Question:
L'Instant......... I cannot get it out of my mind............
Ran out of two sample sprays months ago, but yet it still swirls around in my consciousness............ It is amazing, and I must have more soon............
Anyone have similar recurring "phantom pains" from the past............???

Answer:
I had sampled TDC's Bois d'Iris on my wrist several months ago, and for every fragrance I sampled since then, including a few I purchased, there was always a little voice in the background saying, "... but it's not as special as Bois d'Iris ..." Finally I did the sensible thing and bought Bois d'Iris!
Other than that, in my grad student days I often wore a grapefruit fragrance that Czech & Speake used to make. It's long discontinued and would cost me a fortune today if I could even track it down on eBay. So this one haunts me in the sense that I'm always hoping I'll find something new that matches my memory of it. AA Pamplelune was doing the trick for a while, actually, but I'm liking it less these days. (However, I wonder if I'd even like the C&S fragrance as much as I used to.)

Answer:
The first time I requested a sample of Maestrale - Profumi di Pantelleria from luckyscent and sniffed it, I was hooked. I searched Basenotes, makeupalley,...everywhere to see what others said about it. There was nothing. So I said to myself...I must be wrong about this one. For weeks I sniffed other things, but I always came back to Maestrale. You see...to this point I wanted the approval and assurance that other people agreed that this was a great frag. I continued to procrastinate and buy a couple of other things, but always found myself going to luckyscent and looking at the description and the bottle again and again..I even dreamed about this and my inability to decide. Finally for my sanity and as a leap of faith to trust my own likes and tastes, I bought a bottle. I have been smitten since that day.
It was a turning point for me in this hobby. Why? Because I went with my gut without the superficial praise draped over many releases on this forum. I found a favorite and realized that just because a frag is not talked about or praised by the majority, it can still be incredible (for me at least). Do I still look for the frags that get good press (or press at all)? Sure I do, but I learned an important lesson: that when your own gut and intuition speak...act to trust it. Step out on that ledge and trust your own opinion..Maestrale may end up in very few bathroom cabinets, but it is in mine, and I am learning thankfully, that is all that really matters.

Answer:
Before I learned of Basenotes or participated in this forum I heard about Ambre Sultan off a blog I read. The blog writer said it was his 'all time favorite scent'...I felt really stupid because not only had I never heard of Ambre Sultan, I'd never heard of the Serge Lutens line.
For some reason I always remembered the name 'Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan'. I thought the picture of the bottle online looked very 'antiquated' and mysterious. Kinda old school.
I googled it to buy and found (at the time) an online UK store selling it, at a price I couldn't afford.
Fast forward to a couple months ago, I'm shopping in an ultra-trendy Miami Beach shop and as I turn a corner into their fragrance counter, they have SEVEN Serge Lutens scents on the shelf...including Ambre Sultan. I remember my hands were shaking when I gripped the tester bottle, I was so excited to finally have the chance to 'sniff' it.
I sprayed liberally on my wrist and I was completely OBSESSED with the scent for the entire day and for the next couple of weeks until I finally purchased it. I must have sniffed my hand atleast 50 times that day.
I went back to the same store and bought it. I remember the first day I wore it to my office, everything that day seemed to just go 'right'...I was floating on air all day.
Normal people don't act like this, about fragrances...I think we're 'special'

Answer:
Originally Posted by PaulSC I had sampled TDC's Bois d'Iris on my wrist several months ago, and for every fragrance I sampled since then, including a few I purchased, there was always a little voice in the background saying, "... but it's not as special as Bois d'Iris ..." Finally I did the sensible thing and bought Bois d'Iris!
Other than that, in my grad student days I often wore a grapefruit fragrance that Czech & Speake used to make. It's long discontinued and would cost me a fortune today if I could even track it down on eBay. So this one haunts me in the sense that I'm always hoping I'll find something new that matches my memory of it. AA Pamplelune was doing the trick for a while, actually, but I'm liking it less these days. (However, I wonder if I'd even like the C&S fragrance as much as I used to.) PaulSC, I used to have a sample of the discontinued grapefruit fragrance sometimes back in 1997, however I believe the grapefruit fragrance was renamed 'Citrus Paradisi', a SA verbally confirmed this to me a few years ago.
http://www.czechspeake.com/products....id=13&deptid=1

Answer:
Carnal Flower haunts me! Another thing that I can't get out of my mind is, how good perfume version of LV Uomo might be - really hard to find a sample of it.

Answer:
Miel de Bois by Serge Lutens. The raw honey reminds me of a childhood that, perhaps, I've completely idealized. I have to keep a scent strip saturated with it on my desk at all times.

Answer:
Originally Posted by magnnum PaulSC, I used to have a sample of the discontinued grapefruit fragrance sometimes back in 1997, however I believe the grapefruit fragrance was renamed 'Citrus Paradisi', a SA verbally confirmed this to me a few years ago.
http://www.czechspeake.com/products....id=13&deptid=1 A thousand blessings -- thanks for this info! [Edit: Please ignore the musings that follow, my impulsive streak took over and a bottle of C.P. is on its way from Cambridge Chemists...]I vaguely wondered, since Citrus Paradisi appeared at around the same time that Grapefruit disappeared. I will have to track this one down -- not an easy line to sample or purchase from the American west coast, but maybe I'll write to the company directly.

Answer:
I can only think of two that haunted me. (and still do, after all these years)
I was over my male friends house, it was about 25 years ago, and he had this really gorgeous guy over, who was also a musician in his band. The aroma that was surrounding him, was making me crazy, and I asked him what he was wearing, it took about 30 minutes until he told me. It was called Satyr Oil. It probably was a private blend made in NYC. I couldn't for the life of me, find it, and to this day, I haven't smelled anything as good, yummm...
Another time, when I was about 23, I was clubbing, and had a little too much bubbly, and went into the ladies room. This girl came in & was wearing this beautiful, delicious scent, I asked her to tell me what it was, she did, about 5 times, but of course, I couldn't remember it the next day. I was so angry at myself, after that, I always write names down, even though I don't drink anymore...lol...

Answer:
Originally Posted by Dolly Dagger I can only think of two that haunted me. (and still do, after all these years)
I was over my male friends house, it was about 25 years ago, and he had this really gorgeous guy over, who was also a musician in his band. The aroma that was surrounding him, was making me crazy, and I asked him what he was wearing, it took about 30 minutes until he told me. It was called Satyr Oil. It probably was a private blend made in NYC. I couldn't for the life of me, find it, and to this day, I haven't smelled anything as good, yummm...
BPAL has an oil called Satyr. Here is their description:
"Unleash the bawdy, unrestrained passion of the satyr!
A ferociously masculine scent: sexual, vigorous, and truly wild."
I have a sample and this description is pretty much spot on. Its one of the 'dirtiest' (in a good way) scents i have ever tried. I would say its even more sexual than MKK!