Looking for Specific Recommendations...

[shavepunx]

i am very new to being interested in fragrances beyond my stand-by scents that i discovered i like years ago, and will do my best to describe what it is i am looking for.

i am into very earthy/herbal/musky/floral fragrances. i generally just use nemat's egyptian musk, patchouli, or nag champa on their own. egyptian musk is my all time favorite. there is also a product called "zum mist" by a company called indigo wild that comes in a "sea salt" scent that i love, but im not sure what is in it. i can at least detect lemon and patchouli i think but cannot say for sure.

ive recently tried paa's take on plum japonais on a whim and have found that i really like it, which is surprising for me because i dont normally like straight up cologne/perfume. there is something about a lot of colognes that i cannot necessarily put my finger on, but i really dont like it. the best way for me to describe it is a stringent sort of scent that smells like it's going for a stereotypical, chemically "man" smell.

i really like citrus scents too as long as they are not too reminiscent of floor cleaner. i have not yet tried acqua di parma but that is something i intend to do.

im looking for recommendations for things that are in my wheelhouse based on what ive elaborated on here. things that are less like a cologne and more like a collection of natural scents, if that even makes any sense. i am mostly looking for low cost high value stuff but am open to suggestions outside of that too of course.

hopefully ive done an okay job of articulating myself here.

 

[steffenapelz]

If earthy/herbal/musky/floral and collection of natural scents is a must, then consider the following, all of which I know well because I own them:

- Diptyque "Tam Dao" (you may like the EdP better than the EdT...try it at Nordstroms)
- Geo Trumper "Curzon"
- Comme des Garcons Monocle "Hinoki"
- Comme des Garcons Monocle "Laurel"
- Creed "Royal Mayfair"
- Floris "Elite"
- Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier "Santal Noble"
- Byredo "Sellier"

Now...most of these are expensive. The reason is that most fragrances that smell less chemical and more natural use better ingredients and often natural extracts. Those are expensive and won't be performing as well, either. Out of the ones above, Curzon and Floris Elite are going to be the most budget friendly, but they are still more than most of what goes in the designer world on FragranceX etc.

My only real budget-friendly option is:

- Givenchy Les Parfums Mythiques "Xeryus"

but I will be honest...I haven't used it in ages because it is just not as good as what I listed above.

You really have put yourself in a pickle with your preferences...you SHOULD be looking for more expensive options with tour criteria...

So here are some perfumers I recommend you sample via Luckyscent or some other sampling company:

- Les Indemodables (superb natural scents with the best ingredients)
- Rogue Perfumery (mad genius using as natural ingredients as possible)
- Carthusia (based in Capri...make nice natural feeling scents)
- Penhaligon's (stick with the older school stuff like Halfeti, Castille or Juniper Sling)

Hope this helps.

 

[steffenapelz]

To add...even Xeryus is no longer budget-friendly because it seems it is no longer in production...so only available on the secondary market and with a markup.

 

[The Knize]

From the first paragraph it sounds like you would like incense and patchouli scents, among others. I would not buy anything without trying it first. There are any number of incense scents out there. You might like Czech & Speake 88, which I think of as dark rose and incense, but it is rather unique. Not inexpensive. You might also like some of the frankincense or olibanum scents out there. I think Mazzolari has one. Other Italian makers have them.

My favorite patchouli is Lorenzo Villoresi's Patchouli. Seems a rather pure patchouli to me. Available at discount through places like Frangrance. net. Mazzolari's Patchouli is a very different take. Very dark and powerful. I love it. You might, too. Mazzolari's regular patchouli is nice, but much lighter. These will not be inexpensive.

I would say the LV citrusy scents such as acqua di colonia and umono (sp?) are rather uncleaner like. I would not look to Penhaligon's for non cleaner like citrus, although their scents are favorits of mine.

 

[Shavy Crockett]

Reading your brief, two fragrances quickly sprang to mind: Un Jardin Sur Le Nil and Un Jardin Sur Le Toit, both from the house of Hermes.

Hermes' Un Jardin series of fragrances all seek to evoke the olfactory experience of standing in a garden- though what sort of garden will vary according to which perfume you choose. Sur Le Nil brings to mind a lush, almost aquatic, sort of riverside garden full of juicy and refreshing fruit, moist herbs, sunshine, and sweet loamy earth. Sur Le Toit, on the other hand, is apparently based on a rooftop garden at Hermes' corporate headquarters in Paris, France, and likewise offers notes of fruit, herbs and earth, while also capturing the fragrance of fresh mown, dewy grass and florals.

