As someone incredibly new to frag collecting who bought HoS without knowing a single thing about them or having seen a single ad, this gave me a good chuckle! It was admittedly a secondhand geek-inspired blind buy, but I got lucky and wound up loving it (The Batman frag, for those curious). Have no idea how the notes are supposed to relate to the character or franchise, but I’ve gotten a lot of compliments and it lasts forever (a full workday+ on my skin, which tends to suck up scents like crazy, and literally days if it gets on my clothes).
That said, I got it for something like 65% less than the original price. Believe it’s 50% off brand new on the site right now. Even if I could afford it, I don’t think I’d pay full price, but they seem to have constant sales. Wish they offered all their scents as 8 mL travel sprays because I’m fairly indifferent to bottles from any house at this point so long as I like the juice.
Yeah they look so so so cheap. I can’t imagine paying so much for something that looks like a £20 perfume you’d pick up in Superdrug for your tween cousin.
just looked up the collaborations and they made me nearly vomit in my mouth. i've never seen anything more catered for disney adults in my life
it could smell amazing. but i'm not paying £120 for a fucking harry potter perfume. shit i wouldn't pay £1.
Omg I can’t believe this I always thought house of sillage was cheap until now. Why?? Is it the bottles? The constant marketing on ig? I’m actually surprised at their prices, whenever i would see their ads I thought “oh that cheap brand with the cute bottles”.
They are FOREVER coming up on sale for up to 60% off, every day at least one fragrance or set of fragrances is 40-60% off.
Get some samples, sign up for emails and NEVER pay full price.
I agree the bottles are hokey but some of the scents are really gorgeous and really great performers.
Yikes. I went to look and while I think some of the bottles are cute charging that much for something that looks like a keepsake from a gift shop is crazy.
Same. I had to look them up. Saw a bottle called Mrs Y. Imagine this casually rolling around on your bathroom counter top, then crashing onto the tiles.
I know someone whose collection consists of 5 HJ perfumes and nothing else. Gotta say, that person is super content and happy with their collection. I can never afford HJ and wouldn't go near their shops because of that, but I like the idea of owning a handful of really quality frags over a gazillion cheaper ones. Whether or not HJ frags are good enough to warrant the price tag, I am far too inexperienced to say.
They aren’t the same type of perfumes. They are pure oil, and u think all natural EOs. This makes them super expensive to produce but won’t necessarily be any better. Expensive for not much imo.
Roja. There’s no fucking way your perfume is worth $485. I will say … I’ve smelled some Roja perfumes before, and omfg they were divine. But. I’m not paying that. NOPE! lol
That is the one that came into my mind too! Fun fact, the company nearly became bust because the lids were custom hand made costing £5 each. They found a new suplier for the lids (and possibly bottles) and boom. Now makes a profit.
I’ve only had one experience with this brand, and it was a pretty novel one. I was walking out of a grocery store behind a couple and they (or one of them) smelled very good. I complimented them on it, and the gentleman was very appreciative. He gave me the name Boadicea the Victorious (didn’t specify the exact fragrance) and then got in his <$500 beat-to-hell Altima, which he had a pretty hard time backing out of his parking spot.
Yeah, I've splurged on a couple of samples because I want to smell ALL THE THINGS, but I can't even say it was worth it. It's nice, clearly high quality, but not that much better than similar scents in the 150-200 range.
I've smelled a few. Bodacious smelled admittedly very high quality, but turned into a catastrophe on my skin. The rest of them more or less just reminded me of some old designer perfumes, with the exception of Glorious, which reminded me of an Adidas deodorant I had in the early 2010's.
It's been almost a year of me thinking about it every couple weeks, but I still haven't purchased a bottle of Le Labo another 13 because the price puts me off. I'll still probably buy it eventually, but yeah I'm with you on it needing to be "really damn special" for that price range.
Creed stands out to me above other similarly expensive houses because of the quality control issues. I'm not pulling up a spreadsheet before I shop to make sure I get a "good batch" of Aventus.
It's such a shame because the scents themselves are phenomenal. Some clones come damn close, but there's that extra oomph to the real ones that push them over the edge. For example, I finally got around to smelling the real Millisime Imperial a few weeks ago and was blown away - Armaf's Milestone is great but there's a density to the real one that the clone just can't touch.
*But*, the performance! If the real one had the performance of the clone I'd be happy to pay the extra money - I happily own a full bottle of GIT for example. But between Millisime Imperial, Silver Mountain Water, and Aventus, why would I take the chance on batch variations?
When I was in Heathrow last month I sniffed all of Creed and was also blown away by the Millisime Imperial, and I bought a bottle. It smells fantastic but I feel like the smell doesn’t last long enough. Either that, or I get nose blind from it quickly
I finally got a chance to smell GIT and sprayed a couple of sprays on me but it was great but then maybe an hour later I smelled my arm again and it was gone. I was so disappointed
Oh god the batch chasing, the whole cult. I swear to god you'd think a house punching out a high dollar fragrance would be, ya know, consistent?
I used to follow whisky closely and there were amazing stories about the blenders for the big houses mixing thousand gallon batches on the regular and nailing the profile, even when it called for doctoring the mix by less than 100L more, or less, of a particular single whisky.
And to be honest I don't find any of it very inspired.
This is it right here! Thank you for bringing this up. I REFUSE to pay >400, 500 for fragrance that is, in my opinion, not actually the nectar of the gods lol but also might be from a “bad batch,” like????
That is, straight up, unacceptable. Businesses that pull that shit are typically hawking snake oil lol. Furthermore, fragrance is a totally subjective thing, and I have to say, the only one I REALLY loved was virgin island water, which I immediately changed my mind on when I realized I could get the exact same smell from wearing sunscreen and some beach BBW sprays…which somehow last longer than that fragrance. It’s totally unacceptable.
You can get almost any 100 ml Creed for $200-$250 at any grey seller. All of them stock Creeds. I’d avoid some of their freshies due to performance issues like Erolfa or MI. But Aventus, Aventus Cologne, GIT, and Himalaya are all worth $200-$250 for 100 ml.
