So, I recently had a bit of success with my oft-neglected fragrance collecting habit. Figured I'd use it as an excuse to talk about My Favorite Frag.
When I started out sniffing notes and going through that phase of hunting down my 'Holy Grail Signature Scent', it didn't take very long for my nose to decide that Erolfa on my skin was the addictive Best Thing Ever.
And then I spent probably five or six years trying to find something to replace it, because Creed prices are absurd and I am not particularly wealthy.
Nothing ever really scratched that itch in the same way.
Anyway, I recently found a couple of old discontinued frags in my collection and decided to see what I could get for 'em. Gucci Envy and YSL M7's older formulation. In the end, I converted those two into a used 2013 batch bottle of Erolfa and a full new bottle of IA Every Storm a Serenade for about $80 and $60, respectively, with some cash left over to stock up on some Stirlings.
Erolfa: I don't think I have a good enough nose to know exactly -why- I'm addicted to this one. I don't think it's the best or prettiest Creed, though I do believe it's the best impression of Creed's "signature accord", that musky ambergris-heavy base. There's some outstanding citrus on top that reminds me a bit of another Creed Favorite, Selection Verte', but if you blink you'll miss it.
Part of it might be my environment. Erolfa's great in the heat. It's the same reason M7 and Envy didn't really entrance me. I'm in South Central Texas, so we have about 8 months of Summer weather a year. M7 gets sweetly cloying and tough to wear too often.
I'm actually not a great fan of 'Aquatics' as a rule, and I can be hesitant to throw Erolfa into that category, but it really is. ( Guess technically, a 'Marine' ) I still haven't found anything really similar to it. I've owned Bvlgari Aqva, which I hear compared to Erolfa from time to time, but there's no similarity to my nose.
IA Every Storm a Serenade: I tested this one out on a recommendation here. It's very much a scent that my imagination would've constructed given the chance to say, "Salty ambergris, but throw in some pine and vetiver." Now, I don't have the nose to even know if such a thing would be a good idea, but that's what I get from ESaS and I really enjoy it. I don't get as much Pine as I'd like from it ... Be interested in layering it on some Stirling Coniferous or similar. It reminds me a bit of something between Sel de Vetiver and Sel Marin.
If I have a complaint about it, it's that the dry grassy vetiver jumps out a bit too much at me. I -like- vetiver, but it gives a bit of warmth and dryness to the scent when I'm wanting it to be more ... "Storm"y.
Anyone a fan of either of these scents? Any comparisons you can think of, or good layering experiments?
When I started out sniffing notes and going through that phase of hunting down my 'Holy Grail Signature Scent', it didn't take very long for my nose to decide that Erolfa on my skin was the addictive Best Thing Ever.
And then I spent probably five or six years trying to find something to replace it, because Creed prices are absurd and I am not particularly wealthy.
Nothing ever really scratched that itch in the same way.
Anyway, I recently found a couple of old discontinued frags in my collection and decided to see what I could get for 'em. Gucci Envy and YSL M7's older formulation. In the end, I converted those two into a used 2013 batch bottle of Erolfa and a full new bottle of IA Every Storm a Serenade for about $80 and $60, respectively, with some cash left over to stock up on some Stirlings.
Erolfa: I don't think I have a good enough nose to know exactly -why- I'm addicted to this one. I don't think it's the best or prettiest Creed, though I do believe it's the best impression of Creed's "signature accord", that musky ambergris-heavy base. There's some outstanding citrus on top that reminds me a bit of another Creed Favorite, Selection Verte', but if you blink you'll miss it.
Part of it might be my environment. Erolfa's great in the heat. It's the same reason M7 and Envy didn't really entrance me. I'm in South Central Texas, so we have about 8 months of Summer weather a year. M7 gets sweetly cloying and tough to wear too often.
I'm actually not a great fan of 'Aquatics' as a rule, and I can be hesitant to throw Erolfa into that category, but it really is. ( Guess technically, a 'Marine' ) I still haven't found anything really similar to it. I've owned Bvlgari Aqva, which I hear compared to Erolfa from time to time, but there's no similarity to my nose.
IA Every Storm a Serenade: I tested this one out on a recommendation here. It's very much a scent that my imagination would've constructed given the chance to say, "Salty ambergris, but throw in some pine and vetiver." Now, I don't have the nose to even know if such a thing would be a good idea, but that's what I get from ESaS and I really enjoy it. I don't get as much Pine as I'd like from it ... Be interested in layering it on some Stirling Coniferous or similar. It reminds me a bit of something between Sel de Vetiver and Sel Marin.
If I have a complaint about it, it's that the dry grassy vetiver jumps out a bit too much at me. I -like- vetiver, but it gives a bit of warmth and dryness to the scent when I'm wanting it to be more ... "Storm"y.
Anyone a fan of either of these scents? Any comparisons you can think of, or good layering experiments?
