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Fragrance Samples Discussion Thread

jasonb8736

jasonb8736

The Knize said:
I am not disgusted at all. I think K10 is a great scent, but I would think it was a difficult scent and I would not think it would be liked by lots of people, but for the fact that everyone who writes about it seems to like it. To me it is loaded with animalic notes not everyone would find attractive. And it is powerful, and evolves an amazing amount. To me it does not seem to always evolve the same way. A strange brew of strength and nuance. So, I am pleased you like it and not surprised that you do, but I am not disgusted you like TF TL as much.

TL is one one of my favorite leathers, too, and overall I am not much of a TF fan. TL seems linear to me. Very powerful. Tenacious. I do not wear it that often. There is just so much to it. It sure does smell like what I want a leather to smell like.

I always think of jasmine when I smell Soft Lawn, although I know it is not listed in the notes. I really like jasmine. I tend to think of SL, The Cobra and the Canary, and Falling Into the Sea, as sort of one group with the IA family. Maybe Mosaic belongs there, too. TCTC and FITS are more engaging to me.
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I'm only joking, of course :w00t:. I did not detect any animalic notes, but enjoyed a steady stream of leather and powder. I see why it's popular and certainly appreciate that many subsequent fragrances tried to mimic the classy combination of notes in K10.

Today, I tried my sample of Czech and Speake Oxford and Cambridge. Again, I get the "elegant, classy gentleman" vibe. I get the lavender, rosemary and mint (review says peppermint) immediately. Later on, I can sense some woodsiness as the other notes settle in for the day.

It's not a projection monster, but it does maintain it's own…albeit closer to the skin than some would like, no doubt. This is a great office, daytime fragrance. Actually, it would also make a nice evening fragrance during nice weather. I like this one. I think it is the overall simplicity of the fragrance. I tend to prefer scents just a bit more masculine (in the traditional sense, division of fragrance notes) but I could happily wear this one.

Matt…I'll sum this up for you in this manner: C&S Oxford and Cambridge is the English take on Patrick from Fragrances of Ireland. It's worth trying, IMO.

Rob…Have you tried this one?
 
deruitem

deruitem

Almost forgot $IMG_20150402_051532734_HDR.jpg
 
The Knize

The Knize

jasonb8736 said:
I'm only joking, of course :w00t:. I did not detect any animalic notes, but enjoyed a steady stream of leather and powder. I see why it's popular and certainly appreciate that many subsequent fragrances tried to mimic the classy combination of notes in K10.

Today, I tried my sample of Czech and Speake Oxford and Cambridge. Again, I get the "elegant, classy gentleman" vibe. I get the lavender, rosemary and mint (review says peppermint) immediately. Later on, I can sense some woodsiness as the other notes settle in for the day.

It's not a projection monster, but it does maintain it's own…albeit closer to the skin than some would like, no doubt. This is a great office, daytime fragrance. Actually, it would also make a nice evening fragrance during nice weather. I like this one. I think it is the overall simplicity of the fragrance. I tend to prefer scents just a bit more masculine (in the traditional sense, division of fragrance notes) but I could happily wear this one.

Matt…I'll sum this up for you in this manner: C&S Oxford and Cambridge is the English take on Patrick from Fragrances of Ireland. It's worth trying, IMO.

Rob…Have you tried this one?
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I knew you were kidding, of course! K10 has always reminded me of Joy a bit, and Joy is loaded with civet, as I recall, which pretty darn animalic. Maybe the animalic is just suggested by association to me and brain fills it in.

Have I tried O&C? Yep. Another of my long time top fives, along with the vintage Havana and the Guerlain Vetivers, and maybe LV Vetiver. I am afraid that if I thought too hard my top five would easily expand to ten and beyond, and I am not really sure how I feel about scents I have not worn for a long time. I had about an ounce of O&C, but I used it up long ago.

I hated the peppermint note in O&C at first and although I was a big C&S fan, did not really like O&C. The peppermint just seemed weird and out of place to me. I do not know why, but I came to love it, and to think of the peppermint note as genius. My favorite lavender scent by a lot and I like lavender scents. Some folks think it lacks tenacity, but I do not think so. I think noses acclimate to lavender quickly so that the wearer stops smelling it, but it will be apparent to others. I think it projects way more than one might think, so be careful in application, if you think it is strictly close to the skin. Put some on the back of your hand and not on your body and sniff you hand from time to time during the day and see if it is not quite present. Or smell a shirt worn with the frag a day later!

Truly one of my favorite scents. I can easily conjure up exactly what it smells like in my mind, and I cannot do that with all that many scents. Lavender supposedly brings up one's mood. O&C does that for me.
 
jasonb8736

jasonb8736

The Knize said:
I knew you were kidding, of course! K10 has always reminded me of Joy a bit, and Joy is loaded with civet, as I recall, which pretty darn animalic. Maybe the animalic is just suggested by association to me and brain fills it in.

Have I tried O&C? Yep. Another of my long time top fives, along with the vintage Havana and the Guerlain Vetivers, and maybe LV Vetiver. I am afraid that if I thought too hard my top five would easily expand to ten and beyond, and I am not really sure how I feel about scents I have not worn for a long time. I had about an ounce of O&C, but I used it up long ago.

I hated the peppermint note in O&C at first and although I was a big C&S fan, did not really like O&C. The peppermint just seemed weird and out of place to me. I do not know why, but I came to love it, and to think of the peppermint note as genius. My favorite lavender scent by a lot and I like lavender scents. Some folks think it lacks tenacity, but I do not think so. I think noses acclimate to lavender quickly so that the wearer stops smelling it, but it will be apparent to others. I think it projects way more than one might think, so be careful in application, if you think it is strictly close to the skin. Put some on the back of your hand and not on your body and sniff you hand from time to time during the day and see if it is not quite present. Or smell a shirt worn with the frag a day later!

