What's new

Fragrance Samples Discussion Thread

as promised RICK

Today
1697 by Frapin retails for $195 for 100ml
Name of this fragrance (1697) is connected with a year very significant
for Frapin. The Frapin family received the coat of arms by Louis
the Fifteenth that year.

Top notes offer the intoxicating bohemian game of notes that accentuates
resins, spices and rum. Rum absolute from Jamaica is combined with dark rum,
labdanum and pink pepper, touched with davana accords.

A heart highlights floral notes decorated with spices. Sambac jasmine,
hawthorn and ylang ylang are combined with a mixture of fine spices – cloves and
Ceylon cinnamon. The scent of dried fruit embraced with a veil of rose essences
inflames the imagination.

Base notes are warm, comfortable and very casual. Amber, tonka, vanilla,
cedar, labdanum, patchouli and white musk leave a perfect trail on the skin and
give a hot and more sensual sound to the whole composition


The opening is a very real smelling sweet rum with lots of spice and dried fruit. The vanilla is very much like a vanilla extract with that alcohol boozy note. The cinnamon was pretty noticeable

Now after an hour and a half
The booziness is less but still there. The cinnamon is a lot more prominent with the pepper making it hot and spicy. I am still getting some of the fruityness too.

The order that is ranked on fragrantica makes perfect sense to me.

Still undecided if I would buy it but I don't think I would. Strong cinnamon often gives me a headache.
 
as promised RICK

Today
1697 by Frapin retails for $195 for 100ml
Name of this fragrance (1697) is connected with a year very significant
for Frapin. The Frapin family received the coat of arms by Louis
the Fifteenth that year.

Top notes offer the intoxicating bohemian game of notes that accentuates
resins, spices and rum. Rum absolute from Jamaica is combined with dark rum,
labdanum and pink pepper, touched with davana accords.

A heart highlights floral notes decorated with spices. Sambac jasmine,
hawthorn and ylang ylang are combined with a mixture of fine spices – cloves and
Ceylon cinnamon. The scent of dried fruit embraced with a veil of rose essences
inflames the imagination.

Base notes are warm, comfortable and very casual. Amber, tonka, vanilla,
cedar, labdanum, patchouli and white musk leave a perfect trail on the skin and
give a hot and more sensual sound to the whole composition


The opening is a very real smelling sweet rum with lots of spice and dried fruit. The vanilla is very much like a vanilla extract with that alcohol boozy note. The cinnamon was pretty noticeable

Now after an hour and a half
The booziness is less but still there. The cinnamon is a lot more prominent with the pepper making it hot and spicy. I am still getting some of the fruityness too.

The order that is ranked on fragrantica makes perfect sense to me.

Still undecided if I would buy it but I don't think I would. Strong cinnamon often gives me a headache.

This sounds great, but you're scaring me with all the cinnamon talk. I'm in the same boat as you, and don't care for the heavy sir of cinnamon.
 
Memo-Shams Oud.



Opens with a sticky resinous wood, and pepper, heavy pepper. They soon ease and a leathery note swings into play. I'm only about 30-40 minutes into this wearing, so I'm anxious to see how this juice develops.



Don't hate it, don't love it. I'm much more a fan of African and Italian Leather by Memo. At this price point, I need to love something before buying





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edit: these comments are being made a full 10hrs after application. The longevity of this juice is impressive. Doesn't project that much at this point, more of a skin scent. That said, the wife liked it this morning when we woke up.

I noticed last night before bed that the peppery "edge" Shams Oud had in the opening, has waned and moved to something sweeter and softer, nearing vanilla like. I'm guessing it's the styrax. Didn't get much, if any, oud in the base with hints of a soft leather. The base is super nice, warm and approachable. This has pushed me into the full bottle worthy category.
 
Ex Idolo 33--Haven't spent too much time with this one, but man it's a super nice rose and oud. It opens with ROSE, and gradually fades to a nicer rose oud blend. Need more time with it
 
proxy.php




Tauer Lonestar Memories-



I often post in this thread, but this time I'm floored at the depth of this juice. Memories requires patience for sure, but if you can make it past the first few minutes of the opening, you will be rewarded.



This petrol/leather/smoke bomb blooms into something deeper and softer. The geranium comes on as does the sandalwood to soften the leather to deliver hours of enjoyment. I don't yet detect sage, but I'm good with where I am with Memories. Truly wowed by this one and its complexity!
 
proxy.php




Tauer Lonestar Memories-



I often post in this thread, but this time I'm floored at the depth of this juice. Memories requires patience for sure, but if you can make it past the first few minutes of the opening, you will be rewarded.



This petrol/leather/smoke bomb blooms into something deeper and softer. The geranium comes on as does the sandalwood to soften the leather to deliver hours of enjoyment. I don't yet detect sage, but I'm good with where I am with Memories. Truly wowed by this one and its complexity!
I thought this was only okay. It smelled of just bbq smoke to me
 
How long did you wear it? When I first applied it, I was like "whoa"! Then it got interesting about 35-40 into the drydown. Bear in mind, this was a full SOTE wearing too
To be honest I think I only wore it from a dabber and had it all day. Just was not a fan for some reason
 
I tried Altamir by Ted Lapidus from a sample bottle I've had around for a while. I had read up on this, and everything made me think I'd hate it. People talk mention that it is sweet, orange heavy, and has a feminine oriental vibe to it I often dislike both of those things. I was expecting it to be somewhere between the smell of JHL by Aramis and Tabac soap.

