In your opinion, what are some masterpiece fragrances?
If you couldn’t tell my post history, I would say Puredistance Black. An absolutely gorgeous, mysterious fragrance.
Green Irish Tweed.
Whatever you think of Creed’s Dan Brown-like history, you can’t deny they absolutely nailed the ideal masculine fresh scent in a decade of rich, leathery powerhouses that seem to incapacitate rather than enchant.
Creed’s Dan Brown-like history
haha perfect comparison...
I feel like it's popular to hate on Creed...
They are too expensive for people who are only into designer fragrances, but they don't take enough chances for people into niche frags. They occupy this middle ground where they get it from both sides.
But the thing with Creed, they make some absolutely incredible fragrances. GIT, VIW, SMW, Millisime Imperial, Sublime Vanille, spice and woods, erolfa, bois du Portugal, etc.
I'm glad to be lucky enough that Creed frags play well with my skin chemistry because I like a lot of what Creed does.
I'm starting to really really like BdC - EDP. I had parfum, but EDP seems better. I'll probably buy a bottle eventually. Just decants for now. I thought BdC was a generic smell but the more I smelled it and used it, the more and more I love it.
This is my main problem. I felt like the EDT lasted much longer.
Yes. I love it so much I bought the 5z bottle of the EDP. The combo of grapefruit and incense is wonderful. I don't understand when people say it is generic. I can immediately tell if someone is wearing BdC and I hate generic men cologne smell.
Inb4 only niche replies.
But Seriously, Aventus is like the Mona Lisa of fragrances, it's a gorgeous but it's just boring to look at for longer periods.
Jubilation XXV
Dior Homme
Egoiste
L’air Du Desert Marocain
Oud Wood
Terre D’hermès
Royal Oud
Eau Sauvage
Sartorial
Habit Rouge
This is the pmrp approved list. I may spend too much time on this subreddit, but I see your signature list pop up all the time. Great stuff on it btw.
Hah, for sure! I’ve honed in on these bottles but keep sampling to see if it gets shaken up a bit. I’m sure it’s bound to happen eventually!
I like the sweet champagne fizzy smell that comes off the top. On the back end it is a little feminine for my taste. But maybe I’ll come around after a couple sprays.
I look forward to discerning those scents as I get better at this!
Do you prefer Dior Homme over Homme Intense and Parfum or did you just mean all Dior Homms are masterpieces?
I personally prefer the original Dior Homme EDT over all its flankers. I think it’s a perfect scent—a study of contrasts, masterfully balanced—masculine/feminine, bitter/sweet, warm/cool, floral/woody, light/dark, simple/complex, etc. Main notes for me are iris, cocoa, and suede.
DHI takes the original, eliminates the fresh citrus and herbs, but ups the iris and sweetness, becoming more ambery and powdery. It’s much deeper and sweeter than its predecessor, albeit less complex.
DHP takes DHI, reduces the sweetness, adds an odd orange note, and doubles down on dark leather and woods. I always felt the composition was either lacking something or had one note too many. Just didn’t blend as well as the previous two for me.
Thanks for the breakdown of each. I have only smelt DHI, which is love largely because I'm a fan of Iris. I think I'll add the original to my buy list based on your description
The response can't be "none" because that would mean that the passion of this sub makes no sense.
I would say that, at the very least, most of these are definite masterpieces, though I may not like all of them or may not be my favourite of each line:
Guerlain Shalimar
Dior Homme
Dior Fahrenheit
JPG Le Male
Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur
Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady
Amouage Reflection Man
Chanel No. 5
Chanel Mademoiselle
Chanel Egoiste
Hermes Terre
Creed Aventus (sigh, I suppose many would say so)
MFK Baccarat Rouge 540
D&G Light Blue
YSL La Nuit De l'Homme
TF Tuscan Leather
TF Tobacco Vanille
Armani ADG
Tauer LADDM
Diptyque Tam Dao
Roja Parfums Enigma/Creation E
Edit. Light Blue is a D&G property, not YSL
YSL has a perfume called Light Blue too?
Yes. No matter where I wander in my fragrance journey, CF is always my home.
I'll stop wearing it for awhile just to give it a rest and when I return to it like an obsessive lover, it always gives me something new, wonderful yet unfamiliar. It speaks to me on a level I cannot articulate. I will be buried with the last heady dredges clinging to the inside of the slightly chipped bottle.