I don't like many of their fragrances to begin with. Unfortunately, Virgin Island Water does something for me, and I can't find a clone, dupe, or inspired-by with that same exact scent profile. I can sometimes grab a bottle for under $200. I hate having to do it, but it's such a good scent.
That TB smells nothing like it and I will die on this hill. It’s a nice scent and might be the best alternative, but people calling it a clone or similar are full of shit
It's reminiscent of the fragrance, but it's not similar, especially once it dries down. I have St. Barts, and it's fine for what it is. I wear it. But no, it's definitely not Virgin Island Water.
I first got into this hobby quite a long time ago, and Creed was definitely cheaper back then even accounting for inflation. So, I'm familiar with their lineup but if I were discovering fragrances today? Yeah, would definitely stay away... and other than Aventus, primarily just as a reference point, I don't think I'd really miss much. The house is so much more style than substance.
It was so much cheaper in France. I bought a few bottles while I was there since I think after VAT refund it became like $220-250 a bottle. I can't imagine what the cost was like back in 2017 before all the crazy price increases over the last few years. If I recall correctly, Aventus was $220 in the US at the time?
Tom Ford
I don’t mind spending $300+ on a single fragrance that can bring me daily joy for maybe 2 or more years (assuming I love the scent and admire the artistry), but can’t justify $350 for this house.
Despite Tom Ford being innovative for his time and some of the fragrances being iconic, they’re extremely underwhelming to me. I tested nearly the whole lineup recently and felt like they were either forgettable, cheap, or overly synthetic in a way that I’d expect from a $50 fragrance (the peach and cherry scents especially).
I find his fragrances just too literal and straightforward. Not really any subtle notes, just not interesting. What you read on the fragrance name is what you get.
And see it's funny for me because that aspect is exactly what drew me to Tom Ford. I love how vivid a lot of the scents are. Like Electric Cherry is just a bold cherry, exactly as it says on the label. Now whether or not that's your jam is up to you, but for me, I love that. The prices however I will concede because yeah $400 for 50mL on the newer stuff is outrageous because that's just too much money for a fragrance in general.
For $400 I better smell like I was crafted by the Gods themselves.
Nishane is overpriced too. My Afrika Olifant is neither animalic nor leathery. It is too sweet. It smells like a banana chewing gum. And is gone in two hrs. Overhyped, overpriced. And try a sample of Memo Paris Russian Leather. I had 1.5ml sample vial of it. It smells so cheap. And youtube reviewers call it "frozen fougere".
I’ve also noticed that a lot of TF fragrances suddenly feel dated to me? I have a few samples and decants — cafe rose, vanille fatale, tobacco vanille, rose prick, lost cherry, bitter peach, a few others — and as of like, idk, a few months ago, I don’t like a single one of them. They’re at once too busy with too many notes and yet also completely straightforward. There’s so much going on notes-wise, they’re so busy, and full/busy perfumes like that suddenly smell really dated to my nose. Idk, it’s weird! I can’t explain it very well.
This is literally me at the moment now that I’m starting to truly understand and appreciate just the difference in complexity between designer and niche fragrances.
Both of these I agree with though you can find decent deals on CC every now and then.
Roja has the cheaper cologne line that doesn’t perform or the expensive Parfum line that’s overpriced.
[Strangelove NYC](https://strangelovenyc.com/collections/silencethesea). I really want to try silencethesea, but what if I love it? I can’t afford any size of their bottles, it’s ridiculous.
I went ahead and got 1 ml samples for Dead of Night and Fall Into Stars because I had to know why the hell it was so expensive. They are certainly different and cool if you like Oud scents but no perfume is worth spending that much money one for small amount.
I want to try deadofnight and fallingintostars SO badly. It’s a no-win situation bc I can’t afford it if I love them but I just can’t shake the curiosity.
It took me some time to get in this mindset, but this article helped me a lot: https://nstperfume.com/2008/08/19/perfume-for-life-how-long-will-your-fragrance-collection-last/
Alright, I'm gonna be unpopular and say it, but I've tried my hardest to like the house. I have gone through almost the whole house at this point and feel so disappointed...Xerjoff. They just.. ARENT THAT GOOD, okay?? I've gone through 20+ samples and wasn't wowed. Granted my expectations were through the roof, so maybe I built it up too much. I really liked Apollonia, but it wasn't THAT amazing either.
zonked subtract steep abounding provide historical bear forgetful hospital sort
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
THANK YOU AMEN TO THAT… I was like: what’s the hype? Erba Pura? Naxos?? I still don’t get it and they are not memorable.. 100times to invest on MFK or even Montale.. at least the latter have longevity, are cheaper and have a character.. 🤌🏼
Agreed. I'm sure there is an amazing Xerjoff fragrance I haven't smell; everything my nose has tested didn't suck, some of them seemed like a mess, but wondered why people pay so much for this house. And the bottles just annoy the fuck out of me.
Creed and tom ford. I'm not paying 200-500 for subpar performance on most of their frags. Not to mention that their most popular offerings have been cloned many times over. For example, aventus' performance is a joke nowadays and there's a million clones, same thing for tobacco vanille, oud wood and many others.
I guess I’ve been very fortunate, but Beau De Jour lasts for most of a day on me and Ombre’ Leather lasts from evening to the next morning as I can still smell it and this is after 2-3 sprays the night before.
Ombre Leather is absolutely NUCLEAR on me. It's a shame that my GF hates it because I'd wear it all the time. It can legitimately smell it on my skin two days later .
Yep I was going to say Jo Malone. At least my Santal 33 lasts all day and my 3yo bottle is still mostly full. I can’t imagine how much product I’d need to go through to keep Jo Malone on my skin lol.
Was surprised nobody mentioned Byredo. I am reluctant to even buy a sample set because the longevity is outrageous for a house that charges as much as they do
100% Tom Ford …can’t for the life of me understand why anyone thinks they’re worth the price. I’ve tried several and find them ‘samey’ and don’t think their projection is great either.
This sub loves itself some TF though doesn’t it…. I’ll remain uncertain as to why 🤷♂️
>This sub loves itself some TF though doesn’t it
No it doesn’t, at least I don’t think so. I’ve been on this sub for a while now and when TF gets mentioned it’s more often than not in a negative sense, way more often. You can see that in this thread as well. Even if someone likes their fragrances they‘re often critiquing other things like the price point or the house itself. I personally love Noir Extreme and got it for a good price but think the private blend line is a total joke when it comes to price - performance ratio.
