Czech & Speake no.88

[tehtimmeh]

Perhaps the LC and I share a similar body chemistry or less a than discerning olfactory!

I don't have a very refined sense of smell, that is I can't pick out each and every note in a fragrance. I rely on SWMBO's nose. Citrus Paradisi was OK, she didn't crinkle her nose at the scent like she did with Cuba, but she didn't say "Mmmm, nice!"

She hated the Neroli, but loves Pen's Castile. Go figure.

Speaking of Pen's, she really liked their masculine scents so much that she tried a few of the feminine and now wears Malabah and Liliy and Spice on a regular basis.

Maybe I am an anomaly. I am probably the only person here at B&B who does not care for the scent of Pen's English Fern EdT. The shaving soap smells wonderful, though.

I bought a decant of Creed's vintage Private Tabarome from TPC. I don't like it either.

I'll be happy to take that decant of Tabarome off your hands

 

[Silk]

Thanks for your response on this! I'm terrible when it comes to replying to folks on forums, but it's time to mend my ways It seems like fans of Czech & Speake perfumes are in the minority here (which is perhaps not surprising given the strong statement that most of them seem to be aiming for). I am 100% with you on being fascinated by virtually all of them - if these perfumes were people, they would most definitely be among the most well-travelled, colourful, and interesting people you know...

Citrus Paradisi is really great stuff. I think that anyone who takes the "Citrus" in the name too literally is missing the point of this one completely. I find that it does have some nice grapefruit tones in the early stages, but these burn off pretty quickly, and then something very interesting happens: all the other elements seem to slowly come together and present a very convincing kind of "olfactory illusion" of grapefruit. You've got the orange blossom / neroli (I've never really been able to distinguish between these two...), the herbs, the moss-sulphur-ambergris thing, and this combination - in addition to smelling terrific - smells very much like grapefruit. It's a very clever way to manipulate a scent, IMHO - I must admit, though, that I enjoy the dry-down much more than the rest of the performance (that ambergris is like catnip to me ).

The "Rose" that didn't work out for me was just plain Rose... Rose, Mimosa, and Oxford & Cambridge all take a nasty turn on my skin. I also get the "stomach turning" effect from the first two - not that they are revolting smells, but something in them literally makes my head spin (it feels almost like motion sickness). The gents posting about "stomach turning" experiences with these perfumes thus have my deepest sympathies (same goes for anyone who can't enjoy the smell of C & S Cuba). The Rose smells truly delightful on the wife, however, and it doesn't make my head spin when she wears it (not in a bad way, at least ).

Dark Rose is one of my favourite smells of all time - I love roses, but the saffron / oud in the opening just floors me every time I smell it. I've held out on buying a full bottle, though, because I'd like to try Black Aoud first (the consensus seems to be that Black Aoud is like a better and more potent Dark Rose - I'm curious to hear if you agree with this?).

Enjoy your weekend!
~Nathan

Really good notes in this thread, including but not limited to the posts below. I will be straight up, right up front, though. I like (or at least fascinated by) virtually every C&S! Maybe not Mimosa on me, for instance.



I really like everything you said. Citrus Paradisi does have good tenacity. Is that Dark Rose or the regular, just plain C&S Rose? I bet whichever it is, it could be scintillating on a woman.

 

[The Knize]

Great comments. You have me fired up about C&S frags . . . again!

<orange blossom / neroli (I've never really been able to distinguish between these two...)>

I think these are in fact exactly the same thing, or at least neroli is from a particular type of orange blossom! Neroli "is an oil from the blossom of the bitter orange tree (Citrus aurantium var. amara or Bigaradia)."

Your discussion of CP is wonderful! There was a time when I was utterly fascinated by and smitten with CP. I sought of moved on, not that I ever completely stopped wearing it. But after your description, I may have to spend some time with it again. A scent that is right in your face!

Regular "Rose" seemed just a tea rose to me, and quite feminine. I was never able to figure out a use for it or, say, Pens Elisabethan Rose, for myself. They did not seem to work by themselves for me.

Interestingly, at first I really did not like Mimosa, even for a woman. I just can't imagine it on a man. But one day I re-sampled it and it seemed like it would be wonderful on a woman. Very straight forward floral with some sharpness to it. My wife tried to but it seemed very fecal to her. I did not get fecal at all from this scent, but I do not doubt my wife.

I thought O&C was insipid at first and did not really get the mint and lavender combination. Then over multiple samplings it really clicked with me. Now the mint and lavender seem like genius to me for some reason.

Dark rose is a beauty, but I think you should try Black Aoud!

Thanks for the notes.

 

[The Last Chimney]

Have you tried Montale's Black Aoud?
...
You and The Last Chimney ought to be comparing notes as to how that could happen! The sense of smell is so diverse. If sight was a diverse as smell, we could not drive automobiles!

I have not tried Black Aoud, because I have not met a rose I liked. Also, anything in the 88 family has no appeal to me. It wasn't unpleasant, but none of its notes caught my attention. . My next sampler will include White Aoud, but that is an entirely different scent!

"Do you see the red light in this scene, Rob? It's brought out pretty clearly by the yellow neon in the middle notes."

"All I get is a smattering of color over a very dark purple or blackish background. I can't distinguish the red light, and honestly, I question whether it's there at all!"

Perhaps the LC and I share a similar body chemistry or less a than discerning olfactory!

I don't have a very refined sense of smell, that is I can't pick out each and every note in a fragrance. I rely on SWMBO's nose.

This is definitely the case for me as well! The less prominent notes tend to blur together to form an unrecognizable hybrid that I may or may like, but will definitely not be able to identify. The notes that I can pick out tend to be accurate, though.

SWMBO has practically no sense of smell, so that doesn't help (or hurt!).

It seems like fans of Czech & Speake perfumes are in the minority here (which is perhaps not surprising given the strong statement that most of them seem to be aiming for). I am 100% with you on being fascinated by virtually all of them - if these perfumes were people, they would most definitely be among the most well-travelled, colourful, and interesting people you know...

Rose, Mimosa, and Oxford & Cambridge all take a nasty turn on my skin. I also get the "stomach turning" effect from the first two

They are very individual scents, and I entirely agree with you there. If there is one theme that C&S is going for with their line, it is "original". Difficult aim for a scent manufacturer, and no surprise that the results are extremely polarizing.

I sympathize with the nausea factor as well! Parardisi and Cuba are the two that really do it for me. I'm actually wearing Cuba right now and it's ruining every breath I take! Coincidentally, both are extremely difficult to wash off.

Interestingly, at first I really did not like Mimosa, even for a woman. I just can't imagine it on a man. But one day I re-sampled it and it seemed like it would be wonderful on a woman. Very straight forward floral with some sharpness to it. My wife tried to but it seemed very fecal to her. I did not get fecal at all from this scent, but I do not doubt my wife.

Odd. Mimosa was the only scent in the entire line that I really liked. I'm a huge jasmine buff and this was a very natural and pleasant jasmine scent with some other unidentified florals rounding it out and keeping it from being too one-dimensional. It really is more of a feminine note, but I don't care!

I can't detect even a hint of a fecal note here, but pure jasmine EO is supposed to have a strong indolic aspect. This is probably what your wife is smelling.

I am waiting with bated breath for my Serge Lutens A La Nuit sample, which is supposed to be a study on the budding, flowering, and decay of the jasmine plant. I am expecting a blast of indole and hoping it won't turn me off to the scent!