Honestly both jazz club and by the fireplace are just perfectly captivated
Recently got BTF and oh my.....Such an amazing scent. Once you get passed the smoke on your first smell or two its just pure heaven.
I was mad I smelled it. I was doing so good on not buying anything lol. Both BtF and Jazz Club have a bunch of notes I don’t like but some how MM pulled it off.
Probably a cliche answer but PdM Layton.
Some other 10/10s I'd give are
Prada L'Homme
Chanel Egoiste (I like it slightly better than Egoiste Platinum)
Both JPG Le Male and Ultra Male
MMM By The Fireplace
Creed Green Irish Tweed
Where does one buy these without getting fakes? What’s the best place?
I bought most of mine on eBay. Just make sure the seller has a lot of rep. I know 3 sellers I've bought multiple times are PerfumeEmpire, pink.deals, and FineScents
Do you get a "nail polish" thing from Layton? I noticed it once and now that's all I can smell...
I haven't but I'll smell it again when I get home and see if I sense it
Fahrenheit.
Kouros.
Terre d'Hermes.
Guerlain Vetiver.
Caron Pour Un Homme (vintage).
This question hurts in a way because there's other I love/enjoy that I don't quite consider a masterpiece, which makes it feel like they're flawed - which isn't really fair, haha. Like.. Ultra Male, Eau Sauvage Parfum, Ivory Route. It's a difference of personal feelings/opinion vs general consensus amongst a group. If enough of us find Eau Sauvage Parfum amazing, then perhaps it is a masterpiece! But there's just something about frags like Kouros, etc., that just have the 'it' factor to be a known masterpiece. Huh.
Tauer - L'air du Desert Marocain. YSL - Kouros. Chanel - Egoiste. Dior Homme. Dior - Fahrenheit.
Tom Ford Tuscan Leather. Tom Ford Oud Wood. The Original Terre D’Hermes. Dior Homme Parfum. Dior Fahrenheit. By Kilian Black Phantom. The Original Mugler Pure Malt. Creed Green Irish Tweed.
First of all, great question.
Dior Homme
Tauer Les Annees
Tom Ford Plum Japonais
and...
4. Zoologist Civet --- yes, I said it, and I mean it
I think I need to try Civet. I got the 14 piece sample set from Zoologist, and I got over halfway through and hated most of them and only tolerated the others. I don't Civet is one I got around to trying.
I enjoy Plum Japonais but I can't help thinking it's a very crude Serge Lutens. The idea and the structure is very similar to a lot of the Serge scents but not as elegant
Which Serge Lutens is it most similar to? I have only tried Ambre Sultan.
Serge
In spirit, it's basically riffing off of Feminite du Bois. Which is one of the best modern orientals that sort of cemented the Serge Lutens signature of dark woods and plummy fruits. You could try Fille en Aiguilles, Chergui and Five O'Clock Gingembre – I think those exist in the same oriental vein of things.
Oo! Les Annees gets a mention. So glad I jumped on this when it came out. Totally divine and maybe the best fragrance I own. It seems to be sold out in the UK
It was a limited time release so it is actually discontinued. I only got a decant, never a full bottle.
I’m lucky to have a full bottle then. Maybe Andy Tauer will bring it out again. It’s just so wonderful.
MFK Baccarat rouge 540 and Grand Soir
Creed GIT
MMM By the fireplace
It's not even exactly my cup of tea, but MFK Grand Soir is a masterpiece imo. It's blended to perfection. It's so artfully done.
Is it me, or is it very strong? I sprayed twice on my chest area and put on two layers of shirts. The smell still went through like nothing and smelled very strong.
Yeah, it's definitely strong. It doesn't wildly project though and stays pretty contained in my experience which I prefer.
Amouage - Reflection Man
Vagabond Prince - Enchanted Forest
Tom Ford - Oud Wood
MFK - BR540
Guerlain - Jicky. Not that I enjoy it immensely, but I felt history creeping over my skin as I sampled it.
Tauer - LADDM. Monumental. Breathtaking.
Currently reserving judgement.
Guerlain Jicky, Encens Mythique d'Orient, Kouros. These are unique in the perfume universe. There are also many excellent ones that approach immortality.
• Chanel No. 5
• Chanel Pour Monsieur
• CD Fahrenheit
In my opinion Xerjoff: Uden is an absolute masterpiece. Love to wear it every time a get a chance :)
Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford
Velvet Rose & Oud by Jo Malone
Jubilation XXV by Amouage
Black Orchid by Tom Ford
Baccarat Rouge 540 by Maison Francis Kurdijan
Lys 41 by Le Labo
Agree with these two. IMHO to qualify as a masterpiece it should be able to stand the test of time.
