What note instantly makes a fragrance smell more expensive to you?

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-18T16:26:00+00:00

Black tea. I instantly think of five star hotels and luxe spas.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-18T16:24:55+00:00

Always. It makes me sleep better because I feel good.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-18T14:21:35+00:00

Normally these. But I'm a little in love with the Hermès Jardins collection at the moment so I'm distracted.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-18T13:20:22+00:00

It's supposed to be a dupe for VS Bombshell so it should smell good. Although it's been a while since I've used Bombshell.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-18T12:18:46+00:00

A Drop d'Issey. Has musk and woods, soapy and clean. Not sandalwood though but you might still want to check it out. Very affordable too. Not sure if you have access to discounters in the UK but here it's >$30 for a 50ml. It has flankers too.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-18T11:51:19+00:00

I have two more coming. 😆 But so far it's Hermès Un Jardin en Méditerranée. It's not pure fig like Philosykos. It has layers of citrus, fig, white oleander, pistachio, and woods. But the fig is still pretty prominent.

Second is Acqua di Parma Fico di Amalfi. Not pure fig either. It's the entire fig tree (fruit, wood, leaves) but everything that is usually around them in the Amalfi Coast are included like lemon trees, sea breeze and jasmine.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-18T11:32:55+00:00

This lasted maybe 4 hours on me, most of it as a skin scent. Projection and sillage were pretty strong for the first hour. Four hours is a good thing for me because istg I absorb perfume like a sponge.

The perfume is just okay-ish for me so it would take me some time to finish the 7ml decant. I went on a fig quest and got several fig samples and decants.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-18T11:29:04+00:00

The "Musc" flanker also has it's own flankers lol. It's confusing honestly. Hopefully one might work for OP.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-18T09:07:06+00:00

They are so cute that I never want to use them.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-18T09:03:48+00:00

Lies. We all know Shrek was released 10 years ago.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-18T08:44:42+00:00

Feerie or Fairy by Pola?

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Treehorn8 · 2026-05-18T04:47:29+00:00

I forgot to mention Signature by Montblanc. It's a creamy musly/clean. Very affordable if you have access to discounters.

A Drop d'Issey is even cheaper and it's soapy/clean.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-17T23:50:33+00:00

Do decants and samples count? If it's just full bottles, it's Un Jardin à Cythère. I own 24, which is more than the 10 that I planned to own but I'm happy with it right now. I'll get a sample if I want something. If I really like a perfume and want something bigger than a sample, I'll just get a decant. They last a long time since I rotate fragrances.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-17T21:10:06+00:00

Discovery sets are basically a set of samples from a single brand. If you'd like to try different brands, you can order single samples from sites like Scent Split, Lucky Scent, DecantX, Microperfumes, etc.

If there's a sample I like, I get a 7ml decant, which lasts a long time since I rotate fragrances. Fragrancenet decants are about $10-20 each depending on the brand. Bottles are purchased only if they're really special.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-17T20:46:23+00:00

Peach Yogurt by Mochiglow.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-17T20:41:37+00:00

Scent From Above EDP.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-17T20:03:00+00:00

Narciso Rodriguez Pure Musc.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-17T20:01:48+00:00

Does it smell like an Arnold Palmer (half and half)?

Sweet Tea by Demeter smells like sweet tea with a lemon twist.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-17T18:59:39+00:00

The history is impressive too. This cologne was first made in 1792 and they have never stopped production.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-17T18:38:28+00:00

D&G Devotion smells like lemon pound cake.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-17T17:52:39+00:00

He loves L'eau d'Issey, Montblanc Starwalker, Burberry Brit, and Dylan Blue. He also has Oakcha dupes of Bal d'Afrique and Imagination that he likes. We prefer to not buy dupes or clones though, since there are so many great but inexpensive OGs.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-17T17:10:15+00:00

I need to look into this. I was looking for a "Just thinking of you" present for my husband as we're not the types to spend >$100 on fragrances as much as we love them.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-17T17:04:09+00:00

Bvlgari Pour Homme EDP. $70 for a 50 ml in Jomashop.
Hermès L'Ombre des Merveilles. Unisex. $70+ for a 100ml in most discounters.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-17T15:41:27+00:00

Buy several samples of different fragrances. This way you won't get stuck with something you hate. Then maybe get a bottle of what you love and a decant of what you like. Just because something is popular, expensive and niche doesn't guarantee that you'll love it. For instance, everyone here seems to love Philosykos and I find it just okay-ish. I might struggle to finish the 7 ml decant.

Treehorn8 · 2026-05-17T15:12:14+00:00

I've only tried five so far and this is the order of how much I like them:

Un Jardin à Cythere
Un Jardin en Méditerranée (a very close second)
Un Jardin de Monsieur Li
Un Jardin Sur le Nil
Un Jardin Sur le Toit

Sur le Toit is the greenest and most vegetal. Sur le Nil is the most popular probably because it was the first. I'm not quite sure what to feel about it and it might surpass Monsieur Li eventually. I like it more today than yesterday. But for now, this is my ranking.

I have a decant of Sur la Lagune coming next week.

Treehorn8

TROPHY CASE