Fragrance descriptions - A short Essay

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But they do not allow anyone to register with free emails (Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, Live, and others) but only with paid email accounts, so I am excluded from being able to register.


Yep- you can thank spam for that. The gal that owns/runs/upkeeps the site is a one-woman show, and she found that the best way she seemed to be able to prevent hack attacks and keep spammers from over-running the site was to require folks to register with paid e-mails, which happily is the only requirement to join.

Also the site is old and haven`t been updated in a long time? Or are there perhaps secret boards you get access to after logging in?

The site has been around for a while, but folks are always posting new reviews on it (I've posted quite a few myself) . You have to be a member to be able to see the whole site.

Here's another review site that was started by a forum member some time ago: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...Rf1M/edit?authkey=CMTEtswL&pref=2&pli=1#gid=0


IrishLass :)
 
Ridiculously verbose reply...with a few helpful (hopefully) suggestions...

Sometimes I feel getting fantastic fragrances is like the lottery.
I have to rely on description, reviews and sometimes just dumb luck to be able to get any fragrance oils that I love.

Testerbottles are out of the question because shipping is so insane to Norway, that it is better for me to take a chance and just get a big bottle right away, and hope for the best.
...
But then you get the bottle in hand, and you just don`t know what these guys have been sniffin` lately, to be able to come up with descriptions that isn`t even close to what I smell.
...
But then again, it all could be just my nose...

I realize that you were probably just looking to commiserate with all of us struggling with the same issues. I can certainly do so. Whether it is a bottle of wine or perfume, even accurate descriptions fail to convey proportion. Is the "note" listed prominent or only discernible to the truly discriminating? Am I the only one disappointed that Jo Malone's Lime, Mandarin, and Basil was so lime-centric and mandarin-light or at the number of fruity descriptions ("redolent of honeyed nectarines") for dry wine? My personal pet peeve is descriptions that are evocative of a feeling only with no actual information. (Mad Oils' Hedonic Tonic comes to mind; the description is quoted below).

This libidinous fragrance is sure to get your pheromones flowing. With hints of sage and light subtle minty undertone, this energizing potion is decidedly decadent. Men are drawn to this scent when asked to choose a fragrance for themselves.​
Concocted in our pleasure lab, Hedonic Tonic will not disappoint. Super fresh and perfect for the warmer months! Smells unique and yet.... something familiar is in there.​
If the sage is subtle and the mint an undertone, what the heck is it that you smell? Is there a comparison to draw...Irish Spring, Herbal Essence Shampoo, herb garden with tomato plants in place of rosemary, etc) In fairness, I bought the stuff just to figure it out...so the marketing works.

Whether or not you were looking for suggestions, I have actually figured out a few solutions that work for me. I don't live OUTCONUS, but still want to minimize wasting money, fuel, packaging, and space on scents I should have known I would hate.

First, if the FO happens to be a dupe (as almost all of Nurture's are), I consult Fragrantica. They have a section of iconography that tells you the notes that appear in the fragrance, and more importantly, one that represents users' rankings of what they discern. Sweet Cakes lists the notes in their Hermes Eau des Merveilles dupe, but consulting Fragrantica gives me this helpful graphic (Labels appear when you hover the mouse over the images on the site; the following, in order, on the "Perfume Pyramid" are: orange, lemon, elemi resin, amber, pink peppercorn, violet, pepper, fir, oakmoss, cedar, and vetiver.)
Fragantica.png


When I am deliberating on an FO that is specific to a vendor, I call customer service. This serves several purposes. While scent is certainly subjective, the representative is not attempting to decorate their description with poetic prose. They usually only mention distinguishable notes in the order that they perceive them. More importantly, I am typically on the hunt for a particular component to complete a vision. I can articulate exactly what it is that I am in pursuit of and what I am not:
-a straight ocean scent with no discernible floral, fruit, or woods
- the smell of fresh snow as opposed to a winter landscape of spruce or pine

I can also ask a question specific to my concerns that may help me choose between vendors. I have found that even people who are not glib of tongue often have definitive answers to inquiries framed for multiple choice or yes/no responses.
- Is your iteration of OMH more almond-centric, spicy, creamy, or heavy on the sugar?
- Is the lavender in "Chamomile Lavender" the more traditional, camphorous 40/20 variety or a floral rendition akin to the flowers in bloom?
- Is "Maculine Musk" the scent of a sexy man...or his cologne?
- Would you classify "Hydrogen" as a water scent?

I know that not all companies provide a that level of customer service. However, it has became a litmus test as to whether I will order from them. Sweet Cakes lost me early because of its unwillingness to respond to any question, regardless of how basic, by phone or email. ( Despite the IFRA party line they spouted, I wanted to know which of the fragrances I would like to order contained DEP.) Frankly, I am willing to pay more money to support those businesses that support me as I feel it is less costly/wasteful long-term.

I am currently most impressed with Nurture Soap, Mad Oils, and Majestic Mountain Sage, Bramble Berry, and Camden Grey. NS, MO, and MMS almost always have a knowledgeable human available to answer the phone! Nuture gets a special shout out for the owner personally taking my call and fixing an inventory glitch to allow me to place a single order (hence a single shipping fee). Bramble Berry rarely answers the phone but always returns those messages left by 4:00pm that day. Camden Grey is never available by phone, but has been quick to reply to any questions or concerns submitted by email.
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Also the site
is old and haven`t been updated in a long time? Or are there perhaps secret boards you get access to after logging in?

