Strangelove NYC - $800 Fragrances

[@ToTheWind]

The Law of Diminishing Returns. After a certain price point you pay way more for smaller and smaller incremental improvements.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

There are certain materials that do cost big bucks, but whether that costs makes enough difference to you is something that is subjective.

[@justaddlight]

"Funk for funk sake" My new favourite saying. 😀

[@fahadalraisi6649]

Thanks guys a great video my favorite in this collection Dead of Night It is a masterpiece.

[@dkalbryte6774]

I just ordered a sample of Dead of Night. So is it really a masterpiece?

[@lonewolf5969]

@@dkalbryte6774 it depends on your taste... why cant you tell if you have a sample of it lmao.

[@ryszardsynowiec1547]

Brillant review😊! I have a 50ml bottle of meltmyheart and it is exactly as the name says. So delicious,so beautifuly done...blissful experience! I love it!

[@nathanthomas5133]

Some of these turned up at TK Maxx last week at around £200 for 100ml - way better than the nearly £800 retail price !! Couldn’t resist !

[@stackmaintain7292]

Yessssss. Everyone jumped onto them and yhey sold out within an hour😂

[@aquacube]

I wonder what TK Maxx was getting these $800 frags for 😂

[@FragranceView]

I think it's better when it gets into that price bracket to sell 30ml bottles instead of 100ml, then it's not so ridiculous all at once.. I couldn't ever dream of spending that much on a bottle of anything

[@justanotherprouddad1391]

I agree 💯. 15ml would also suffice because you have to assume that anyone who would spend that much per ml likely has an extensive collection & 100mls would be a complete waste.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

Hi Pete. They do a 15ml bottle. I think that may be for the ‘fragheads’, whilst the fancy, gold topped 50ml and 100ml bottles are for those just looking to splash some cash

[@smartass11225]

@@WaftsfromTheLoft btw they did a huge price increase in the 15ml.. from $125 to $145. Percentage wise that's just ridiculous but I guess I'm not the target audience 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

@@charlesm1240 true!

[@jeffdennis526]

I’ve tried Silencethesea over the past few days and weirdly…crazily…unfathomably, I’m beginning to like it!! I get all your comments about it really smelling like the actual sea with a distinct smell of brine. However it mostly reminds of that smell you get when a pan of water on the stove has boiled down all the water and is beginning to burn the pan! AND I STILL LIKE IT. It really projects on me too. Fallintostars by comparison seem to disappear on first try. Based on what you’ve said I’m going to persist with that one though. Thanks guys

[@michaelharness3258]

Welcome back boys!

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

Thanks!

[@IAmCharliemouse]

I have the same discovery set. Fall Into Stars is my absolute favourite. That oud! Anyone who wants to know what oud can smell like when used well, this is it. But I don’t think I can splash out for a full bottle any time soon. Thanks guys!

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

I've seen that they currently have 20% sale, so now may be the time. But, I do appreciate it;s still a LOT of momet.

[@IAmCharliemouse]

@@WaftsfromTheLoft Oh no! I've already gone on an Areej Le Dore splurge this month!

[@kdewit1623]

It was great to hear your thoughts on Strangelove NYC. 'Fall into stars' and "Melt my heart' are my favourites from the brand. I own both of them, 50 ml bottles, which I think are more stunning in real than on a photo. To me they are special enough to have them in my collection next to Roja's, Areej's, Bortnikoffs etc. But we are not all in the same part of olfactory journey, so I think that 'value for money' kind of thing is very subjective. By the way, I tried Frederic Malle's The Night, which is $1600 for 100 ml, and it did not do it for me. I could appreciate the quality of the materials and the artistic value, but I just did not like it.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

The Night is another comparison that we perhaps should have mentioned. It is more expensive, but I do think the quantity of oud is significantly higher than any of the strangelove

[@heavenscent3022]

You guys are awesome, love Joe's reaction to Silence the sea 🤣😂 these sound luxurious, but I'll never afford them, how much was the sample pack.? Keep up the great work atb Lee

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

The sample pack was $65 with free delivery to the UK, as part of the sale. Still a lot of money.