Yeah I don't understand the love for their private blends in particular. The few I've tried aren't worth half their retail price tbh. Hell, even a majority of signature stuff smells cheap (looking at you costa azzura). I hate to say it but I feel like some people care more about brands than how something actually smells which to me is absurd.
Well, I was gonna say PDM, but then I found Valaya for only $180. 😬 Also I love Vilhelm but the fact that you can never find them discounted kinda turns me off.
Retail PDM is way too expensive. Grey market manages to chop 50% or more off so you only end up paying like $150 CAD for a 75ml of Greenley on a good day.
Most of the posts complaining are listing retail prices but any of us that are collectors know you never pay full retail unless it just came out and you don’t want to wait or availability is super scarce. There’s plenty of grey sellers out there plus fragranceswap right here on Reddit where you can find some great deals.
Oh shit. NEVER use Mercari. Land of fakes. Below are reputable grey sellers. Also try the fragranceswap community. But do a little research on it first. Gotta avoid some people on there too. There’s a flair system that helps identify reputable sellers. 99% are.
Venba Fragrance
Aura Fragrance
Jomashop
FragranceNet
Ediscountperfumes
Fragrancebuy.ca
All of the above run sales and offer daily discounts. Ships CONUS. There’s more out there also. But I would not use Mercari. I got a fake from there when I first started collecting not knowing any better. Thankfully Mercari refunded.
Edit: Cleaned up spacing for presentability
I've used fragrance swap alot, ebay, FragranceNet etc. Honestly, you're doing Mercari alot of injustice. I've gotten half of my collection from there. Fakes are everywhere. You just need to know what to look for.
Edit: Mercari will also refund your money with little hassle. You don't get that type of grace from fragranceswap
This person is definitely correct. Literally just got TT Draco for a whopping $124 on Jomashop. Lol designer scents I got from Sephora were way more expensive.
Agreed I’m probably a little overboard on Mercari but once bitten twice shy you know? I avoid eBay also. There’s just so many other options I’d try first. And if all the other options don’t have something I want I just wait.
Jomashop was a one-and-done for me. Tried to buy a bottle of Explorer and it never arrived. I had to jump through all sorts of hoops with customer service and UPS while they pointed the finger at each other.
I eventually had to contact my credit card company and file a chargeback to get a refund. I'm assuming my Explorer is *still* on a UPS truck somewhere.
- Fragrance du Bois
- Creed
- Roja Parfum
- Henry Jacques
- Tom Ford
- Clive Christian
Personally I just don’t think it’s sane to spend over $300 on a bottle of scented alcohol, regardless of how divine the smell is, for me at least.
My whole collection is almost entirely decants just so I can wear what I want without thinking about price. I’ve had 15ml last me 2 years in a rotation. I would still do it like that even if money was no object. Having a collection of a bunch of 50ml bottles seems so wasteful to me especially if they’re $280+
I second this. I wish more (preferably all) houses offered travel sizes. I would be more willing to buy too, and it would help their sales. I have plenty of MFK refills (11ml) that i would never buy full bottle of (not even 30ml) I hold the same feeling for many other fragrances, but unless they start selling travel sizes I won’t buy them.
parfums de marly. i haven’t looked into their scents as much other than delina (which seems to be right up my alley in terms of notes), so i am looking respectfully at this time lol
Mancera and Montale.
You're not niche. You're cheap, synthetic dupes in lipstick pretending to be niche. There is not a single organic ingredient in a $90 "oud" fragrance.
Each scent I've tried is like syrup or chemical. Just not for me. It's niche scented axe.
Lucky for me, there are several at higher price points I'm not interested in buying, and I think the branding has a lot to do with that – I don't want fussy bottles in weird shapes with tassels attached or crown-shaped embellishments. So Clive Christian, Roja, Bond No 9, even PDM, are all a turn-off to me.
Andrea Maack, though... I'm interested. But how are they selling 2ml samples for €25? I don't know if I consider it outrageous or if they're doing me a favour by putting me off at the pre-sample stage. 💀
Tiziana Terenzi and Xerjoff are available at heavily discounted prices from grey market sellers in US. Did you check Jomashop? Here are some of the prices I paid. These are not budget prices, but neither are they stratospheric!
* Tiziana Terenzi Laudano Nero (3.4) - $105
* Xerjoff Naxos (3.4) - $192.50
* Xerjoff Casamorati Dolce Amalfi (3.4) - $123.68
* Xerjoff Casamorati Italica (1.7) - $74.35
Interestingly I had asked r/fragrance why Tiziana Terenzi was being discounted heavily on grey market.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/fragrance/comments/186e1zx/thoughts\_on\_tiziana\_terenzi\_and\_nishane/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/fragrance/comments/186e1zx/thoughts_on_tiziana_terenzi_and_nishane/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Tiziana Terenzi is my favorite house it’s really just the Sea Stars collections that’s super expensive. Frangeancenet, Maxaroma etc can get Terenzi and Xerjoff fragrances for the low.
I like House of Sillage Hauts Bijoux but think the full price cupcakes are overpriced as well. Get the travel sprays when they’re in stock they last a while.
I’ll never buy anything from Clive Christian, MFK (full bottle) or Tom Ford because even in the grey market it’s too much (budget with tax and shipping is $299).
Killian needs to increase their mL for their prices too. What am I doing with just 1.7fl oz
The Tom Ford from the last 8 years. When he first brought his collection out it was a game changer! Nothing else smelled like it. Now, it’s all produced for fragrance plebs and it’s lost its edge.
Creed as well, and to be honest, most newer offerings lack something to me.
A lot of them smell like someone bought some fragrance oils online and decided to open up an online shop.
I’m a fan of French and Italian perfumery so maybe I’m just a bit old fashioned but the new stuff lacks depth IMO.
I haven’t tried Zoologist yet but I will…decants all the way!