Dolce and Gabbana, the one gentleman will always be a remarkable fragrance in my book. It didn't get the attention or love that the original got, which is a shame, because I found it to be far superior
Gaultier 2 Jean Paul Gaultier for women and men;
Fleur du Mâle Jean Paul Gaultier for men;
M7 Yves Saint Laurent for men;
Rykiel Homme Sonia Rykiel for men;
Prada Amber Pour Homme (Prada Man) Prada for men; and
Gucci Pour Homme II Gucci for men
Awesome!!
It's timeless and just breathtaking IMO, will always be in my top 5.
Azzaro Pour Homme
Guerlain Mitsouko
Dior Homme
Aramis
Davidoff Cool Water
Narciso Rodriguez For Him
Mugler Angel
Narciso Rodriguez is so underrated! The Poudree Eau de Parfum is honestly magic
Creed Silver Mountain Water. It must be so difficult to create such a delicate, balanced fragrance.
I wanted to like this but I felt like I smelled like a rose bush. It just didn’t feel masculine whatsoever for me.
Dior Homme
Dior Fahrenheit
Gaultier 2
Chanel Égoïste
D&g Pour Homme
Mugler Cologne
Davidoff Cool Water
Dior homme cologne. It’s so simple but so masterfully executed.
Dior Homme for me is amazing. Smelled it at the airport after many times hearinga bout it. It's like a more masculine version of Prada L'Homme in my opinion. My GF lovvvved it.
Areej Le Dore - Russian Musk
Parfum D'Empire - Musc Tonkin
Tauer - Au Couer Du Desert, LADDM, L'Oudh
Etat Libre d'Orange - Secretions Magnifiques (unironically)
How exactly do you start liking SM? That nose-curling involuntary shudder doesn't go away. Where is the enjoyment?
oh, I can't say that I like it at all. I just think it's a masterpiece in the sense that they set out with a specific goal in mind and I think it accomplishes that goal perfectly. It's incredibly unique and there's nothing else like it. It's a fragrance that's without equal and deserves its notoriety. There's not a single other fragrance with the reputation that it has.
Just because I havent had my nose on it, what makes L'Oudh so profound?
I’m relatively new to the whole game but the moment I smelled YSL La Nuit De L’Homme, and every time since - I have been entranced. I think it is just next level good.
Dior Sauvage. The first time smelling that, I felt in love immediately and had to buy it. Still not regretting it until today!
I mean... It's a fair answer. If ambroxan isn't your thing, that's OK, but you can't deny that Sauvage changed the whole damn game. Ambroxan is everywhere now. It's the new Acqua Di Gio, which ushered in the whole "aquatics" line of fragrances we are still getting today. It's a game changer. If you don't like it, that's fine, but you can't deny the power Sauvage has had.
Being a gamechanger doesn't make the fragrance a masterpiece.
A masterpiece keeps it's status through the ages because nothing else smells anything quite like it.
I don't disagree that it's a gamechanger, but it's no masterpiece imo.
A masterpiece keeps it's status through the ages because nothing else smells anything quite like it.
Not to splits hairs, but I dunno, I just find it weird you focused on that one if we're going to talk about "keeps it's status through the ages" because in 200 years from, fragrance lovers and fragrance historians will still be mentioning Sauvage and there are DOZENS of frags in this thread that will be dead and forgotten by 2050. Hell, I might even go as far as to say MOST of the frags mentioned here will be by then.
Will that's clearly obvious, it's more a figure of speech, because there are some compositions from 2010 and earlier that have kept that masterpiece label. As time drags on, some names will be forgotton, that's evident.
Sauvage is not a masterpeice because it's composition is tried and tried, over and over again. Nothing wrong with that, it smells appealing, but not a something I label a masterpiece.
I gotcha.
But you see what I'm saying right? This sub sometimes treats frags the way some music fans treat obscure music... Like, it's cool if you don't like The Beatles, but 1.7 billion people think otherwise.
Bless my brother, glad to have had this talk with you.
Pretty much anything by Filippo Sorcinelli but if I had to choose just one of his, I’ll go with the original: LAVS by Unum
A modern masterpiece: Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules
Timeless classic: O/e by Bogue
A masterpiece of comfort and balance: Sienne L’Hiver by Eau d’Italie
Which other UNUMs have you tried? Lavs is one of my top winter incense, and ennui noir is my favourite liquorice. I have a bottle of io on the way and consider getting not today.