Truly one of my favorite scents. I can easily conjure up exactly what it smells like in my mind, and I cannot do that with all that many scents. Lavender supposedly brings up one's mood. O&C does that for me.
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Excellent insight, Rob. I'm only using a sample spray vial, so three sprays from that likely won't deliver the same amount as the standard bottle atomizer.

I wore the C&S Oxford and Cambridge again today. I gave myself four sprays this time from the sample vial. What a great scent. It is so perfectly simple and classy. I will certainly consider a bottle or a split with someone to have this.

Matt...I like it better than Patrick, which surprises me. Patrick is a bit more earthy and dark, comparatively, which is what I genererally prefer. But the upbeat scent of O&C has grabbed me. I've surprised myself again.
 
deruitem

deruitem

Like the name for the thread Jason. I have been a bit busy and I am out of town the next few days. Thought I would share about the soft lawn performance. I could smell it at bed time but it was only very close to the skin. It was still going nice about 10 hours or so. Very nice. Man I need to try k10 now!
 
jasonb8736

jasonb8736

No sample today. I was a bit rushed so it was a quick shower, shave and three sprays of YSL Rive Gauche. This is one of those scents where I'm really not crazy about the opening, but once it settles down (within minutes), it cruises along nicely. After a short period of time, I smell a woodsy, mossy combo with lavender wrapped around it. This is one of those fragrances where even though I can't detect it for some time, I'll get a compliment from my wife or daughters that I smell nice. Great fragrance!
 
jasonb8736

jasonb8736

Today's sample: Knize Sec

With the experience of trying Knize 10, I expected Knize Sec to be simply a drier version of Knize 10. I was wrong. Knize Sec stands on it's own.

For starters, I don't get the powder explosion that I detected in K10. What I did detect was a citrus opening, then lots of incense. Some subtle floral scent plays in the mix and I get some woods and amber after the scent settles in. Eventually, I smell some leather.

I don't find this fragrance to be totally dry, as "sec" implies. I think it's the amber, but I may be mistaken. There's a sweetness that subtly makes it's way into the overall fragrance. Not too sweet, but it's there. This seems like a well blended fragrance where all of the notes play well together and no note rules the land.

I'm not sure how often I would wear this fragrance, but I do like it. Another nice surprise in my collection of samples.
 
The Knize

The Knize

I did not realize that Knize Sec is supposed to be something of a flanker to K10, but based on what I read on line after your review, I guess it is. It does not seem particularly similar to K10 to me, and, if anything, seems on the sweet rather than dry side. I suppose it does share house notes with K10. Seems like a well-made scent to me, too. Relatively innocuous. One I do not much end up wearing.

Lots of folks love Knize Forest. Not me so much. Smells like Simple Green to me. There used to be a subcategory of forest scents around, that one does not see much anymore. Pine and balsam, yes, but not things very close to Knize Forest.

I do want to try Knize Two again some day. I think I like that one a lot.

Coriolan does not get the attention it should.
 
jasonb8736

jasonb8736

I've read that Coriolan is currently made by Guerlain under a different name and for a high end price. I don't recall the name of the high end fragrance and will have to do a bit of research.

Today....Today I finally did it. I've looked at this particular sample vial several times; reached for it, only to withdraw my hand and reach for something else. But today, I finally tried....Bull's Blood by Imaginary Authors.

How would I describe the opening, you ask?

Imagine the smell of a proper, older English woman who, after finishing a "jazzer-size" class, engages in bloody combat with several post-apocalyptic zombies. She ends up covered in thick zombie blood which acts as adhesive when she's forced to roll her body under a fence to escape. The dusty earth sticks to her zombie blood soaked clothing as she gets to her feet. She lights a well deserved cigarette and slowly wipes the sweat from her brow.

That's what the opening of this fragrance smells like.

After a little while, the fragrance settles down and becomes a pleasant combination of patchouli, rose, tobacco and musk. I've said before that I'm not a fan of rose, but I like it in this fragrance. It's almost...needed...in this creation. It's a pretty fascinating scent. Even though it's not a scent that I'll likely wear often, if ever, I'm impressed with it and can see why some people are drawn to it. It's visceral, scary and beautiful. Someone with a keener nose than I surely would discern more notes.
 
deruitem

deruitem

They are from Alkemia. An etsy vendor. They have a ton of good reviews and I thought I would try them.
 
jasonb8736

jasonb8736

I scrambled a bit his morning and I'm heading out of town for the weekend (hockey tournament) so no sample was plucked from my stash today. I don't want to waste my samples if I can't take a few minutes here and there to make some observations.

I will say that I reached for my trusty old bottle of V&A Tsar today. Perhaps it's my memories of first using it in the early 90s. I think I bought my first bottle of Tsar in 1991. I was bartending while attending university. I always remember getting compliments from the waitresses as well as many of the older ladies (30-40 crowd...I was 19-21) that frequented the bar. I started dating my wife in 1993 and Tsar was my one and only fragrance back then. She loved it and still loves it when I wear it these days. Of course, that was before I found B&B and started...ahem....cough, cough...expanding my repertoire :001_rolle
 
jasonb8736

jasonb8736

The Knize said:
Tsar is a really nice scent. Do you think it has lost power since it was first released?
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That's a good question. For some reason, I feel the original version had a bit deeper and stronger scent (in a good way). I went without it for a couple of years then picked up a bottle a year or two ago. I still spray the same amount but I believe the projection is less in the newer formulation. Still has impressive longevity.

I'm surprised that Tsar doesn't get as much attention as some of the other 80s and 90s fragrances. I realize that it has a laundry list of notes, but the end result is nice.
 
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