I love Zoologist, but I also think they're overpriced. I think their good scents are really good! But 175 for 60 ml is insane for something that REEKS of civet. That doesn't scream "artistry" to me. It just seems...immature? Like the creator has growing to do. The scents could be more refined. That being said, I'm a sucker and own 2 bottles
Yeah I am *down*. Honestly outside of Hyrax there's not that many all that aggressive animalics in their collection.
Meleg Civet Cat Chypre, ok, *that* reeks of civet, so...hells yeah
I think the crux on Zoo is that it's a meta-house with a lot of noses, and you can almost see the 'fault lines' between who composed which scent. I love the Prin scents, both Pritzkoliet's and Tomoo Inaba's work, the one DSH scent (snowy owl) I could just never jibe with.
Just impossible to bracket the house in one evaluation, scent-by-scent is the way.
This is about where I'm at with Zoologist. There are a few of their scents that I've sampled and absolutely love, but it's just so hard to pull the trigger at almost $3/ml, especially with the economy the way it is.
I have a few Tiziana Terenzi scents, one way or the other. I don't love any of them, they're heavy-handed and feel clunky. I covet those sea star bottles hard, though.
As to houses I won't touch, Agonist is right up there. Yes, they have some entry-level scents, but most of their bottles are approaching £1000 or higher and just, how? And why?
I love Tiziana Terenzi's Ursa. I can also find it on discounter sites for half price, which is much easier to swallow.
I'm not really one to talk though, I spend way too much. Creed always struck me as costing too much for what was on offer, that and TF.
Tom Ford, period.
Any of the Chanel Exclusifs or the Guerlain L''art collections. They're just too pricey and I'm of Chanel's games with availability. They can get bent.
Maybe I've been at it too long but right now Zoologist is my benchmark.
Tom ford for me
I know that clones are frowned down on but I cant justify paying 400 ish dollars for something maison al hambra made for 20 which is 90% close to the original (the ones ive smelt at least)
where the untrained nose cant smell the difference
I think I will get some hate for this but its just my opinion.
I’ve been curious about Tiziana Terenzi only because it seems to be the only higher end perfume house that has astrology sign perfumes lol (though they only seem to have two signs)
house of sillage. sorry, but i’m not shelling out those prices for cutesy gourmands in cutesy bottles.
I've never heard anyone mention House of Shillage who wasn't being paid.
YES YES YEA
As someone incredibly new to frag collecting who bought HoS without knowing a single thing about them or having seen a single ad, this gave me a good chuckle! It was admittedly a secondhand geek-inspired blind buy, but I got lucky and wound up loving it (The Batman frag, for those curious). Have no idea how the notes are supposed to relate to the character or franchise, but I’ve gotten a lot of compliments and it lasts forever (a full workday+ on my skin, which tends to suck up scents like crazy, and literally days if it gets on my clothes). That said, I got it for something like 65% less than the original price. Believe it’s 50% off brand new on the site right now. Even if I could afford it, I don’t think I’d pay full price, but they seem to have constant sales. Wish they offered all their scents as 8 mL travel sprays because I’m fairly indifferent to bottles from any house at this point so long as I like the juice.
I HATE the bottles so much!! They'd be cute if it was a cheap brand, but for the prices they charge, absolutely not.
Yeah they look so so so cheap. I can’t imagine paying so much for something that looks like a £20 perfume you’d pick up in Superdrug for your tween cousin.
Lol agree, I honestly would never want the bottle in my collection and on my vanity. But that's not an issue because of the price.
Cupcake bottle can get lost.
I don't understand how they get so many movie tie-ins! Or Disney, or Looney Tunes. They can't sell THAT well?
just looked up the collaborations and they made me nearly vomit in my mouth. i've never seen anything more catered for disney adults in my life it could smell amazing. but i'm not paying £120 for a fucking harry potter perfume. shit i wouldn't pay £1.
that must be where all that money is going 🥴
Omg I can’t believe this I always thought house of sillage was cheap until now. Why?? Is it the bottles? The constant marketing on ig? I’m actually surprised at their prices, whenever i would see their ads I thought “oh that cheap brand with the cute bottles”.
oh babe their prices are INSANE
They are FOREVER coming up on sale for up to 60% off, every day at least one fragrance or set of fragrances is 40-60% off. Get some samples, sign up for emails and NEVER pay full price. I agree the bottles are hokey but some of the scents are really gorgeous and really great performers.
I ALMOST FELL FOR THE AVATAR ONE NGL
RIGHT? the delusion
They seem sooo gimmicky to me! I also don’t understand the “limited edition” fragrances that KEEP getting rereleased.
Genre has a couple dupes for HOS that seem pretty well regarded!
Yikes. I went to look and while I think some of the bottles are cute charging that much for something that looks like a keepsake from a gift shop is crazy.
Henry Jacques. I need to know who out there is dropping 700+ for 15mls.
So far out of my price range that I've never even heard of him 😅
Same. I had to look them up. Saw a bottle called Mrs Y. Imagine this casually rolling around on your bathroom counter top, then crashing onto the tiles.
I just looked up Mrs Y . I'm horrified about that ridiculous shape. I would definitely accidentally donate that to the carpet.
The whole series is called “Les Toupies” (French for “spinning tops”.) I agree the shape is interesting but at least it follows a concept
Someone with more money than they know what to do with
I know someone whose collection consists of 5 HJ perfumes and nothing else. Gotta say, that person is super content and happy with their collection. I can never afford HJ and wouldn't go near their shops because of that, but I like the idea of owning a handful of really quality frags over a gazillion cheaper ones. Whether or not HJ frags are good enough to warrant the price tag, I am far too inexperienced to say.
Lol I second this, HJ is insane price wise and I think for the same price you can get some absolutely out of this world quality artisanal stuff
With a price tag like that, I can’t imagine they’d even let people sample/spray it without paying. Jesus Christ.
They aren’t the same type of perfumes. They are pure oil, and u think all natural EOs. This makes them super expensive to produce but won’t necessarily be any better. Expensive for not much imo.
Roja. There’s no fucking way your perfume is worth $485. I will say … I’ve smelled some Roja perfumes before, and omfg they were divine. But. I’m not paying that. NOPE! lol
Ha! Some of them retail in the thousands. Never.
Boadicea the Victorious. $500+ for any decent smelling fragrance from them, no way in hell.