[@bolatandrei4938]

Guys, have you tried The Night from Frederic Malle? Dominique Ropion's take with natural oud. Pretty damn awesome.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

Yes, it's amazing stuff. The oud is clearly front and centre throughout!

[@bolatandrei4938]

@@WaftsfromTheLoft Yes. I've found with many natural oud based perfumes that the oud tends to retreat as the fragrance dryes-down, but in the Night it definitely stays throughout. And blended with the rose, it's truly beautiful.

[@eScentialNotes]

Thanks for sharing some alternatives to explore like Golden Ambergris.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

Our pleasure!

[@1973833]

I'm going to purchase this set definitely.This tiny sprayers are awesome.I don't question the uniqueness of the scents.

[@xkoningx]

Would love to see you guys review shalini. Similar concept, renowned perfumer, supposedly incredible quality materials and outrageous (?) prices.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

Interesting, will check them iut

[@youdontknowme9834]

I recently bought a 10ml decant of silencethesea. I absolutely adore it, however I live in a big city (nowhere near the sea) and I struggle finding an occasion to wear it outside. Unfortunately, that's the downside with many odd niche fragrances...

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

Yes, I feel your pain. Sometimes you need to just wear a fragrance for yourself, and forget about everyone else!

[@Monica-fh5sl]

Why does there have to be somewhere special to wear a fragrance to? You are alive, you woke-up from sleep and you can smell, please enjoy your fragrance everyday even at home while enjoying coffee!

[@Corpsefire86]

Lovely review (as usual) 😁 I only tried two of those: 1) MeltMyHeart : which I absolutely adore and cherish my sample of. Nothing I have smells this dark chocolaty and boozy with a hint of funk in the background (closest resemblance is Slumberhouse's Ore but they're already quite different. 2) SilenceTheSea : I appreciate the artisanal factor but I can never wear it. This is exactly how I imagine a sea-weed covered helmet of an old diving gear forgotten in the sea to smell like.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

I hadn't thought of the Ore relation, but I do see it. Ore is cheaper, and better!

[@Corpsefire86]

@@WaftsfromTheLoft and never available too (like the rest of line 🤣). Tbh, I think they fill the same craving but with varying degrees. I'm seriously contemplating the 4×15 mls set if the store agrees to substitute silencethesea with another meltmyheart or fallbystar (the oud one, I forgot the name).

[@ingrid1001]

It is so nice to smell with you with my own bottle of Melt~My~Heart 😊 To me it is a skin scent, can't overspray it because that is not nice to smell. I like a little more oudh or dept and I am thinking to buy the oil to layer it 🙄 Excellent review

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

Thanks!

[@gunmetal2445]

You’re right about the image thing. I love three of their offerings and Laudemiel’s work but cannot connect with the marketing aspect. It feels like they are trying to appeal to the NYC fashion crowd but it’s somewhat disjointed with the actual product.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

I think that may be it. Hence the Instagram account is full of pictures of HC in her pants

[@joeribt]

It's the one I got after sampling as well. I love it!

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

For me, it's very special

[@fragrancereviewsbytamzid5780]

Silence the sea- Actually they mean when you dive deep in the ocean then you can feel the silence of the sea. The sea isn’t silent on the top. So they actually tried to make something that smells like deep part of the ocean/sea.

[@sunnyc.7720]

Have you guys checked out any of Aaron Terrence Huges food colognes? Sorry if my typing is not correct as I am flying and I’m having to use talk to text. Thank you very much. Hope you guys have a great day.

[@Danvekony]

A few months back there was a 50% discount on Net-a-Porter on the 15ml sample set - 4 frags; and 50ml of the Fall into Stars, and I blind bought all of them, thinking I will be able to sell if I dont like them 🤷‍♂️ and I must say that was the most expensive and successful blindbuy in my life! I adore all of them.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

Enjoy!

