Barrister and Mann

Cheers, might need to pick some up sooner rather than later then.  Out of curiosity, were there any particular fragrances you based the different Fougeres on?

Well, "based on" is a bit strong, but I did take inspiration for the original two. Fougère Imperiale was partly inspired by Penhaligon's English Fern and Fougère Aromatique was very obliquely inspired by MDCI Invasion Barbare. Hope that helps.

Got my latha sandalwood and taiga products today.

The sandalwood smells awesome and the taiga smells pretty good.  I wish the taiga had a touch more woodsy scent.

Can you describe the Sandalwood scent please? I read the scent profile but not sure what that would smell like. I am on the fence about which Latha to get but sandalwood is what I am leaning toward.

it's hard to perfectly describe Will's scents, but my nose picks up both the sandalwood and the sweet smell from the currants as the main scents. I think the amber helps round it out. I personally think the latha sandalwood smells amazing.

Cheers, might need to pick some up sooner rather than later then.  Out of curiosity, were there any particular fragrances you based the different Fougeres on?

Well, "based on" is a bit strong, but I did take inspiration for the original two. Fougère Imperiale was partly inspired by Penhaligon's English Fern and Fougère Aromatique was very obliquely inspired by MDCI Invasion Barbare. Hope that helps.

Thanks, it definitely does. Fair point on my wording there, I hope no offense was taken. Given the difficulty in finding your Fougère soaps I was curious as to what would smell similar it but would be easier to track down.

Got my latha sandalwood and taiga products today.

The sandalwood smells awesome and the taiga smells pretty good.  I wish the taiga had a touch more woodsy scent.

Can you describe the Sandalwood scent please? I read the scent profile but not sure what that would smell like. I am on the fence about which Latha to get but sandalwood is what I am leaning toward.

it's hard to perfectly describe Will's scents, but my nose picks up both the sandalwood and the sweet smell from the currants as the main scents.  I think the amber helps round it out.  I personally think the latha sandalwood smells amazing.

That's good enought for me. Thanks.

Hi Will, I've been reading your Fragrance Blogs on the B&M website and I've been finding them interesting and enjoyable.  Thank you for sharing your thoughts in this way.  In your piece on the Hermes Bel Ami you comment that it can be worn by both men and women but that it definitely cannot be worn by everyone.  What do you mean by that and what do you feel determines whether or not a particular fragrance will work for someone?  I get that some fragrances just seem incongruous with some people but is it a style thing or an actual chemistry thing going on?

Keep on blogging,
Thanks,
Mark

Just ordered Vetyver Santal from the 10 Days of Deals sale and can't wait to try it!

Hi Will, I've been reading your Fragrance Blogs on the B&M website and I've been finding them interesting and enjoyable.  Thank you for sharing your thoughts in this way.  In your piece on the Hermes Bel Ami you comment that it can be worn by both men and women but that it definitely cannot be worn by everyone.  What do you mean by that and what do you feel determines whether or not a particular fragrance will work for someone?  I get that some fragrances just seem incongruous with some people but is it a style thing or an actual chemistry thing going on?

Keep on blogging,
Thanks,
Mark

It's really some of both. There are some scents that require a certain attitude to wear properly; otherwise, the fragrance can seem at odds with that wearer's personality, which generally causes it to be perceived as much harsher and stranger than it actually is. For instance, if I were to wear Green Irish Tweed (which I find absolutely loathsome), it's very likely that those who know me would wonder what the hell had happened. It wouldn't seem right, even if they couldn't necessarily put their fingers on why.

It's also a matter of body chemistry. There are some people whose skin causes certain fragrances and types of fragrances to "turn;" that is, where they otherwise smell good, the chemical interaction between the fragrance and the wearer's body chemistry causes what would otherwise be a beautiful perfume to turn sour and unpleasant. This can happen in all sorts of ways and each person has certain fragrances that he or she cannot wear. For instance, to use Creed again, I actually quite like Bois de Portugal on paper, but it becomes freakishly syrupy and unpleasant on my skin, so I cannot wear it. Slumberhouse's Sova, a brilliantly artistic thing that I love from afar, smells like pickle juice when it interacts with my skin chemistry. I could go on, but you get the idea. It's a matter of both style AND chemistry, and the only way to know is to try it out for yourself.

Thanks Will, thats really helpful and quite interesting and explains why something that may smell nice on someone else or on paper as you said might smell vile on oneself. Nobody wants to smell like pickle juice no matter how much they may like pickles. Tragic. Style is something altogether different but I can see what you mean. Very complex. You may have seen a thread a while back where off beat fragrances were being discussed, a couple of the members were discussing Xpec and one described it as the smell of "old lady chain smokers" and another as what he imagined "cologne for a corpse" smells like. I'm not sure the maker of the soap was going for that but with fragrance I guess its like a box of chocolates sometimes.
Thanks again for your blogs I really enjoy them.
Mark

I recently got the Lavanille tonique and I'm blown away with the scent and longevity.
I see it as a high end cologne at a very reasonable price.
It's also versatile enough that if I use it as an aftershave splash all over my face, the scent does not overwhelm me or anyone else.
This is a masterpiece, imho.

used dickens again yesterday love it....