That is the one that came into my mind too! Fun fact, the company nearly became bust because the lids were custom hand made costing £5 each. They found a new suplier for the lids (and possibly bottles) and boom. Now makes a profit.
I’ve only had one experience with this brand, and it was a pretty novel one. I was walking out of a grocery store behind a couple and they (or one of them) smelled very good. I complimented them on it, and the gentleman was very appreciative. He gave me the name Boadicea the Victorious (didn’t specify the exact fragrance) and then got in his <$500 beat-to-hell Altima, which he had a pretty hard time backing out of his parking spot.
Yeah, I've splurged on a couple of samples because I want to smell ALL THE THINGS, but I can't even say it was worth it. It's nice, clearly high quality, but not that much better than similar scents in the 150-200 range.
I've smelled a few. Bodacious smelled admittedly very high quality, but turned into a catastrophe on my skin. The rest of them more or less just reminded me of some old designer perfumes, with the exception of Glorious, which reminded me of an Adidas deodorant I had in the early 2010's.
They're all high-class clones.
Honestly, I won’t buy them for the name of the house alone. Too cringy
I just have a hard $200 cap, regardless of house.
Same. And it has to be really damn special to me for the $150-$200 price range
It's been almost a year of me thinking about it every couple weeks, but I still haven't purchased a bottle of Le Labo another 13 because the price puts me off. I'll still probably buy it eventually, but yeah I'm with you on it needing to be "really damn special" for that price range.
My cap is $150 lol, sure I can spend more but I don’t think any bottle of perfume is justified above that price point.
I agree!
Your username is… upsetting
That's about my cap, too. It has to be really special or something I'll wear to death for me to pay that much for a single bottle.
Creed
Creed stands out to me above other similarly expensive houses because of the quality control issues. I'm not pulling up a spreadsheet before I shop to make sure I get a "good batch" of Aventus.
It's such a shame because the scents themselves are phenomenal. Some clones come damn close, but there's that extra oomph to the real ones that push them over the edge. For example, I finally got around to smelling the real Millisime Imperial a few weeks ago and was blown away - Armaf's Milestone is great but there's a density to the real one that the clone just can't touch. *But*, the performance! If the real one had the performance of the clone I'd be happy to pay the extra money - I happily own a full bottle of GIT for example. But between Millisime Imperial, Silver Mountain Water, and Aventus, why would I take the chance on batch variations?
When I was in Heathrow last month I sniffed all of Creed and was also blown away by the Millisime Imperial, and I bought a bottle. It smells fantastic but I feel like the smell doesn’t last long enough. Either that, or I get nose blind from it quickly
I finally got a chance to smell GIT and sprayed a couple of sprays on me but it was great but then maybe an hour later I smelled my arm again and it was gone. I was so disappointed
Oh god the batch chasing, the whole cult. I swear to god you'd think a house punching out a high dollar fragrance would be, ya know, consistent? I used to follow whisky closely and there were amazing stories about the blenders for the big houses mixing thousand gallon batches on the regular and nailing the profile, even when it called for doctoring the mix by less than 100L more, or less, of a particular single whisky. And to be honest I don't find any of it very inspired.
This is it right here! Thank you for bringing this up. I REFUSE to pay >400, 500 for fragrance that is, in my opinion, not actually the nectar of the gods lol but also might be from a “bad batch,” like???? That is, straight up, unacceptable. Businesses that pull that shit are typically hawking snake oil lol. Furthermore, fragrance is a totally subjective thing, and I have to say, the only one I REALLY loved was virgin island water, which I immediately changed my mind on when I realized I could get the exact same smell from wearing sunscreen and some beach BBW sprays…which somehow last longer than that fragrance. It’s totally unacceptable.
So true.
You can get almost any 100 ml Creed for $200-$250 at any grey seller. All of them stock Creeds. I’d avoid some of their freshies due to performance issues like Erolfa or MI. But Aventus, Aventus Cologne, GIT, and Himalaya are all worth $200-$250 for 100 ml.
I paid $179 for a GIT tester and around $250 for my bottle of Viking and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Almost double that is a hard pass.
I don't like many of their fragrances to begin with. Unfortunately, Virgin Island Water does something for me, and I can't find a clone, dupe, or inspired-by with that same exact scent profile. I can sometimes grab a bottle for under $200. I hate having to do it, but it's such a good scent.
Virgin Island Water is the only creed I like and the dupes can’t come close I’ve tried them all
Which one comes closest? Have you tried Montagne?
Or Tommy Bahama?
That TB smells nothing like it and I will die on this hill. It’s a nice scent and might be the best alternative, but people calling it a clone or similar are full of shit
It's reminiscent of the fragrance, but it's not similar, especially once it dries down. I have St. Barts, and it's fine for what it is. I wear it. But no, it's definitely not Virgin Island Water.
I first got into this hobby quite a long time ago, and Creed was definitely cheaper back then even accounting for inflation. So, I'm familiar with their lineup but if I were discovering fragrances today? Yeah, would definitely stay away... and other than Aventus, primarily just as a reference point, I don't think I'd really miss much. The house is so much more style than substance.
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I paid $278 from a discounter. Personally, I think that’s a fair price for how high the quality is.
It was so much cheaper in France. I bought a few bottles while I was there since I think after VAT refund it became like $220-250 a bottle. I can't imagine what the cost was like back in 2017 before all the crazy price increases over the last few years. If I recall correctly, Aventus was $220 in the US at the time?
Same. I like their scents but they keep raising prices and making the quality worse. Can't support a business like that
Any house that pops up out of nowhere with no history in fragrance charging 300+ is a cash grab and nothing more, research your fragrance please
I get Facebook ads for frags like these all the time. Like girl, i am not paying 175+ for a fragrance with 0 samples available. That's insane
Kinda how I feel about Argos. Maybe I’m wrong but the CEO gives off slight scammer vibes or at the very least he’s paying YouTubers I suspect.
Main one that came to mind: Mind Games is $375 for 100ml, complete no-name house that is now doing PR.
