched the brief. After an email exchange with one of the humans at Scentcraft, I was told I would receive a do-over, because their credo is "love it or it's free."

Considering the my first batch of "bespoke" fragrances arrived in a little over a week, I was surprised that after 3 weeks I hadn't received my replacements. Could they actually be creating new scents for me? For $39.95? Highly doubtful. They were probably hoping I had forgotten. After a reminder email, they assured me that my new variations were just completed (ha!) and would be shipped out on Friday. They arrived on Saturday. 

This time, the package contained 4 mini roll-on bottles of scent, all with the "Orange You Glad" labeling. Three had QR codes, and one did not. I scanned the codes to reveal the perfumers and the notes:

"DI26" by Anne Flipo

How exciting to see that one of the variants had been created by Anne Flipo, who worked on the Estee Lauder Legacy collection for EL x Frederic Malle and also created Chloe Love Story, Donna Karan Woman, Frederic Malle Synthetic Jungle, and L'Artisan La Chasse aux Papillons, among others. Her scent is the only one that matched the original base chosen during my initial consultation with Arty: orange blossom, orange oil, and amber. I did want something that was extremely orange-y, both in the flowers and in the fruit itself. While two of my original three sample variants contained neroli, none of them had the orange oil. Flipo's scent not only had neroli and oil, but also mandarin, petitgrain, and orange flower. Oddly, however, the scent smells only politely of orange blossom/orange, with a bit of woodiness and a hint of musk. Though it fit the brief, it ended up not being my favorite of the bunch.

notes for "DI81" by Caroline Dumur

I received two scents by perfumer Caroline Dumur (L'Artisan Parfumeur Il Était Un Bois, Chloe Nomade Naturelle EDP). The first one, "DI81," doesn't fit the brief at all. There's no orange blossom, orange oil, or amber. Instead, it's a green tea and light jasmine musk bomb that is quite nice on my skin. I have few, if any, jasmine-heavy scents in my collection; it's just never been a note that has appealed to me. But I must say this fragrance is my favorite of the three, possibly because of the heavy musks.

notes for "DI50" by Caroline Dumur

Dumur's second scent does have orange flower and the vanilla I requested for the first iteration of this scent. Oddly, it also includes an oceanic note that normally would repel me, but in this scent it's fleeting and actually pleasant. Clearly it's not Calone. Otherwise, this scent is a nice summery floral anchored by musk. 

A hallmark of the first batch of fragrances I received was the intense sweetness. This new batch had the sweetness dialed way down, which makes them much more wearable to me. 

There was a fourth scent included in the package, bearing the "orange you glad" labeling, but with no QR code. "DI92" is somewhat sweet, with an opening of black pepper and spices over a woody vanilla base. I wrote to Scentcraft to request the QR code or a list of notes and was sent a code for a scent called "KR92."

"KR92" by Avinash Mali 

The perfumer, Avinash Mali, works for IFF, according to his LinkedIn bio. However, he is not listed on Fragrantica, so I can't say what fragrances he's designed in the past. I believe this one is supposed to be the replacement for the duplicate of "KP60" I received when I "created" a second, incense-based, scent. But I don't know anymore at this point.

Note that the names from this batch of fragrance begin with initials other than KP. Both of my orders, for the orange scent and the incense scent, were labeled with KP names (my initials). These replacement fragrances were given names starting with the letters DI. And when I requested the QR code for "DI92," I was sent the code for "KR92." That tells me my theory--they match pre-made fragrances to the buyers' requests (sorta) and personalize the names to make it seem that they were created especially for that person--is correct. I guess I am just too much of an annoyance to them at this point for them to bother hiding the fact that other people have also received the same samples for their "bespoke" scents. Especially since I did tell them my theory. I may be wrong, of course, but I doubt it.

In any case, my conclusion is the same as it was in my first post. Scentcraft sells pleasant scents made by professional perfumers. They are in no way "bespoke," or "created" through the collaboration with AI. It's just a gimmick. Relatively harmless at this point, but I will be amused when multiples of the dopey influencers who think they're selling their own fragrance that they designed themselves realize they're identical. 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks

Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with Scentcraft or any other company.

Customer Service Disappointment

Some years ago, I received a generous pack of samples from London-based perfume house Ormonde Jayne. Included were Ta'if, Champaca, Osmanthus, Ormonde Woman, Frangipani, and Tolu; probably others as well. At the time, I must have been writing for Sniffa Mag or at least my own blog, and while I thought several of them were fabulous, I never did write about those fragrances. A few years later, I got my hands on a sample of Ambre Royal, and fell in love. But OJ perfumes weren't widely available here in the US, and they were a little above my budget at the time, so I did without.

Last October, I received a discount code for Ormonde Jayne and vowed to finally add a bottle to my collection. I saw on their website that I could definitely afford a 30ml bottle of Ambre Royal and made my purchase on October 31st. A handful of days later, on November 3rd, I received my purchase...or so I thought. When I opened the signature orange box, I found a bottle of Isfarkand, a woody chypre with a lot of citrus. Pleasant enough, but not what I ordered. There was a card included with the order that read, among other things, "If the products you receive do not match your order, please accept our apologies. Notify customerservices@ormondejayne.com within 14 days of delivery and we will arrange a collection and send the correct order." I sent an email the same day, telling of my dilemma and requesting that they make it right. Five days later, when I saw that my original email had not been read, I sent another. After another 5 days, though that second mail had been read but not responded to, I sent a third email. Finally, on November 13, nine days after receiving the incorrect product, I heard back from Ormonde Jayne.