Not sure what you mean by updated. Do you mean the software hasn't been updated? That does seem to be true.

If you mean the information hasn't been updated, the forum runs on its members contributions. I personally just posted a review today.

I don't know anything about any "secret" boards.

I do wish they wouldn't limit it to paid email addresses.
 
MMS has its own forum but it's not very active. I think the fact that they don't allow non MMS products to be discussed limits their traffic. Brambleberry also has a board called Teach Soap and it's pretty active (though not as active as this).

Remember to contribute to our Scent Review Charts!
 
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Yep- you can thank spam for that. The gal that owns/runs/upkeeps the site is a one-woman show, and she found that the best way she seemed to be able to prevent hack attacks and keep spammers from over-running the site was to require folks to register with paid e-mails, which happily is the only requirement to join.

The site has been around for a while, but folks are always posting new reviews on it (I've posted quite a few myself) . You have to be a member to be able to see the whole site.

Here's another review site that was started by a forum member some time ago: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...Rf1M/edit?authkey=CMTEtswL&pref=2&pli=1#gid=0


IrishLass :)

Thanks for the info, IL! I totally understand why she had to start doing that then. Spam is ruining it for everyone these days.

I have read the spreadsheet many times before, and I have it on my computer because it is very helpfull. I have found one or two of NG scents I like there: )

The unfortunate issue with most of the scents that I really want to have, is that they have flashpoints below 200. So it is really a tedious task of finding scents.
 
When I am deliberating on an FO that is specific to a vendor, I call customer service.

I am currently most impressed with Nurture Soap, Mad Oils, and Majestic Mountain Sage, Bramble Berry, and Camden Grey. NS, MO, and MMS almost always have a knowledgeable human available to answer the phone! Nuture gets a special shout out for the owner personally taking my call and fixing an inventory glitch to allow me to place a single order (hence a single shipping fee).

Thanks for your reply, it was a big one, so thank you for the effort, it is so very much appreciated that you took the time to do all that work!
I apologize if it seems like I cut this short, but just wanted to reply as best as I could.

First, I love fragrantica! I have had an account there for around 6 years now, so I have found that the vast knowledgebase of the things you mentioned (notes, undertones, etc). have made it so much easier for me to find the type of scents I gravitate towards.

Ditto on the descriptions that are based on feelings no actual information.

Some brands of cosmetics do the same, and.it.drives.me batty.

How am I supposed to know how a smoth, silky layer of pure bliss will look like?

Customer service is important, for sure! But I live in Norway, we don`t have soap suppliers here.
So I can`t call the ones overseas on the phone. Well, I perhaps can, but it is ca-razy expensive. So I stick to emailing. That may have some limits, but it is the only way I can get help that way, so far it is ok. (and also, I don`t have to put the poor CS through listening to my - probably very strange and not so charming - Norwegian accent) *cough*

Nurture have fantastic CS, they answer crazy fast! To me getting a reply 12-24 hours after I emailed is fantastic. Carrie is a peach!

You mention other places to order from, at the moment those are unfortunately not an option for me since the shipping quote I get from them is hilarious. BrambleBerry - a 5 gram sample of mica will cost me almost $80 the cheapest way. 1 bottle of 16oz fragrance oil comes to around $140. They do not offer cheaper shipping to Norway.

Other sellers either does not ship to Norway, or demand some sort of complex way of doing things, like filling out specific forms on before hand, send them via email, then wait for them to get confirmation from my credit card company that it is valid, etc.. (don`t remember which company that was, but it was a big one that had all sorts of things for DIY cosmetics)
That makes me not even consider them, I just want to put things in cart, see shipping price, pay with paypal, done.

So my go-to options are Natures Garden & Nurture. Love them both, for different reasons: )

Now I am on a lookout for a good, clean ocean type scent, and a beachy type of scent. It have to be 200 flashpoint or else I can`t get it. Luckily NG has a coupple, and Nurture has one too. Will see what scent I end up with!
 


Also the site
is old and haven`t been updated in a long time? Or are there perhaps secret boards you get access to after logging in?

Not sure what you mean by updated. Do you mean the software hasn't been updated? That does seem to be true.

If you mean the information hasn't been updated, the forum runs on its members contributions. I personally just posted a review today.

I don't know anything about any "secret" boards.


I do wish they wouldn't limit it to paid email addresses.

What I mean by "updated" and "secret boards" is that when I - who is not registered as a member - try and find information, all I can see are posts from 2008. And 1 that was updated 2015.

But as IrishLass just told me, the forum is only open to registered users. So anyone who isn`t a member and hence not logged in, will only see a forum that looks like it has been long dead since 2008 ; )

Brambleberry also has a board called Teach Soap and it's pretty active (though not as active as this).

Remember to contribute to our Scent Review Charts!

When I was looking for a soap forum to join I took a quick peek at the teach soap forum, read a little bit, but didn`t like it. It didn`t have a homely feel to it. Probaly because it was owned by a big company, which used the forum to push the brand. Nothing wrong with that! But I wanted something more open and detached from all of that. So I found this place & joined this one instead.
Very happy I did.

I will contribute to the chart as soon as I can figure out what I can add, absolutely! : )
 

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