Other than LAVS I tried: -Io non ho mani: So beautiful, like a mix of cigar and creamy incense. I can’t decide whether I whether to buy that one or LAVS. They’re both incredible. Maybe I’ll get both eventually 10/10
-Ennui Noir: I liked it a lot at first. It reminded me a bit of Etat Libre d’orange’s Hermann in some ways but better. My problem with that one is that it dries down a bit generic on me. I’d have to give it another try. 7.5/10
-Opus 1144: Another very interesting one that doesn’t quite work on me. I wrote in my notes it smells of incense with baby powder. A tad too feminine for me. I think it would be absolutely great for a woman. That one was also on a one try only, maybe it will be different on second try. 8/10 (9.5/10 for a woman)
-But not today: Wow..I’ve never had a perfume leave me so confused as this one. I usually write little notes and a grade for perfumes I try..this one was a series of question marks. I liked it a lot but I had so much trouble understanding what I was smelling. Lots of contrasting smells. I haven’t decided whether I would get a bottle or not, I couldn’t stop smelling it all day but it was almost distracting how puzzling it was for me. ?/10
And from Filippo’s SAUF line: -Unda Maris 8: Definitely getting a bottle. Still has that hint of incense that LAVS and Io have but with an aquatic smell. I noted that it reminded me of a church in the middle of a cold sea. 10/10
-Violon Basse 16: Also getting a bottle of this. This goes beyond incense and more into smoke. Heavily peated whisky, ashes, burnt leather, campfire. All heavy smells that are somehow perfectly balanced so they feel light. 10/10
-Contre Bombarde 32: Also need a second try to decide but first impression I wasn’t wowed. All I could smell is cream soda at first then a somewhat metallic incense and eventually dries down into a caramel/toffee smell 8.5/10
Im trying to be sensible and only buy a bottle at a time but I will be buying a few of the UNUM and SAUF soon..it’s almost an obsession now. I’ve yet to try the Nebbia line.
Great write up. Do you know that all the unum line is available in 10mil? Personally I avoid to commit to full bottles when I can.
For the Nebbias, I've ordered samples of the three fragrances despite very bad scores on Fragrantica.
I had no idea. Thank you so much for telling me that. It makes my decision easier, I’ll get the LAVS and Io in 10ml. That way I can afford to also get a full bottle of Unda Maris or Violon Basse.
The description on the Nebbias is intriguing despite the bad scores so I’ll be ordering samples too
ADG Profumo: League of it’s own in terms of longevity for a fresh fragrance. Undeniable versatility.
I've seen complaints about the new formulation. What are your thoughts?
What We Do In Paris is Secret - A Lab On Fire
Chanel No 19
Ormonde Jayne Woman
Victoria Secret Divine.
It smells like fresh linens and Nice and blue skies and very expensive French soap. Just a gorgeous scent.
Naturally, it has been discontinued.
La fille de Berlin from Serge Lutens.
The Raven from Alkemia
Voodoo queen from Immortal perfumes
Xerjoff Nio Xerjoff Lira Creed Royal Oud Creed Jardin D'amalfi
Another vote for Creed Royal Oud. Just incredible. TF Ombre Leather, Oud Wood, Tobacco Vanille, and Tobacco Oud are candidates as well.
Aventus. It was a new scent DNA when it came out almost 10 years ago, and it still has a fairly unique scent. So many companies have tried to clone it, but all have failed
Love and hate relationship, it projects for me, about 4 hours :(
Fragrances I'd say are 10/10 are Perris Monte Carlo Santal du Pacifique, Dior Santal Noir and Ambre Nuit, D&G The One EDP
-By Kilian Straight To Heaven
-Ralph Lauren Polo
-Creed Royal Mayfair
-Gucci Guilty Absolute
Honorable Mention: Imaginary Authors Saint Julep.
Baccarat 540 by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Elisabethan Rose by Penhaligon’s
MFK- BR540 extrait
LV -Ombré nomade
Creed - aventus (hate if you will but nothing I knows has gotten that much hype within a community) and for her version
Zoologists - panda
None othewise i'd settle with 1. But either its good in smell but the longevity isnt good (spicebomb), or reformulations that take off a bit off the power off the original (interlude man).
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