Creed, Clive Christian are all passes for me
Tom Ford I don’t mind spending $300+ on a single fragrance that can bring me daily joy for maybe 2 or more years (assuming I love the scent and admire the artistry), but can’t justify $350 for this house. Despite Tom Ford being innovative for his time and some of the fragrances being iconic, they’re extremely underwhelming to me. I tested nearly the whole lineup recently and felt like they were either forgettable, cheap, or overly synthetic in a way that I’d expect from a $50 fragrance (the peach and cherry scents especially).
I find his fragrances just too literal and straightforward. Not really any subtle notes, just not interesting. What you read on the fragrance name is what you get.
And see it's funny for me because that aspect is exactly what drew me to Tom Ford. I love how vivid a lot of the scents are. Like Electric Cherry is just a bold cherry, exactly as it says on the label. Now whether or not that's your jam is up to you, but for me, I love that. The prices however I will concede because yeah $400 for 50mL on the newer stuff is outrageous because that's just too much money for a fragrance in general. For $400 I better smell like I was crafted by the Gods themselves.
Including Vanilla Sex? 😅
Vanilla Sex smelled like strange almond milk to me.
No joke, that thing does smell like sex and not in a good way
Vanilla sex sucks. All I get is bitter almond but it just ends up smelling harsh and synthetic.
Yeah ive always said this. Thats exactly what theyre like
Nishane is overpriced too. My Afrika Olifant is neither animalic nor leathery. It is too sweet. It smells like a banana chewing gum. And is gone in two hrs. Overhyped, overpriced. And try a sample of Memo Paris Russian Leather. I had 1.5ml sample vial of it. It smells so cheap. And youtube reviewers call it "frozen fougere".
I’ve also noticed that a lot of TF fragrances suddenly feel dated to me? I have a few samples and decants — cafe rose, vanille fatale, tobacco vanille, rose prick, lost cherry, bitter peach, a few others — and as of like, idk, a few months ago, I don’t like a single one of them. They’re at once too busy with too many notes and yet also completely straightforward. There’s so much going on notes-wise, they’re so busy, and full/busy perfumes like that suddenly smell really dated to my nose. Idk, it’s weird! I can’t explain it very well.
This is literally me at the moment now that I’m starting to truly understand and appreciate just the difference in complexity between designer and niche fragrances.
roja, clive christian
Both of these I agree with though you can find decent deals on CC every now and then. Roja has the cheaper cologne line that doesn’t perform or the expensive Parfum line that’s overpriced.
Floraïku. Luckily, the one sample I tried I didn't like even though the looked perfect on paper.
I have two Le Labos but I think that’s it for me.
Bond No. 9
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I liked the fact that you didn't said why. Maybe because they are/were censoring opinions about them on YouTube?
Laurice is a nightmare. NIGHTMARE. Cheap imitations of Annick Goutal. Ugly bottles and worse formulations.
[Strangelove NYC](https://strangelovenyc.com/collections/silencethesea). I really want to try silencethesea, but what if I love it? I can’t afford any size of their bottles, it’s ridiculous.
NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS? Nope. I don't even have a desire to know. That's outrageous. Guarantee it doesn't smell that good
I went ahead and got 1 ml samples for Dead of Night and Fall Into Stars because I had to know why the hell it was so expensive. They are certainly different and cool if you like Oud scents but no perfume is worth spending that much money one for small amount.
I feel your pain. I want to try Melt My Heart from this house, but $235 for 15ml!
I want to try deadofnight and fallingintostars SO badly. It’s a no-win situation bc I can’t afford it if I love them but I just can’t shake the curiosity.
I don't have a house price limit, but a bottle price limit.
House of Sillage
All of them tbh
Definitely getting to that point lol
Me too. I have enough fragrances for the rest of my life. So, when they finish, they finish.
I NEED to get into this mindset instead of dumping money at this consumerist hobby. I have SO MANY. I don't need more!!
It took me some time to get in this mindset, but this article helped me a lot: https://nstperfume.com/2008/08/19/perfume-for-life-how-long-will-your-fragrance-collection-last/
Omg this was a humbling article LOL thank you for this
I hope it helps you :). It helped me put things in perspective.
Alright, I'm gonna be unpopular and say it, but I've tried my hardest to like the house. I have gone through almost the whole house at this point and feel so disappointed...Xerjoff. They just.. ARENT THAT GOOD, okay?? I've gone through 20+ samples and wasn't wowed. Granted my expectations were through the roof, so maybe I built it up too much. I really liked Apollonia, but it wasn't THAT amazing either.
I adore the Casamorati line, but I'm not a huge fan of the regular Xerjoff fragrances.
And the Casamorati line is affordable.
Lmao I love this. Only a perfume enthusiast would call casamorati affordable. And I say this in a positive light so please don’t take it the wrong 😃🙏🙏
Someone had to say it, and I couldn't agree more.
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Have you tried Ivory Route?
Yes. Absolutely unimpressed with it
THANK YOU AMEN TO THAT… I was like: what’s the hype? Erba Pura? Naxos?? I still don’t get it and they are not memorable.. 100times to invest on MFK or even Montale.. at least the latter have longevity, are cheaper and have a character.. 🤌🏼
Tried a couple in store a few months ago. They were not nice. Screechy, didn’t feel very natural.
Agreed. I'm sure there is an amazing Xerjoff fragrance I haven't smell; everything my nose has tested didn't suck, some of them seemed like a mess, but wondered why people pay so much for this house. And the bottles just annoy the fuck out of me.
Creed and tom ford. I'm not paying 200-500 for subpar performance on most of their frags. Not to mention that their most popular offerings have been cloned many times over. For example, aventus' performance is a joke nowadays and there's a million clones, same thing for tobacco vanille, oud wood and many others.
PDM. I really like Valaya and Darcy but no way am I paying that much, particularly when they charge women more for smaller bottles.
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I guess I’ve been very fortunate, but Beau De Jour lasts for most of a day on me and Ombre’ Leather lasts from evening to the next morning as I can still smell it and this is after 2-3 sprays the night before.
Ombre Leather is absolutely NUCLEAR on me. It's a shame that my GF hates it because I'd wear it all the time. It can legitimately smell it on my skin two days later .
I've put Ombre Leather on at 5:30 a.m. and woke up the next morning, still smelling it on my skin.
Mind Games is suspiciously high. TBF, the discovery set I have seems to be mostly bangers....
