The Weakest Fragrances I Love

[@jodee8831]

I agree with this premise... it's definitely easier to accept when you have a larger collection to choose from... I have 200+ with decants and full bottles... I do wish a couple of them had longer performance, but not at the compromise of the composition... Frapin 1270 doesn't project much nor does it have great longevity.. but it's forgiven, because I'm infatuated with the scent

[@TheScentinel]

@@jodee8831 1270 was a very early love for me

[@tubereuse_criminelle]

Totally with you on this one. Huge projection and extreme longevity is a NO for me. I like to change my perfume throughout the day, 2 or 3 times, so avoid commitments. Eau de Cologne type of perfumes were never meant to last ages, their purpose is to refresh, not to last. The other day we had to slow down and let a man walk far ahead in front of us because of his enormous cloud of nuclear weapon he was dragging behind. It was atrocious, and I think it should be made illegal to overspray something which is already overprojecting

[@TheScentinel]

@@tubereuse_criminelle and it's the worst if that monster doesnt even smell good

[@lineplanevolume]

I've also changed my outlook on lighter fragrances to be completely fine with just refreshing them throughout the day. It gives me much more flexibility to change my mind and move on to something else.

[@TheScentinel]

@@lineplanevolume yep, it's a commitment to go beast mode😁

[@lineplanevolume]

@@TheScentinel It is! I'm getting more comfortable with Fleeting Mode.

[@Windingspirals]

Agree. Great points re scents that need to change in order for the longevity to work. For more linear scents, longevity is annoying. For the frag community, we have many frags, typically. We can wear multiple in a day. There are times when bad performance counts against a frag but short frags are great because we can wear something else a few hours later. Anosmia is definitely an issue with certain ingredients and also our noses work differently on different days. Are usually less sensitive in the morning and more sensitive at night. Also depends on weather obviously, humidity most essentially.

[@TheScentinel]

@@Windingspirals all great points

[@jasonthedogcatcher]

Im getting into old school aftershaves (esp. drugstore types) and appreciate the way that these smell in their respective A/S concentrations. If it smells great, that's what matters. Great vid mate!

[@TheScentinel]

@@jasonthedogcatcher thank you!

[@pisangkepok]

Pour Monsieur is an absolute favorite despite its longevity. My ideal scent longevity is around 4 hours

[@TheScentinel]

@@pisangkepok 100%

[@mustafajakubovic2204]

Pep you are so right, I have collection about 50 fragrances, weak or strong. There is place and time for every fragrance. And I love some of my short lasting fragrances.

[@CCCC-fj3kf]

Absolutely. I love perfume, I love wearing and smelling it, and I love when other people enjoy it, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be nuclear in strength and longevity. I was trapped in a packed train carriage on a stiflingly hot and humid afternoon on the way home from work (Brisbane), and the guy next to me was wearing was Le Mâle Le Parfum. The ambroxan and ethyl maltol competing with human dampness and the heat was just unbearable. There really is such a thing as “too much,” even if you absolutely adore the smell. This is lesson that needs to be learned by a lot of young men, and I say that as a man in his 30s. ‘Tis the season for Eau Sauvage!

[@TheScentinel]

@@CCCC-fj3kf oh god, i know how humid it gets up there, that sounds terrible!

[@SUTU6000]

Hi Pep, I completely agree that beautiful scents often don’t last as long as we’d like. One of my absolute favorites is Pour Monsieur, sadly it doesn’t last. Since I can’t change its longevity, I make sure to carry either the bottle or a small travel atomizer with me to reapply when needed.

[@TheScentinel]

@@SUTU6000 great idea

[@petra.andersen]

I see it same Pep, I do not judge fragrance by its longevity but by whether I like it or not. Cologne du Maghreb is an example of one that is, by its name just a cologne and therefore not designed to last. But it is lovely. I use it after shower, enjoy for a couple of hours and then spray another scent on.

[@TravisHaslett]

Agua Brava, and Tous 1920 edp for me are the ones that I find quite beautiful that also don't last very long at all. I'd trade half my collection for an Agua Brava EDT.

[@PerfumedByTheSea]

Agree. This year I’ve spent more time with Pierre Guillaume scents. There are some of his scents that are quite strong. But on the whole they are usually close to the skin (but last maybe 6-8hours) but it’s the scent itself that I get addicted to and they are always worth keep sniffing your wrist for!!! It’s how it makes you feel. Or a memory it might remind you of. And Pierre’s scents (same with his sister co Phaedon) are so SO good I don’t care that only I pick up on it. At the end of the day the perfume is for me.

[@TheScentinel]

@@PerfumedByTheSea love it. I didnt realise Phaedon was connected.

