smells-like-schmidt

[smells-like-schmidt]

2.19

So far, I haven’t been keeping up, evidenced by this being my first post of 2023 coming out mid-February. Although I haven’t been keeping up as much as I wish I had, I do have a few reviews to add today. After starting my new job, I’m hesitant to be as bold with my fragrance choices. I don’t want to try new things every day, especially ones that I haven’t worn before. I’ve been wearing a lot of Glossier You, Mon Guerlain, MM Bubble Bath, and generally light and cozy fragrances. On Valentine’s Day I got to wear Chloé Nomad Absolu for the first time in a long time, and it fit the date perfectly. I had been really hoping for another chance to wear that one. The two samples I’ve finished so far this year are Le Labo Thé Noir 29 and Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia. Neither were loves, but I think they could really suit the right person. Both were worn to work and after work, both samples were finished in about 4 wears.

Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia

pear+melon+freesia+rose+musk+patchouli+rhubarb+amber

Not a huge fan of this one, unfortunately. I’ve msotly worn this at work because it’s light and inoffensive, but I don’t find it very interesting or endearing. Yes, most people would consider this nice, but there’s nothing particularly unique about it. The rose note reminds me of Chloé EDP, almost getting into paint territory. English Pear & Freesia doesn’t make a statement or leave much of an impact. I don’t think it even went noticed at work, which is fine for a work setting, but I’d like someting with a little more personality. It’s pretty, and I could absolutely see this working on the right person in the right place, but it lacks any outstanding quality that makes me want to reach for it again.

Le Labo Thé Noir 29

fig+bay leaf+bergamot+cedar+vetiver+musk+tobacco+hay

I wore this in cool-but-sunny weather, hoping for something fresh and cozy. While I often love fragrances with tea notes, I find this one a little sharp for “black tea.” But when looking at the notes, there is nothing that is supposed to smell just like tea. I don’t know if these notes are supposed to emulate the scent of black tea as an accord, or if this fragrance is just supposed to be an atmospheric interpretation of the vibe. I wish more of the hay and fig came out, but it’s mostly vetiver and tobacco. I don’t think it’s a bad fragrance at all — in fact I think the quality is great and the fragrance is unique — but it’s far from what I expected so I’m a little thrown off by it. I think if I smelled this not expecting it to be a soft, cold day kind of perfume, I’d have a different interpretation. As is, I think it’s too loud and too sharp for what I’d call a tea fragrance. On the top, the bright green notes give it this sharp, bright opening that melds into the cedar and vetiver, bringing out the woodsy vibe that was fitting for a walk around the laguna. The base notes of hay and tobacco bring out a drier quality to the fragrance and take this from what couldn’t been fresh and woodsy to dark and herbaceous. It was too sharp and loud for work, too dark and moody for a romantic walk. Thé Noir offers a different vibe than the one I was seeking. I think a dark bar on a sightly warmer night would give this fragrance a better opportunity to shine.

[smells-like-schmidt]

12.15

Maybe the real challenge this year will be not to accumulate too many more samples before the end of the year. This week I’ve already gained two new samples, but have also used two samples — one of which being new and one being from my December line-up. Gris Dior was pick #1 this week, with the new YSL Libre sample being a fast favorite, and Lancôme Oud Bouquet is the fragrance of the day.

Gris Dior

rose+oakmoss+patchouli+bergamot+cedar+amber+sandalwood

I wore Gris Dior to on a cold but sunny day and enjoyed the dry but warm aura. The longevity didn’t impress me. Although the dry-down sits close to the skin, I liked that it was much warmer and cozier than the opening. I found it a little too austere, despite the dry and classy vibe I was looking for. The opening comes off a bit more masculine than my taste, but would probably have been better suited for a cool evening dinner rather than a brewery lunch date. Upon first spray, I thought I’d like it more on my boyfriend than on myself. Fortunately for both of us, he had been wanting to try it himself, so I gave him what little was left of the sample. One down, 110 to go.

YSL Libre Le Parfum

ginger+saffron+mandarin orange+bergamot+orange blossom+lavender+bourbon vanilla+honey+tonka bean+vetiver

The next day, he and I went to Nordstrom (the one in Corte Madera that lets you make your own samples!) and I couldn’t help but take a sample of YSL Libre Le Parfum. I had tried the original Libre EDP and EDT when Libre Intense was released, and didn’t enjoy any of the formulations as much as I had hoped. It initially came across as a candied Mon Guerlain, cloying sugared lavender and orange blossom was all I really got from the line. Based on the notes, I would have said this would be a warmer-weather perfume, but in warm weather it was far too intense. But with the recent release of Libre Le Parfum, I wanted to try out the line again. Maybe it was the cool air, maybe it was the whole mood, maybe something else, I don’t know, but this time around I had much more appreciation for the whole line. I still found the EDT and EDP to be a little strong on the orange blossom, and felt that Le Parfum stood out from the rest in a unique way. And for good reason — the notes are a departure from the original while still fitting perfectly with the rest of the line. The orange blossom and lavender take on a more muted quality where the saffron and ginger shine in the opening and warm honey and tonka bean round out the whole fragrance in the dry-down. I like that this isn’t so linear, but remains captivating through the long progression. I find it deep and warm, it projects far, and evolves beautifully throughout the day. It’s definitely full bottle worthy in my book.