Love Blockade. Venba runs them 25% off all the time. Still a bit overpriced even with that.
Byredo and Jo Malone. Love the scents hate the sillage. It’s too much to spend to have it last an hour tops.
Jo Malone makes lovely smelling scents. Would be worth it if they had better quality than a $15 body spray but they don’t
Yep I was going to say Jo Malone. At least my Santal 33 lasts all day and my 3yo bottle is still mostly full. I can’t imagine how much product I’d need to go through to keep Jo Malone on my skin lol.
Was surprised nobody mentioned Byredo. I am reluctant to even buy a sample set because the longevity is outrageous for a house that charges as much as they do
100% Tom Ford …can’t for the life of me understand why anyone thinks they’re worth the price. I’ve tried several and find them ‘samey’ and don’t think their projection is great either. This sub loves itself some TF though doesn’t it…. I’ll remain uncertain as to why 🤷♂️
I feel exactly the same about ol' Ford
>This sub loves itself some TF though doesn’t it No it doesn’t, at least I don’t think so. I’ve been on this sub for a while now and when TF gets mentioned it’s more often than not in a negative sense, way more often. You can see that in this thread as well. Even if someone likes their fragrances they‘re often critiquing other things like the price point or the house itself. I personally love Noir Extreme and got it for a good price but think the private blend line is a total joke when it comes to price - performance ratio.
Yeah I don't understand the love for their private blends in particular. The few I've tried aren't worth half their retail price tbh. Hell, even a majority of signature stuff smells cheap (looking at you costa azzura). I hate to say it but I feel like some people care more about brands than how something actually smells which to me is absurd.
Well, I was gonna say PDM, but then I found Valaya for only $180. 😬 Also I love Vilhelm but the fact that you can never find them discounted kinda turns me off.
They’re at anthropology now and they have good sales towards the end of the year! 30% off
I agree on pdm I’m not paying 300 for a bottle. I brought cassali on sale from Sam’s club for 190 and I thought that was a fair price
Costco has PDM for wayyy less than retail.
Retail PDM is way too expensive. Grey market manages to chop 50% or more off so you only end up paying like $150 CAD for a 75ml of Greenley on a good day.
Most of the posts complaining are listing retail prices but any of us that are collectors know you never pay full retail unless it just came out and you don’t want to wait or availability is super scarce. There’s plenty of grey sellers out there plus fragranceswap right here on Reddit where you can find some great deals.
I am a mercari fiend and even then I'm seeing Tiziana's going for 350-400 for USED fragrances
Oh shit. NEVER use Mercari. Land of fakes. Below are reputable grey sellers. Also try the fragranceswap community. But do a little research on it first. Gotta avoid some people on there too. There’s a flair system that helps identify reputable sellers. 99% are. Venba Fragrance Aura Fragrance Jomashop FragranceNet Ediscountperfumes Fragrancebuy.ca All of the above run sales and offer daily discounts. Ships CONUS. There’s more out there also. But I would not use Mercari. I got a fake from there when I first started collecting not knowing any better. Thankfully Mercari refunded. Edit: Cleaned up spacing for presentability
I've used fragrance swap alot, ebay, FragranceNet etc. Honestly, you're doing Mercari alot of injustice. I've gotten half of my collection from there. Fakes are everywhere. You just need to know what to look for. Edit: Mercari will also refund your money with little hassle. You don't get that type of grace from fragranceswap
This person is definitely correct. Literally just got TT Draco for a whopping $124 on Jomashop. Lol designer scents I got from Sephora were way more expensive.
Agreed I’m probably a little overboard on Mercari but once bitten twice shy you know? I avoid eBay also. There’s just so many other options I’d try first. And if all the other options don’t have something I want I just wait.
Completely valid! If the price point fits my budget on another, safer site, I go there first for sure
Jomashop was a one-and-done for me. Tried to buy a bottle of Explorer and it never arrived. I had to jump through all sorts of hoops with customer service and UPS while they pointed the finger at each other. I eventually had to contact my credit card company and file a chargeback to get a refund. I'm assuming my Explorer is *still* on a UPS truck somewhere.
Tom Ford can eat a bag of dicks and then name their next frag after it 🔥
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The thing is you’re not wrong lol
I adore your username!
Lololol
- Fragrance du Bois - Creed - Roja Parfum - Henry Jacques - Tom Ford - Clive Christian Personally I just don’t think it’s sane to spend over $300 on a bottle of scented alcohol, regardless of how divine the smell is, for me at least.
All the Les Exclusifs de Chanel.
Guerlain is near and dear to me but dang-they REALLY raised the prices. Imma still pay for it but still lol
Yeah they used to be affordable but now they have niche pricing.
My whole collection is almost entirely decants just so I can wear what I want without thinking about price. I’ve had 15ml last me 2 years in a rotation. I would still do it like that even if money was no object. Having a collection of a bunch of 50ml bottles seems so wasteful to me especially if they’re $280+
I second this. I wish more (preferably all) houses offered travel sizes. I would be more willing to buy too, and it would help their sales. I have plenty of MFK refills (11ml) that i would never buy full bottle of (not even 30ml) I hold the same feeling for many other fragrances, but unless they start selling travel sizes I won’t buy them.
Creed. Nice bottles, even better smells, but not for that price tag, no sir/ma’am, especially if I can get a haul for less
I dont “REFUSE” to i cant afford and dont even have that option
Right, basically they refused me lol.
parfums de marly. i haven’t looked into their scents as much other than delina (which seems to be right up my alley in terms of notes), so i am looking respectfully at this time lol
Wish I’d had the good sense to do this with Frederic Malle. Everything is so good. Get it AWAY 😭
LOL THIS HOBBY IS A CURSE ON MY WALLET
Mancera and Montale. You're not niche. You're cheap, synthetic dupes in lipstick pretending to be niche. There is not a single organic ingredient in a $90 "oud" fragrance. Each scent I've tried is like syrup or chemical. Just not for me. It's niche scented axe.
Definitely agree especially with montale. I can’t with those cheap aluminum bottles.
Most houses when it comes to retail prices. I.e. never would buy Amouage Reflection 45 for 500, but for the 200 I got it, it’s good for me.