I was pleasantly surprised. It stated out with just a touch of Lapidus pineapple (I love that note in Lapidus pour Homme), and some spicy neroli. It is sweet without being cloying. The mid was lots of cyclamen (one of my favorite notes) with some white florals, amber, and talc powder. There is orange blossom here, but it is a very good spicy orange blossom that doesn't have the fat languid orange note I dislike. I think the neroli really helps to lift it up here. The tonka and amber from the base asserts itself from the mid to the drydown. There is also a bit of woodiness going on as well. I could still smell amber, powder, and tonka on clothing the next day.

I'm not sure how often I'd wear this, but I'm considering picking up a bottle. It is pleasant, warm, and ambery. The price is very reasonable.
 
I tried Altamir by Ted Lapidus from a sample bottle I've had around for a while. I had read up on this, and everything made me think I'd hate it. People talk mention that it is sweet, orange heavy, and has a feminine oriental vibe to it I often dislike both of those things. I was expecting it to be somewhere between the smell of JHL by Aramis and Tabac soap.

I was pleasantly surprised. It stated out with just a touch of Lapidus pineapple (I love that note in Lapidus pour Homme), and some spicy neroli. It is sweet without being cloying. The mid was lots of cyclamen (one of my favorite notes) with some white florals, amber, and talc powder. There is orange blossom here, but it is a very good spicy orange blossom that doesn't have the fat languid orange note I dislike. I think the neroli really helps to lift it up here. The tonka and amber from the base asserts itself from the mid to the drydown. There is also a bit of woodiness going on as well. I could still smell amber, powder, and tonka on clothing the next day.

I'm not sure how often I'd wear this, but I'm considering picking up a bottle. It is pleasant, warm, and ambery. The price is very reasonable.
Never heard of this one before. Sounds like something Rick would like.
 
Never heard of this one before. Sounds like something Rick would like.

I tried it again with a heavier application. The orange blossom came out this time, but everything else was also stronger. There was enough depth to it that I've put it on my list of bottles I'd like to own. Seems perfect for this time of year, and like Lapidus pour Homme it goes really well with Clubman VIBR aftershave. The drydown is also warm, comforting, and great for the evening.
 
The neroli might make it a no go for me. Something about neroli makes my skin crawl lol
I am not a fan of neroli either. I have struck several heavy neroli scents off my want to try list.

By the way I am trying Aroha Kyaku today. Just a tiny amount on my wrist. Man it is FECAL!!
 
I'm curious if you have any additional thoughts on one of my favorite ouds?
I think Jumanten was my favorite so far.

Aroha Kyaku is starting to calm down now after 3 hours. It is much less fecal. I am enjoying it now. It does smell a bit like gasoline to me though. Not always a bad thing.

The performance is amazing. I actually have a very little amount on. I pulled out the stick part way with some oil still around the opening from the bottle being on its side. Closed it and then wiped on the part the squeezed out of the bottle.

What do you like about it Larry.
 
I get a smokey, booze-y incense that has almost a stewed or jammed fruit note lurking. The oil just keeps humming right along, all day long. Believe it or not, I don't smell anything "fecal" in this one. But what I may be enjoying as stewed or overripe fruit, you may react to differently. I find many of the "fecal" ouds to smell more like suffocating summertime lilac and honey suckle. lol This is why I don't think oud is a "winter" frag.

I also think it's one of the most overtly complex pure ouds I've enjoyed. Many ouds are very linear, at least on me. Not AK!
 
Last edited:
I get a smokey, booze-y incense that has almost a stewed or jammed fruit note lurking. The oil just keeps humming right along, all day long. Believe it or not, I don't smell anything "fecal" in this one. But what I may be enjoying as stewed or overripe fruit, you may react to differently. I find many of the "fecal" ouds to smell more like suffocating summertime lilac and honey suckle. lol This is why I don't think oud is a "winter" frag.

I also think it's one of the most overtly complex pure ouds I've enjoyed. Many ouds are very linear, at least on me. Not AK!

It is funny how I seem like scents more after I know what I am smelling. After I take the time to know what a frag is composed of if seems to make them more enjoyable. Oud is a lot more complex as it is not composed of separate ingredients. I think of it like good coffee or scotch for example.

I do get what you are saying about this one. I do get the fruit like notes now that I read your description. It is still odd to me though.
 
I do get what you are saying about this one. I do get the fruit like notes now that I read your description. It is still odd to me though.

Here is the odd thing. Ensar doesn't smell fruit in this oud:

[FONT=lato, arial]"The (lack of) fruits of our exclusive distillation techniques is an oud fragrance that breaks all the rules. There are no fermentation notes, nor any metallic undertones. No dustiness, no fresh-off-the-still twang. You’ll smell spicy oud smoke instead of dried figs, purple berries infused with bubbling agarwood resin instead of apricot jam."[/FONT]

[FONT=lato, arial]I think this may be why he hasn't asked for my review. lol[/FONT]
 
Here is the odd thing. Ensar doesn't smell fruit in this oud:

"The (lack of) fruits of our exclusive distillation techniques is an oud fragrance that breaks all the rules. There are no fermentation notes, nor any metallic undertones. No dustiness, no fresh-off-the-still twang. You’ll smell spicy oud smoke instead of dried figs, purple berries infused with bubbling agarwood resin instead of apricot jam."

I think this may be why he hasn't asked for my review. lol

I do get You’ll smell spicy oud smoke instead but I do get fruit notes

Strange!
 
Top Bottom