Oud Bouquet

oud+praline+rose+vanilla+guaiac wood+copahu balm

I’m afraid this review might be a little premature, as I’ve only been wearing it for a few hours on my first wear. So far, I’m really enjoying the feminine take on oud. It’s dry but sweet at the same time somehow, with echos of Baccarat Rouge 540. I was surprised to see this had no saffron listed in the notes because I get a clean, dry leather-like feel in the opening, similar to BR540 or any of it’s many clones. The oud is very clean and herbal, but falls back on a sticky, rich praline. Rose and oud are not particularly groundbreaking, but the rose does not take on the role of bringing femininity to oud in this fragrance. Instead, the syrupy praline and vanilla bring the warm womanly vibe to support the greens from the oud and fresh rose. Two hours in, it is mellow and woody without compromising on performance.

[smells-like-schmidt]

My 2023 Resolution is to use as many fragrance samples as possible. With 111 samples, I’ll need to finish two samples a week to accomplish my goal by the end of the year. I don’t imagine this will be an easy task with the several dozen full bottles, travel sizes, and minis that I have and want to keep wearing all year, but I’d like to put these samples to better use by actually wearing and enjoying them, rather than letting them accumulate in the box on my dresser for ever. Many of these samples I’ve already had for years. Some samples are the same as bottles I already own, and a few on this list are duplicates. This year, despite my compulsive need to collect as many samples from Nordstrom as possible, I’m going to try to limit the amount of samples I add on to this list, but those that do will hopefully be used before the end of the year as well.

I’ll be tracking my usage here and include little reviews along the journey. Hopefully by the end of the year I’ll have 111 reviews to look back on and maybe even find a new love that I’ve been overlooking. Each month I’ll pick at least 8 vials to empty, tracking my progress week by week.

My picks for the next 3 weeks of December are:

Tom Ford Lost Cherry

Jo Malone Scarlett Poppy

Byredo Slow Dance

Chanel Cuir Russie

Dior La Colle Noire

Dior Gris Dior

[smells-like-schmidt]

the line-up

Atelier Cologne Clementine California

Burberry Her EDP

Byredo Slow Dance

Cartier La Panthère

Chanel 5 eau premier or l'eau?

Chanel No. 5

Chanel Cuir Russie

Chanel Beige

Chanel Gabrielle

Chanel 1932

Chanel Coromandel

Chloè Chloè EDP

Clean Fresh Laundry

Dior Rose Gipsy

Dior Holy Peony

Dior Sauvage

Dior La Colle Noire

Dior Gris Dior

Dior Bois D'Argent

Diptyque L'Eau

Diptyque Trente-quatre Boulevard Saint Germain

Diptyque L'Eau Neroli

Diptyque L'Ombre Dans L'Eau

Diptyque Florabellio

Diptyque Eau Duelle

Diptyque Eau Capital

Diptyque Oud Palao

Diptyque Oyédo

Elizabeth Arden My Fifth Avenue

Etat Libre d'Orange Fat Electrician

Etat Libre d'Orange Jasmin et Cigarette

Etat Libre d'Orange Cologne

Etat Libre d'Orange Remarkable People

Etat Libre d'Orange Dangerous Complicity

Giorgio Armani Sì

Giorgio Armani Ocean di Gioa

Giorgio Armani My Way

Giorgio Armani Code Absolu

Gucci Bloom Perfumo di Fiori

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Bergamote Calabria

Guerlain Shalimar

Guerlain Oud Nude

Guerlain Angélique Noire

Guerlain Iris Torréfié

Harvey Prince Sincerely EDP

Hermès Un Jardin sur le Toit

Hermès Twilly

Hermès Eau de Narcisse Bleu

Hermès Eau de Neroli Doré

Hermès Eau du Gentaine Blanche

Hermès Rose Ikebana

Hermès Iris Ukiyoé

Hermès Cèdre Sambac

Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt

Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia

Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt

Jo Malone Honeysuckle & Davana

Jo Malone Fig & Lotus Flower

Jo Malone Myrrh & Tonka

Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey

Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin

Jo Malone Scarlett Poppy

Jo Malone Scarlett Poppy

Jo Malone Orange Bitters

Killian Roses on Ice(?)

Killian Moonlight in Heaven

Lancôme Idôle

Lancôme Oud Bouquet

Le Labo Bergamote 22

Le Labo Lys 41

Le Labo Another 13

Le Labo Another 13

Le Labo Santal 33

Le Labo Rose 31

Le Labo Thè Noir 29

Le Labo Patchouli 24

Liz Claiborne Vivid

Louis Vuitton Cactus Garden

Malin+Goetz Stem

Malin+Goetz Cannabis

Malin+Goetz Strawberry

Marc Jacobs Perfect Intense

MM Replica Lipstick On

MM Replica Jazz Club

MM Replica Lazy Sunday Morning

Nasomatto Black Afgano

Nest Sunkissed Hibiscus

Paco Rabanne Invictus

Raw Spirit Citadell

Shelley Kyle Shelley Kyle

Sisley Eau du Soir

Solinotes Fleur Oranger

Solstice Scents Sea of Gray

Solstice Scents Lace Draped Spectre

Solstice Scents High Desert

Solstice Scents Master Bedroom

Solstice Scents Smokewood Apiary

Solstice Scents Basilica

Tom Ford Ombré Leather

Tom Ford Jasmin Rouge

Tom Ford Lost Cherry

Tom Ford Neroli Portofino

Tom Ford Lost Cherry

Tom Ford Jasmin Rouge

Valentino Donna Born in Roma

Versace Bright Crystal Absolu

Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb

Viktor&Rolf Sage Spell

Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb Dew

Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb Nectar