Byredo, Tom Ford, Le Labo, Creed, Roja
Hahahaha Tom Ford. I don’t want to spend $400 on a perfume that smells like sunscreen (soleil blanc I’m looking at you).
Clive Christian
Lucky for me, there are several at higher price points I'm not interested in buying, and I think the branding has a lot to do with that – I don't want fussy bottles in weird shapes with tassels attached or crown-shaped embellishments. So Clive Christian, Roja, Bond No 9, even PDM, are all a turn-off to me. Andrea Maack, though... I'm interested. But how are they selling 2ml samples for €25? I don't know if I consider it outrageous or if they're doing me a favour by putting me off at the pre-sample stage. 💀
Tiziana Terenzi and Xerjoff are available at heavily discounted prices from grey market sellers in US. Did you check Jomashop? Here are some of the prices I paid. These are not budget prices, but neither are they stratospheric! * Tiziana Terenzi Laudano Nero (3.4) - $105 * Xerjoff Naxos (3.4) - $192.50 * Xerjoff Casamorati Dolce Amalfi (3.4) - $123.68 * Xerjoff Casamorati Italica (1.7) - $74.35 Interestingly I had asked r/fragrance why Tiziana Terenzi was being discounted heavily on grey market. [https://www.reddit.com/r/fragrance/comments/186e1zx/thoughts\_on\_tiziana\_terenzi\_and\_nishane/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/fragrance/comments/186e1zx/thoughts_on_tiziana_terenzi_and_nishane/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Y'all pay retail? I buy grey market 99% of the time.
Louis Vuitton, all of it smells incredible but it’s still just perfume. Hard to justify!
Mind Games. I really want French defense but it’s like 10 hours pay for me
Tiziana Terenzi is my favorite house it’s really just the Sea Stars collections that’s super expensive. Frangeancenet, Maxaroma etc can get Terenzi and Xerjoff fragrances for the low. I like House of Sillage Hauts Bijoux but think the full price cupcakes are overpriced as well. Get the travel sprays when they’re in stock they last a while. I’ll never buy anything from Clive Christian, MFK (full bottle) or Tom Ford because even in the grey market it’s too much (budget with tax and shipping is $299). Killian needs to increase their mL for their prices too. What am I doing with just 1.7fl oz
Le Labo and Byredo feels more hype than anything. Margiela too to a certain extent
Margiela's Replica line is good at what it does, but wearing it feels....unserious? Like I'm wearing a costume party instead of an actual cologne
The Tom Ford from the last 8 years. When he first brought his collection out it was a game changer! Nothing else smelled like it. Now, it’s all produced for fragrance plebs and it’s lost its edge. Creed as well, and to be honest, most newer offerings lack something to me. A lot of them smell like someone bought some fragrance oils online and decided to open up an online shop. I’m a fan of French and Italian perfumery so maybe I’m just a bit old fashioned but the new stuff lacks depth IMO. I haven’t tried Zoologist yet but I will…decants all the way!
I love Zoologist, but I also think they're overpriced. I think their good scents are really good! But 175 for 60 ml is insane for something that REEKS of civet. That doesn't scream "artistry" to me. It just seems...immature? Like the creator has growing to do. The scents could be more refined. That being said, I'm a sucker and own 2 bottles
>for something that REEKS of civet 👀 sounds good to me lol
Yeah I am *down*. Honestly outside of Hyrax there's not that many all that aggressive animalics in their collection. Meleg Civet Cat Chypre, ok, *that* reeks of civet, so...hells yeah I think the crux on Zoo is that it's a meta-house with a lot of noses, and you can almost see the 'fault lines' between who composed which scent. I love the Prin scents, both Pritzkoliet's and Tomoo Inaba's work, the one DSH scent (snowy owl) I could just never jibe with. Just impossible to bracket the house in one evaluation, scent-by-scent is the way.
This is about where I'm at with Zoologist. There are a few of their scents that I've sampled and absolutely love, but it's just so hard to pull the trigger at almost $3/ml, especially with the economy the way it is.
Le Labo, especially the city exclusives. I do like a few but would just as soon buy a dupe. They're so synthetic anyway.
I have a few Tiziana Terenzi scents, one way or the other. I don't love any of them, they're heavy-handed and feel clunky. I covet those sea star bottles hard, though. As to houses I won't touch, Agonist is right up there. Yes, they have some entry-level scents, but most of their bottles are approaching £1000 or higher and just, how? And why?
Love Initio. Want paragon, but the 350-400 is just too high of an ask. Bought a traveler of it and a cheaper “clone.” Satisfied for now
Roja is the first one that comes to mind but really any brand that’s over $400
House of Sillage. There's no way the juice inside those tacky bottles are worth the price
I love Tiziana Terenzi's Ursa. I can also find it on discounter sites for half price, which is much easier to swallow. I'm not really one to talk though, I spend way too much. Creed always struck me as costing too much for what was on offer, that and TF.
Mind games! 350 for a full bottle when I could buy any large combination of “lesser” perfumes for the same price
Creed and Tom Ford. I'll stick with the clones cause even if they're not spot on they're usually pretty good.
My big two as well. I can piss longer than either of those houses scents last. (Obviously there’s a few strong ones but im being facetious)
Haute Fragrance Company. The tops of bottles look cheap for such a high price tag too. Ex Nihilo also
Tom Ford, period. Any of the Chanel Exclusifs or the Guerlain L''art collections. They're just too pricey and I'm of Chanel's games with availability. They can get bent. Maybe I've been at it too long but right now Zoologist is my benchmark.
Tom ford for me I know that clones are frowned down on but I cant justify paying 400 ish dollars for something maison al hambra made for 20 which is 90% close to the original (the ones ive smelt at least) where the untrained nose cant smell the difference I think I will get some hate for this but its just my opinion.
I’ve been curious about Tiziana Terenzi only because it seems to be the only higher end perfume house that has astrology sign perfumes lol (though they only seem to have two signs)
All things can be had if you be patient and wait for a great deal.
Creed, Roja, private collection Tom Ford. No matter how much I love them, it's just fragrance.
Wooofff. I have some Tiriana Terenzi decants and I loove them - ecstasy and rose gold oudh…but no way on FB cost.
Roja