Dear Kathy, 

We do apologise for the inconvenient occurred,

Our studio already agreed to exchange the product, before to move forward to that we need a picture of the bottle and the related Batch number. 

Thank you so much, in advance, 

Kind regards,

I immediately took a photo that included the bottle and batch number and sent it in my reply. A few days later, Ormonde Jayne's incredible Black Friday sale began and I noticed that 50mls of Ambre Royal cost $90, $30 less than I had paid for the 30ml that I had not yet received. As I hadn't yet heard back from Customer Services, I sent another email on November 22, suggesting that they could send me 50ml of Ambre Royal and 50ml of Ormonde Woman, which together would cost $180 at the Black Friday sale price, and bill me $60, as they already had $120 of my money and had not yet sent me my correct order. And then of course arrange for me to ship back the Isfarkand that I had not ordered and did not want. The next day, I received this message: 

Dear Kathy, 

We agreed with the team to sent you a 50 ml bottle of your choice to compensate the difference.

I felt that was a nice gesture, but not necessary. In any case, I still believed that they would send me my 30ml bottle of Ambre Royal in exchange for the 30ml of Isfarkand, so I emailed back and said I would like a 50ml bottle of Ormonde Woman. The next three emails went like this: 

OJ: Dear Kathy, This is on the way 😊

 

Me: Thank you. Will my Ambre Royal be in the same package?

 

OJ: Dear Kathy, 

Thank you for the below. 

It will be separately. 

We do apologise for the inconvenient.

Ok! Now we're getting somewhere. Or so I thought. I did receive my complimentary bottle of OJ Woman a few days later. Yet, by December 4th, more than a week after the last response from OJ, the matter of the original incorrect Ambre Royal/Isfarkand order had still not been resolved--after 31 days. You know what happens next: I sent another email, detailing the whole matter of my original order, receiving the wrong item, the free bottle, and the promise that my original order would be sent separately from the comped OJ Woman. On December 9th, after another 5 days of silence on the part of Ormonde Jayne, I sent yet another email.

You know, if you were just honest with your customers, you wouldn't make them angry. Like, if you just came out and said, "I'm sorry we sent the wrong item, but since you're in the US, we won't make it right because of postage costs," or whatever the situation actually is. I am really having a hard time understanding why I am still waiting for an explanation and/or my Ambre Royal and a return shipping label for the Isfarkand. if I'm stuck with the Isfarkand for whatever reason, I NEED YOU TO TELL ME THAT. It won't make me feel any better about Ormonde Jayne and its customer service department, but at least I'd know I should stop waiting for something that is never going to happen.

I just read on one of my Facebook perfume forums that someone had ordered Montabaco Cuba which broke in transit. They informed you that they wanted a replacement, and you sent Flor. Then they had to email again to say you sent the wrong thing and could you send Cuba, and you did. See - it's not that hard. 

While I do appreciate that you sent me a big bottle of Ormonde Woman, I only chose that scent because I (possibly erroneously) thought you would still correct my original order. Otherwise I would have asked for Ambre Royal and been somewhat satisfied. But I sent another email asking you to include the Ambre Royal in the shipment of Ormond Woman, and someone from customer services replied to say that it would be shipped separately. Alas, it has not been shipped at all. And I really don't know what to do with the bottle of Isfarkand, which I do not want.

Please tell me what the hell is going on. 

Thank you,

Kathy

Four days later (I know the UK is in a different time zone, but I have to wonder why it takes DAYS to respond to anything), my email had been read over 50 times (I have a mail tracker program) and I received a response worthy of someone who works in "customer services." 

Dear Kathy,

Thank you for your email.

I can only deeply apologise for no one responding to your previous email. It is not one of our values in the customer service department for no one to respond to a complaint like yours.

I have spoken to my senior management and we have come up with a solution that we will send you an Amber Royal 50ml free of charge and you can keep the Isfarkand and do with it as you please.

Once again, please accept my sincerest apologies for the non-communication that you have received and it is appalling from our end. I have raised this with whom needs to be concerned and can assure you this will never happen again.

Kind Regards,

Later that day, I received an email from OJ's US outlet requesting my address to receive a bottle of Ambre Royal "asap." And a couple days after that, I finally received the product that I had ordered nearly a month and a half prior.

I am still confused over the whole issue. Why was customer services so unresponsive? Was it just that particular representative? It's not like she had to reach into her own pocket to pay for shipping the correct item and the return of the incorrect one. I was polite in each of my many correspondences, and made sure to go over all the pertinent details in each one in case a different rep inherited my problem. I may have been a tad testy in my last email, though I think that was understandable. Overall, that message was viewed 71 times, I imagine by everyone who works in Ormonde Jayne customer services, management, and perhaps company owner Linda Pilkington herself. I'm just glad that someone realized that I was unhappy and made things right.

Unfortunately, the whole experience has soured me on both Ambre Royal and Ormonde Woman and I haven't been able to wear either. Hopefully time will change my feelings about both of them.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks