Comments on: Quick Sniffs: The Different Company Sublime Balkiss, Divine L’Homme de Coeur, Armani Prive Pierre de Lune, Guerlain Sous le Vent

By: Nathan Branch

Nathan Branch — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:02:21 +0000

Oh crap. Now I want to find some of the original Rose Poivree!
I love that you wear specific fragrances to bed. The BF raises holy hell if I jump into the sack still smelling of anything that can be noted within a 2″ radius. I’ve had to shower off any number of soul-soothing scents . . .

By: Tara

Tara — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:11:52 +0000

TDC scents are not very potent or long-lasting, except for Sel de Vetiver on me. Rose Poivree has been reformulated to remove a fair bit of the skank – it is more sedate and rosy now. It was unwearable when first released (to me).
As for Sublime Balkiss, it was just okay, as was Pierre de Lune, which I could hardly smell.
I wear L’Homme de Coeur to bed, it is very soothing and calming – love that dusty silvery iris note.
Sous le Vent is my favorite “herbal” scent. Love the legend behind it too (Josephine Baker).

By: Nathan Branch

Nathan Branch — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:17:00 +0000

Sharil, thanks for chiming in on the TDC. I was afraid of the longevity aspect, and this makes me not want to do a whole lot of exploring of the line.
Like you said, I don’t expect 8-12 hours, and most days, that can just be way too much longevity anyway, but 5 hours is a good target, and when something I’m wearing pretty much drops any pretense at heavy lifting after only 2 to 3 hours, I’m not inclined to think positive thoughts.

By: sharil

sharil — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:04:01 +0000

My take: Rose Poivree has a civet note that is just too blatant. For me, it’s unwearably skanky, but I seem to be particularly sensitive to that note so you may like it. Bois d’Iris is lovely, but fleeting. Overall, that’s a problem with The Different Company: their scents have a transparency that is initially appealing but ultimately leads to poor longevity. I am not in the camp that expects a scent to last 8-10 hours on my skin because I think that would probably make the first couple of hours nigh unbearable, but I think 4 hours or say, half of a workday, is a reasonable expectation. You won’t get that with TDC.

By: Nathan Branch

Nathan Branch — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 09:14:32 +0000

Okay, you’re the second one to chime in with support for TDC, so I’ll do my best to erase this bad first impression and start again. The Rose Poivree is getting consistent high praise from a number of quarters, and while I’m not much of a Bergamot/Citrus fan, I’ll search it out nonetheless.
I’ve also heard their Osmanthus is really good, and as I mentioned previously, I have the Sel de Vetiver waiting in the wings . . .
But yeah, the Sublime Balkiss — what were they thinking? A watery fruity-floral with a watery patchouli base? No thanks.

By: Dane

Dane — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:38:53 +0000

Oh no! I had such high hope for Balkiss (I still laugh whenever I read that name…teehee). Don’t give up on TDC just yet though, they have some amazing stuff (Divine Bergamote and Rose Poivree being my favourites).

By: Nathan Branch

Nathan Branch — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:08:13 +0000

Okay, first off, someone obviously needs to figure out a way to plunk you smack dab into the middle of that louche life you so thoroughly deserve.
Second, I agree about the Armani. It would be incredibly easy to just keep on sprayin’! It really is a terrific piece of work, and what genius to make it so expensive yet so subtle that you keep applying more and more and more . . . until (mon dieu!) the bottle’s gone! It’s too bad it’s not more affordable — I’d love to smell it more often wafting past me on the sidewalk.
I was really disappointed in the Sublime Balkiss, especially as it’s the very first TDC scent I’ve tried. I’ve heard such good things about the brand, but this one did NOT live up to the hype. I do have Sel de Vetiver waiting in my Test Box, and I’ll have to search out the Rose now that you’ve described it so perfectly . . .

By: ScentScelf

ScentScelf — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:43:53 +0000

Was walking around with Pierre de Lune on my left wrist yesterday. Thank goodness for that, because the right did not pay off. But the Armani was, as you say, incredibly well balanced…such a lovely, simple, quality violet with iris that I could have kept on taking regular hits on it all day. Unfortunately, as you note, it doesn’t last long enough to feed a habit. Had I the scrip, I’d be happy to spend a day smelling so simply divine.
Tried TDC for the first time? I really like Bois d’Iris, and am fascinated-repulsed by the Rose Poivree. (My conclusion was that if I ever had an opportunity to a scent as part of my inhabiting a character, I would wear Rose Poivree whenever playing Morticia Addams. Man, those roses have been in the vase waaaaaay long.
Funny you think of Guerlain as staid…I kind of think of them as capable of being quietly louche…touches of a certain life after hours, decadently rich base running throughout so many scents, so rich yet so tired…you know, the kind of life I would do a much better job at leading than most who get the chance.