[@PerfumedByTheSea]

@@TheScentinel Yeah PG bought it some time ago. And he’s the perfumer for some of the Phaedon scents. Love how understated his companies are. Very elegant. Really fallen for his work this year. Pure Azure (Phaedon) is his best work for that company. Immediate addiction to that scent. He has a way of making a scent just delicately float around you that you cannot help but admire.

[@TheScentinel]

@PerfumedByTheSea i am going to really try to test a lot of them at Esxence

[@PerfumedByTheSea]

@@TheScentinel It would be worth it. Understated and perform in the way they should. Not loud. Just pure perfection.

[@SceptiGus]

I'm not always satisfied with short lived fragrances but there are some I do enjoy enough to keep around. When I'm out for the day I regard my fragrance as part of my "ensemble" for the day and I expect it to last. I tend to save the short lived fragrances for days when I'm at home and can easily refresh.

[@gtothee5723]

Ever since your top fragrances video, I’ve been on the hunt for Equipage Geranium. That stuff’s hard to find!

[@TheScentinel]

@@gtothee5723 unfortunately it has been discontinued

[@nathanielmoody3656]

Great topic. For me, I’d almost rather other people DIDNT smell me. I mostly wear it for myself and actually feel self conscious when I think others can pick up what I’m wearing. I’m curious what your typical spray routine is like(I know it depends on the fragrance, but I usually do around 5 sprays). I just want to be able to experience it throughout the day.

[@TheScentinel]

@@nathanielmoody3656 my average is 5 for all types

[@_-Anna-_]

What a great ode to beauty…on all its forms. Wonderful perspective reminders. I love Déjà Le Printemps by Oriza L Legrand. It’s ephemeral but, to my nose, part of its charmed song.

[@DaveNYC]

Great points, Pep. I had the EXACT same experience with TdH parfum one day. I actually forgot I put it on, but my dermatologist complimented me in the late afternoon across a desk! I have a theory based on TdH and some others that are very high in Iso E Super. I find I’m almost anosmic to it, and moreover, I think in high concentrations, it mutes the rest of the composition for me as well. My favorites in the ephemeral genre are Hermes Eau d’Orange Vert and Bulgari Eau au Thé Vert. Notably, the “eau” is right in the name lol. For the former, I bought the 250ml and spray with reckless abandon. Sadly, no amount of the Bulgari can change its stubborn brevity.

[@TheScentinel]

@@DaveNYC yeah i thinking the iso e shuts down my olfactory receptors

[@Draeca]

Depends. I have some for winter, where it hurts their value for me, but I used it as a chance to try mixing with oudy fragrance to give it depth and a bit more masculinity and I got very good results. As for some fresh ones for summer, I don't really mind it. Just have to keep in mind to reapply if needed.

[@OrrisEros]

I find many fragrances too strong. I don’t want to be hit over the head with a scent. I want to be caressed softly by them.

[@lgeiger]

You do not always want to wear a 12 hour long lasting room filler. I love Bleu de Chanel Eau de Toilette. It's also not super long lasting, but that's what I like about it. It's pleasant, but not overwhelming. I do admit that most of my perfumes last 8-12 hours, but I have some that only last 3-4 hours which I also like to wear quite often. You can always reapply weaker fragrances and it's hard to overspray them. If you overspray a 12 hour long lasting room filler it can be headache inducing and will not just annoy you, but also other people around you.

[@TheScentinel]

@@lgeiger exactly

[@JT-rx1eo]

Scent profile is king in my book. Performance is secondary but important. But my definition of performance is a bit different: to be a good performer, I expect a scent to provide me occasional natural wafts to my nose throughout several hours, after spraying several times on skin and clothes. I don't care if someone else can smell it 5 ft. away or not. MY nose is what's important. Also, since scent profile trumps performance, naturalness of materials and smell is important. And use of natural materials seem to compromise performance somewhat, compared to all the Amber woody and ambroxen scents out there. But I respect a Creed scent like Silver Mountain Water more than, say, a Xerjoff Nio because of these priorities. Eau Sauvage EDT has always performed well for me, given my definition.

[@Furriner]

I agree with you regarding personal pleasure versus performance. I wear perfume because I enjoy it, not to impress others. That said, there are many perfumes I own which some would consider non-performers, which I'll give two as examples. One is Hermes's Osmanthe Yunnan (and the Hermessence line in general, especially under Jean-Claude Ellena run at Hermes). I'll agree that, most days, Osmanthe Yunnan will disappear after a few hours' wear. I enjoy it while I can, but might switch up later in the day for another scent or just freshen up with another spritz or two. However, in extreme heat, Osmanthe Yunnan really blooms and projects beautifully. I, therefore, tend to wear it in the summer when it's hot out. Similarly, L'Artisan's long discontinued L'Eau de Jatamansi was criticized for being too light, yet it blooms wonderfully in the heat. I feel myself lucky to still have a substantial amount left from my original (200 ml!) bottle. Part of the reason I can do this, though, is by being fortunate enough to have a large collection. If one is only going to buy a few fragrances for one's wardrobe, it can be disconcerting if the scents fizzle out in an hour. To those I would go back to your argument that, if you like a scent, and it pleases you, it is worth it for your enjoyment. Also, anosmia is a very real thing. If I want to wear a different perfume later in a day, I usually will try to shower it off -- even if I don't smell it -- before wearing something new, figuring I just don't smell it anymore after having worn it all day.

