PERFUME

Oh Mon Dieu: Les Bains Guerbois Discovery Set

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Warning: probably one too many French words to follow, I got number one on Duolingo this week.

How did I discover Les Bains Guerbois’ Discovery Set?

There’s a TikTok account @chamberof lilith that does extraordinary work in compiling really interesting fragrances in really creative categories, and I think they featured an oud from the French perfumers’ stable.

I am always on the search for an oud that is like D&G’s Velvet Desert version but way less spendy.

Thus, I search engined the brand and discovered their set: nine samples of eau de parfum from the Une Date, Une Histoire collection, plus three samples from the new Formes & Matières collection, including the Oud Laquè I was interested in. All of this for €40–plus! a discount which at the time was €30 off my first order*.

The presentation, c’est splendide.

I wasn’t sure about the oud! It got very confusing testing all the samples; some didn’t suit as expected, some were so borderline, it took me ages to decide, but for me the clear winner was Raku, a lemony-cedary combo with a dash of white musk. It is refreshingly sensual, and I wish Les Bains had like soap and a candle and body wash: I would live in this scent.

So I ordered 30ml of Raku which was €90 (sacre bleu), and selected the Oud for the complimentary 10ml that was on offer.

Encore, la présentation:

Everything about ittttttttt.

I’m going to pretend I know what I’m talking about right now, but the dry down is so interesting: it doesn’t seem to last long at first, but then hours later I’ll catch the scent of it, like I just walked past myself???

Okay, maybe I don’t sound like I know what I’m talking about it.

How about this: it’s like it’s a sexy rumor.

I also like the oud better than I thought, and am glad I got so much of it. Plus! I got another lil sample of Raku, one of those tiny vials, perfect for the handbag.

Highly recommend this; soz no shipping to the US.

FUN FACT: The building they are in was a famous nightclub called Les Bains Douches; I talked my way in when I lived in Paris. It’s now a five star hotel.

Cliquez ici! Les Bains Guerbois

*Website says €40 off an order of €180.

Right, FR.ed: Let’s See What You Said

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Hey, this is fun! Thanks to The Perfume Society {www.perfumesociety.org}, you can use their clever fragrance editor, or FR.ed, for short, to figure out how to expand your vocabulary or scent — or possibly replace something long and lamentably gone.

It’s easy: Just type in your responses to the internet’s easiest form. I had a blast from the past and remembered how much I had loved Jil Sander from the 90s. It was, I thought, the only Jil Sander fragrance in the world, but no: there was a much longer list than I suspected possible. A quick Google, and I found that the EDP that I’m thinking of is No. 4. This perhaps points up the limitations in scent in duty free more than anything else, and also what’s available in Ireland.

FR.ed simple quiz

And I’m also presuming that anyone anywhere in the world still carries this particular perfume. Anyway! Let’s go.

FR.ed Jil results

Hmmm. I actually had some Boucheron and remember it to be much sweeter than I remember the Sander to be. Also, Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle seems a sweeter match than I would have thought… it doesn’t help, I suppose that I haven’t smelled the Sander in donkey’s.

I’m almost out of Coco by Chanel, which I haven’t worn in years. I noticed that it was almost gone and reckoned I may as well Use It All Up, and fell in love with it all over again. Here’s the results from this edit:
FR.ed Coco results

Cinnabar? Helllllloooo 1970s, hang on a sec, I’ve got some perfume that wants to talk to you. I’m interested in the Penhaligons simply because I haven’t ever tried anything from them — are they pricey? {Uh, whoops!} Eh. I can still buy the Coco, so no big deal.

Well, that was fun. I may try to see if I can actually get the original somewhere*, but if not, I think a visit to Macy’s ground floor goes on the holiday to-do list…

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Play with FR.ed here.

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* Hey hey! Sold! Heart you/hate you, internet!

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