[@eyneen8077]

I have LOST IN FLOWERS in oil format. It is well done, like a well executed script, but it's not extraordinary, especially for the asking price. And you mentioned WALIMAH by Ajeej le dore. I have that in oil form as well, the attar. And it is miles ahead of this. And unfortunately, this one even falls short of matching up with many other offerings as well.

[@mE-zx7pt]

Did you hear about the great new band, Funk for Funk's Sake? 🎷🎸

[@johnoliver8703]

At this price point it becomes relative to what you can afford.. clearly classy but not 7 tones better than the best £100 scent I’m sure ....The rolls Royce doesn’t necessarily perform better than the Jag despite having the better quality leather

[@aromafh2486]

Please try private musk attar from Swiss Arabia it’s affordable but man this could be the only thing on the planet everyone will love and adore

[@Lecream1]

you guys are the best. And about the fragrance, well. I get mad about stupid prices like that..

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

Thanks. And, yes, it is a pretty crazy price

[@catherinemcreynolds2546]

I love Lost in Flowers. Can you suggest some opulent flower fragrances?

[@odysseus3147]

Gentlemen, thank you for introducing me to all these niche perfume houses and fragrances! Fantastic review, as always. When you use Strangelove's 100 ml bottle price of $800 as a reference standard, it does seem preposterous, however there ARE other options and prices available for their perfumes. Compared to Roja's prices of $485 - $550 for 50 ml (over $1000/100 ml), I think they're a BARGAIN! For Roja you know you're paying premium for Swarovski crystal caps and the "prestigious" brand name. Personally, I'd rather pay for a 24 karat gold-plated cap that I can melt to turn into a tooth crown... It's just more practical! ;) If you plan to continue the theme of exclusive, ridiculously priced houses, I'd love to see you review Krigler next. I look forward to hearing your views on them. Cheers!

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

I hadn't heard of Krigler. Now I'm curious

[@poobin1]

CL created Amber Absolute...one of my favourites...nice video

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

Yep, one of the very best from TF

[@rizwanrahim2416]

Very interesting review.....

[@LB-xk6fk]

I thought so too

[@rmapcynan1039]

I must say if these guys think Amber Absolute by Tom Ford is 'one of the best' from the private blend collection, it doesn't say much for Tom Ford's private blend collection. It probably means we have very different tastes in fragrance too.

[@NT-lg8vi]

Omg this is triggering something from my childhood. Maybe Silence the Sea reminds me of Hawaii? It’s addictive. Melt my Heart also instantly brought me back to my childhood. Smells perfumey. Like something I would have smelled on adults when I was a kid. Both are so addictive. Don’t remember the last time I got an emotional reaction instantly from a perfume like this.

[@UnknownChap]

I've seen them around but I've never tried them so its great to get such a long in depth look into these by the both of you 🍀

[@raulalfonsin9975]

Me recomiendas el perfume o el attar?

[@justanotherprouddad1391]

Don’t forget that the perfumer also created Abercrombie & Fitch’s Fierce. His Zoo line was awful imho, so this is a big pass for me, regardless of $.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

Fierce is awesome. I'm still curious to try Zoo

[@hussainrahimi1261]

I had a small 15ml of Dead of Night which I went through in a few months. One of the better ouds I've tried. Definitely not the best. Value for money I think if these were around $400 yes that would be good value. I say that because Even though I've found DoN at discounters for around $550 for a 100ml I haven't pulled the trigger yet. Also at $800 is FM's The Moon which is far superior and with such more intense rose and oud. My reference for value for money nowadays is to compare any brand to Frederic Malle. You would be surprised but if you factor in how many fragrances you buy that are cheaper than FM that just end up collecting dust or more expensive than FM that are honestly employing marketing gimmicks and reeling customers in with great top notes and over the top packaging. For a balanced value between quality ingredients, master perfumers and the value being inside the bottle. I've yet to find a better brand than FM. I find Amouage at discounters might have some interesting options and Jovoy have some interesting options for someone in the middle of their fragrance journey that are reasonably priced. As I said a brand coming out and pricing above FM has a lot to prove.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