[@TheScentinel]

@@Furriner this is a really well thought out response, everything you say here is totally valid. Btw, i was lucky enough to smell Jatamansi and it is really lovely.

[@gabbiagoston]

Uh the bigger is better notion, it's such a huge pet peeve of mine. I hate when something smells too strong for a too long time. Especially hate it when some chemical bomb latches itself on to the neck of my winter coat for weeks, I don't mind washing my jumpers often, but I don't want to take my coats to get a dry clean well, like ever, preferably. Oh, and did I mention how much I get annoyed by the narrative so popular nowadays in which quality = longevity? You must have guessed I also cringe every time I hear the words "b**st mode" being uttered. Oh and I definitely don't mind spending relatively much on a masterpiece even if it doesn't last long or has low sillage. A rose is a rose, a masterpiece is a masterpiece, no ifs and buts

[@TheScentinel]

We align on this 100%

[@Cissi2009]

I prefer a lighter fragrance that lingers on and off. A stronger fragrance tends to be too dominant and unchanging. That’s just my view. Thanks for your thoughts on this ❤

[@TheScentinel]

@@Cissi2009 🙏

[@TheScentinel]

@@Cissi2009 🙏

[@dieselboy77]

I wish I could smell my fragrances all day . I don’t think I own any perfumes that I would get tired of smelling all day ! But I mostly have those “boring “ perfumes lol I pretty much cut down my collection to perfumes that I absolutely love . But hey if I have to reapply every 6-7 hours than be it 😊

[@benjaminleach8582]

L'humaniste by Frapin is a short-lived fragrance. It lasts longer on clothes, and also good to have freshie which I'm not wasting in the shower when I'm only popping out on a short trip.

[@TheScentinel]

@@benjaminleach8582 different scenarios, right?

[@TevinC814]

Man my new batch of dior sauvage edt smells so great but it is veeeery weak. I realize however that the times i would use it is perfect for it like grocery shopping. Not all fragrances have to last 6-8 hours.

[@ems_h.eartnotes]

I don't mind weaker or lighter perfumes as long as they don't disappear immediately. I've got a sensitive nose and there are a lot of perfumes I like but they are too strong for me to wear or I can only wear a tiny spritz on my wrists and nowhere near my face... eg SL Fils de Joie 😂

[@TheScentinel]

@@ems_h.eartnotes what are some examples of ones that have disappeared immediately?

[@ems_h.eartnotes]

@TheScentinel none that I have bought haha! I can't remember specific examples but I have sampled a couple that just seem to have poofed away. Maybe others could smell them, that's always a possibility

[@BigBusiness02]

The whole beast mode/projection obsession has made mostly everyone begin to smell obnoxious and nauseating tbh. A LOT of fragrances actually start to smell bad to me the louder they project. Anytime a fragrance is an announcement that you've been in a room as opposed to a subtle discovery, you're doing too much.

[@Eirini80]

For me Feminite du bois.I love the smell but it seems that after a few minutes i cannot smell it at all though i dont mind weaker scents ,i don't like them to be that weak...😢

[@TheScentinel]

@@Eirini80 this is also understandable. Can otjers around you smell it?

[@Eirini80]

@TheScentinel I have never asked but i have heard from others that have the same issue with me.

[@marceloaraujo8728]

T o p

[@shirleycantoni3152]

In the older days perfumes used to last for a lot longer. Today, many niche Perfumes are getting weaker and more synthetic with a chemical initial scent. The Quality of ingredients is lacking and prices are getting higher. There are only a few houses that still produce quality.. e.g. Serge Lutens, Chanel, Dior,Guerlain, Santa Maria novella, Robert Picuet.

[@LEgoiste]

Superb and well said. Kind of reminds me of a work colleague who does things to show off, just waiting for that Ta Dah moment, even more cringe worthy scoping for the reactions.😂 I've always preferred the subtle touch, which by far has proved the most impactful time and time again.

[@TheScentinel]

@@LEgoiste like people, fragrances can be introvert or extrovert, multiple styles for multiple identities👌

[@LEgoiste]

Now that's a video begging to be made...😂