Question:
How can this be -- I tried Fleur De Rocaille, and I was nauseous from it. Next day, I loved it. Bellodgia -- I was overwhelmed by the heavy, old-fashioned sweetness. Two days later, it smelled fresh and gorgeous to me. Bond's West Side -- I was like "Phewww!"' One week later, I found it to be one of the most exquisite scents ever -- I couldn't stop sniffing myself.
Can someone explain this to me? I mean, I REALLY hated these fragrances -- and within a few days to a week later, I couldn't live without them!

Answer:
just because quality perfumes are more profound, they take more time to reveal their complexity and depth, they tell a unique story unlike trendy 'smell-good' scents.
people are now used to mass marketed fragrances that smell good right away and appeal to the widest consumers groups possible, the result? they all smell inviting, fresh and pleasing at Sephora to maximize impulse purchases but two weeks later you find out how terribly boring they are...and you go buy another one! 500 new perfumes a year, it 's all about profits and definitely not about artistic integrity.

Answer:
Originally Posted by KrystineHope
Can someone explain this to me? I mean, I REALLY hated these fragrances -- and within a few days to a week later, I couldn't live without them! I do this often too. I call myself "fickle"
Seriously, for me, fragrance is situational. Sometimes I need to be in the mood for certain scents and sometimes not. Also, I find it very difficult to pick perfume when I'm trying them in a store. The air is full of other scents that will give a false reading.
You also described the Caron fragrances -- I found the same, with Bellodgia and with Fleurs de Rocailles -- one day, it's great, the next, yuck! Finally, after trying Narcisse Noir three times as it took me this long to commit to buying a bottle.
Other scents, the the Guerlain ones, I tried them, love them then, and still love them now.
Go figure.... fickle, I say.

Answer:
I do this too. I think it's because these perfumes tend to be more complex. Often when I love a scent right away it starts to bore me very quickly. Those trendy, mass market fragrances will grab me for a moment and then let me go just as fast. Regretably I've made a few department store impulse purchases in the past and have full bottles sitting on my shelf to show for it.
The perfumes I fall in love with long-term seem to be the ones I had to learn to love. They might have overwhelmed me at first, but over time I start to appreciate them more and more.
I can completely identify with the need to be in a certain mood to enjoy a certain scent. The first time I sampled Tom Ford's Black Orchid, it was the middle of the day in the middle of a department store. I found it overpowering and wanted to wash it off immediately. I got my hands on a sample and tried it again a few weeks later... this time in the evening. I couldn't believe how much I loved it. I think any fragrance needs a second test. My opinions change so frequently that I refuse to buy or reject any more perfumes without being absolutely sure.

Answer:
My opinions change so frequently that I refuse to buy or reject any more perfumes without being absolutely sure.[/quote]
Same with me -- I have to be sure. And that can take some time, as opposed to the way I used to spritz, wait a few minutes, sniff and purchase.
No more -- I've learned I have to live with a scent for a while before I buy.

Answer:
This is why I prefer samples to buying full bottles. It's cheaper, and I'm too fickle to be sure if I really want something.
After a two weeks of loving and wearing a Mitsouko decant, I thought I'd buy a bottle. I sprayed the brand-new bottle of Mitsouko on my wrist and immediately smelled something extremely bitter. I thought I might have received a bottle that had gone off so I sprayed some of my decant on my other wrist, and it was extremely bitter as well - like sucking on a cheap spoon!
I had the same experience with TBS Amorito. I loved it for a week and then one day it was nauseating.
I think you need to pay attention to your body chemistry. I've noticed that there are days of the months where I simply can't wear fragrance because I'm too hormonal (maybe it affects my sense of smell?). Also the weather can play a big part in how a scent develops on your skin.

Answer:
I would like to re-stress the 3-day rule because of the very same experience. Just test a scent for three days. Either will you like it or hate it on the 3rd day. First day impression is usually false. I agree with Carons and Guerlains. Mostly yuck followed with mhmmm - heaven.

Answer:
I was like this with Musc Ravageur. I didn't hate it initially, but I thought it was OK. Then after aquiring a sample, I love it and am saving for a bottle (payday soon!)
Mitsouko is a funny old scent. It was my signature scent for years and years. Lately I went off it. One day I put it on and something weird happened and I had to scrub it off! Then I wore it again during Guerlain week and loved it. Scents can just be like this, especially the more complex ones.

Answer:
Originally Posted by Alicka61 I would like to re-stress the 3-day rule because of the very same experience. Just test a scent for three days. Either will you like it or hate it on the 3rd day. First day impression is usually false. I agree with Carons and Guerlains. Mostly yuck followed with mhmmm - heaven. YES -- My experience was the exact opposite with Les Nuits D'Hadrien. Spritzed it in the store, and all day I was loving it. I bought a bottle the following day, and from the very first wearing, I detested the scent. It's not often that I test a new fragrance and am right on about it. In fact, it's almost never!

Answer:
KrystineHope, you and all the wise writers in this thread have arrived at the very nexus of why we visit and then stay long term at Basenotes and like sites. There's more to fragrance than a simple sniff test. Using this nose-organ, we light up neurons in our brains and actually learn to read and interpret molecules. Some people come to this easily, and I'm so glad those of you are amongst us to teach us. Most of us, I included, need some instruction about enjoying the creative works of art perfumers put in bottles.
This is the lesson of "fragrance appreciation." Most people live out their lives having no knowledge of it. You are lucky to have graduated to this most important question!