Since filming this, I’ve seen Strangelove hugely discounted; about 65% in a major London department store, which perhaps shows their true value. Regarding FM, I would suggest that the contents of the Uncut Gem bottle costs less than $2. Synthetic Jungle not much more. The mind boggles at anyone paying retail price for those

[@hussainrahimi1261]

@@WaftsfromTheLoft I agree that seems to be a good price for strange love. With those two Malle’s specifically I think you are paying for artistic value creation with synthetic jungle which is priced like much of the range. However, uncut gem at POAL and CF prices is just insane. Definitely a misstep by the brand much like Dawn. Dawn would be much more appreciated at a much lower price point maybe at POAL’s or a slight premium to that but at $1950 with nowhere near the Oud intensity of the night it's mispriced even relative to Malle’s value proposition. So yes I think Malle needs to revisit their fresher offerings which cost a lot less and some of the ones I already mentioned. Promise was very well priced so was the moon. I just think EL and Malle might just have to admit they made a mistake and correct it. There is also the point of view of fragrance as a wearable art form. So we couldn’t really say a picasso is worth x times the value of the paint and canvas.

[@hussainrahimi1261]

@@WaftsfromTheLoft since we are discussing value for money check damber wabsolute by insider parfums. Made according to the formula released by the perfumer himself. At £65 for 50ml of original formula amber absolute seems like great value.

[@MegaPoliyo]

I've been resisting buying melt my heart for a while now. I could get three really good fragrances for the same price. 10% better perhaps but triple the price.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

It has to really rock your world to justify the price,

[@pepepotamo4819]

Good review. Send these samples to Aaron Terence Hughes and we'll see if worth the money of every perfume, probably not, because raw materials are not that expensive.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

If it has enough real oud in it, then it cost this much. But I don't believe it does.

[@samueleisenberg372]

ATH is probably the biggest hack in perfume world. Throwing random aroma chemicals names and his entire persona is not substitute for real knowledge. Talk about him to any person from the perfume world that knows his sh*t, he impresses only those who don't know any better.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

Samuel Eilenberg well, I didn’t want to say it but....

[@pepepotamo4819]

@@samueleisenberg372 Oh yes, do you talk with those persons that known that sh*t about him? Are they so clever?

[@samueleisenberg372]

@@pepepotamo4819 Yes. Yes.

[@michaelharness3258]

Will you be buying any full bottles?

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

I paid £80 for a 15ml, that's all I'll be buying.

[@anton1971]

I'd love all the money to be in the juice - I think so too 😉👍

[@semesterkatten]

Would love you trying Aaron Terrence Hughes whole Oud-collection! Please;)!

[@dkalbryte6774]

I ordered a sample of Dead of Night. God knows if I love it I still won't buy the 15 ml bottle😳

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

Has it arrived yet?

[@dkalbryte6774]

@@WaftsfromTheLoft I had to delete my comment because my original reply was that Dead of Night was nice but not a masterpiece as someone below said. It's been an hour and it is drying down quite beautifully. I still wouldn't buy a full bottle though lol.

[@lonewolf5969]

why are you comparing the price of a 100ml of 50ml Areej bottles...

[@mimiali1]

I like all of them except silence the sea.

[@samueleisenberg372]

You call Christophe Laudamiel a master, but I wasn't impressed with any stuff he created. A&F Fierce is a bestseller for a reason but far away from a masterpiece and his Community for The Zoo smelled like a harsh synthetic chamomile toilet refresher (if there was such a thing).

[@gediminaskontrimas7992]

In my opinion Laudamiel are(is) very unpleasant person.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

I haven't smelt anything from Zoo. Fierce, Amber and Absolute and Theo Fennel scent are all fantastic. The perfumery in these fragrances from Strangelove is fantastic, but i'm not sure that the rest of the components live up to the price tag

[@gediminaskontrimas7992]

Insane prices. I don't like that.

[@Rozzjd]

Mediocre fragrances. I bought the sample set and quality is ok, but nothing that makes me feel special. Overrated brand.