The entire Un Jardin line is probably worth sampling, but the two mentioned above are those that I have most enjoyed and chosen to include in my own collection, and therefore feel comfortable recommending. These are marketed as unisex and 1.7 oz bottles can be had for well under $100 USD. You should also probably note that these fall on the brighter end of the green and earthy fragrances spectrum and are not particularly dark, woody, or especially earthy. They do, in my experience, smell natural and effectively capture some of the breezy, refreshing, majesty of vibrant gardens full of plants and fruits and soil and fresh air.

 

[The Knize]

Sorry, I meant Mazzolari Liu is dark and powerful. A different take on patchouli.

 

[Trevordel]

I THINK what I'm recommending is in line with your notes, but I really like Encore Noire --> https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Lalique/Encre-Noire-1834.html

It's one of my wintertime favorites specifically.

 

[JimmyJoeMeeker]

I THINK what I'm recommending is in line with your notes, but I really like Encore Noire --> https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Lalique/Encre-Noire-1834.html

It's one of my wintertime favorites specifically.

This is the one that came to mind for me too. It also has the benefit of being very inexpensive while not smelling at all cheap. It's heavy on vetiver, so if that's not your bag, look elsewhere.

 

[SRLNY]

I don't have a specific scent in mind to recommend. But what I would recommend is getting yourself to the largest, decent department store you can find near you -- or search for a dedicated perfume shop near you -- or even go to a Sephora and simply try things.

 

[Jens]

I don't know enough about scents to make recommendations, but I am very curious and drawn to scents, so thank you for the input.
One idea I get, extending from the last post above, is that you could also try going to middle-eastern and/or south asian stores where they have a good selection of fragrances -- depending where you live, you should be able to locate a selection of both. In both regions they have very developed scent traditions that in some ways can offer some nice surprises if you are more used to western mainstream vendors. As an example, I am very curious about Oud, and middle eastern stores have a long and developed tradition for Oud scents.
Oh, and by the way:
You may already be aware of it, but the Japanese tradition "Kodo" ("way of fragrance") might also be interesting for you to have a look at, to help pinpoint what scents you are after. See

Kōdō - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Happy hunting..!!

 

[user9]

Bogart One Man Show (original) hits most of those points and can be had for little more than the cost of shipping. It's comparable to Versace L'Homme and Krizia Uomo.

 

[lasta]

Look into Dutch Nassomatto...if you don't mind forgoing the flowers.

Earthy, herbal, musky: Black Afgano
Replace herbal with dark/smokey woods: Duro

For someone who wears Egyptian musk, these should be right up your alley!

 

[shavepunx]

Look into Dutch Nassomatto...if you don't mind forgoing the flowers.

Earthy, herbal, musky: Black Afgano
Replace herbal with dark/smokey woods: Duro

For someone who wears Egyptian musk, these should be right up your alley!

thanks a lot for this, exactly the kind of rec i was looking for.

do you have any experience purchasing from decantx? most of what i can find about it are people claiming it is legit. figured i would ask a member here for a second opinion. it would be nice to purchase a small amount to try first but want to make sure im getting the real mccoy.

 

[shavepunx]

Oh, and by the way:
You may already be aware of it, but the Japanese tradition "Kodo" ("way of fragrance") might also be interesting for you to have a look at, to help pinpoint what scents you are after. See

oh and i meant to reply to you awhile ago and say thanks. im really into japanese culture in general and was not aware of how deep kodo went, thanks for pointing me in this direction. i spent a good deal of time researching this when you originally posted it. very interesting stuff and right up my alley.

 

[lasta]

thanks a lot for this, exactly the kind of rec i was looking for.

do you have any experience purchasing from decantx? most of what i can find about it are people claiming it is legit. figured i would ask a member here for a second opinion. it would be nice to purchase a small amount to try first but want to make sure im getting the real mccoy.

Samples sound like a good idea!

Unfortunately, I haven't bought any frags in some 15 years. So no comment on the vendor.

Used to be active on Basenotes, but after some 200 bottles passing through my hands, I've never bought a single decant. D'oh!