[@alizakat3286]

I didnt like them either very overpriced

[@tennyelbenny3694]

The incongruence and irony of this review taking place within a Church seems utterly lost on you both. Of course you have to wait until after all the followers of Christ have emptied the building. You can't have them hearing how you'd rather spend $800 on a luxurious hedonistic frivolity than be satisfied with even a marginally less luxurious hedonistic frivolity and feed 100 poor people. Jesus' robes weren't Louis Vuitton.

[@ingrid1001]

You don't even what they do in society. Your comment is misplaced

[@tennyelbenny3694]

@@ingrid1001 I know enough about the specifics I'm commenting upon to comment upon the specifics I'm commenting upon.

[@joram5369]

Hi Tenny. This is jo, I am the chap in these videos without the beard in case you don't know me. I felt compelled to reply to your comment on several fronts and I hope you will take this in the spirit in which it is meant. Firstly, I am the director of music at this church and have been for 16 years. I have given nothing but devoted service through all that time, and have through huge hard work and sacrifice been able to greatly enhance the worship of its many congregants over that time. I have never wavered in providing the greatest service I can to the church, not because my own beliefs, but rather to respect and facilitate those of others. I see that as a great strength and at the heart of what a church should be about, inclusivity and sharing of gifts. Secondly, I make these videos with the full support of its clergy and its congregation, who find it refreshing and rather fun that I have such an interesting hobby outside of my profession of music. Perfume is after all an art form, and to discuss it and display a huge passion for it is no bad thing as far as I or they are concerned. I wonder what you would say if our videos were about organs or church architecture. Perhaps your view of perfume as merely "hedonistic" is part of the issue. To Dan and I it is a form of expression, just like music, art, architecture. As such it is about far more than a selfish pleasure and is in fact an expression of the soul and creativity of human beings. We share in that passion and will not for one second feel a need to defend our motives or actions. Thirdly, I wish people ( you very much included) would actually listen to and read things properly. The overriding conclusion that we both reached in this video was that neither of us would ever consider spending those sums of money of a perfume, and that there was really very little justification in spending such ludicrous sums. You may have missed the part where I mentioned "As much as I can see the beauty and the skill, I am a poor musician". Dan and I have never and would never spend those sums of money, and that is sort of the point of the video. You mention frivolity and perhaps hint that we could spend less and instead feed the poor. I ought to point out that my church gives a lot to charity and helps the poor in a vast number of ways. You won't care about this I realise and I am under no obligation to tell you but I myself have several direct debits giving money to charity each month, including homeless charities and food programmes. This morning I also sponsored a marathon runner a sizeable sum of money for worthy charities, which though I can't really afford at the moment due to the collapse of my industry, I still felt compelled to make. I know that Dan is equally of this mindset and would always help out those less fortunate and has done. You might wish to consider how much or how little you know about people before you make assumptions on their behalf in future. Also, please feel free to live your life as you wish and consider what to you is a frivolity and hedonistic behaviour may be someone elses passion and art, and as such you are not well placed to comment without expecting some illuminating reply from said person. I consider the time I have just had to spend typing in comments on youtube to be somewhat hedonistic and unspiritual and most certainly far from what Jesus might once have been doing with his time. However that didn't stop you from logging in to comment and wasting my time in having to reply. Finally, nobody is forcing you to watch any video on youtube. If you don't like something, you are free to spend your time looking at other things. If you do force yourself to watch things past the title page, do yourself the credit of really listening before you comment or you will come across as uninformed and perhaps even a little unkind.

[@WaftsfromTheLoft]

@tennyelbenny you clearly haven't paid attention to the video. No, Jesus' robes weren't Louis Vuitton, but what perfume did he wear? Frankincense given to him by a King! He had more expensive perfume tastes than we do!

[@odysseus3147]

@@joram5369 Well said, Jo. It's too bad that you felt you have to defend your hobby because of some frivolous, unkind comment. However, in the process of setting the record straight, now I feel like an excrement because you mention there is "really very little justification in spending such ludicrous sums" on perfume and I've spent that amount on perfumes! Oh, well... my bad! My point is this: you can't please everyone and there will always be people who take offence at what you do or say. You do You and God Bless!