This fascination with blind buying expensive perfumes I’ll never understand. I make pretty good money and I’m not wasting it on a fragrance someone else likes. I have over 50 fragrances and the ones that weren’t gifts I sampled before purchasing
I’ve blind bought a few fragrances. I watch a ton of reviews on RU-vid before I buy. I buy 10ml of said fragrance from sellers on eBay. And if I like it then I’ll buy a whole bottle 👍🏽
Sadly we've all done it. Mostly because a hot female content creator said it was a "certified panty dropper" on her channel. I started buying samples from Scent Split. I have Arabian Oud Resala and Creed Aventus. I like Resala a lot more. Resala is 1/3 the price of Aventus. Of all the ones I own....JPG Le Beau has gotten me the most compliments.
This is exactly why I enjoy your channel and I have weeded out so to speak some others throughout my journey. I choose people who have similar tastes in mine which tends to lean more generic. Where I live there’s a population of like 20,000 mostly old people, there’s no way I could rock a super niche fragrance or even wear too much of anything without it being seen as offensive when I step outside
Some niche fragrances are way softer and palatable to me than designer ranges , but it takes me purchasing many samples and watching videos to find them lol. I’ll admit many well known niche brands do mostly beast mode
Dylan Blue and Eros are scrubbers. Chemical waste. Really hope male perfumery can go forward without those horrible "woody ambers" like Ambroxan. Nauseating.
Enigma is one of the better ones from Roja, but to my mind, none of them are worth the money. I'd rather spend money on a Creed or a Tom Ford, if I want a good versatile scent, or on an Amouage, if I feel like trying something creative or challenging.
Im with you. I really hate the term “overhyped” too lol..like damn, let people enjoy what they want. The Frag Community (like any other community) can be so damn toxic when you don’t like something 😂 I hate these damn snobs..I was in a few fragrance groups that were filled to the brim with those kinds of people! For me, I remember seeing so many people love MFK Gentle Fluidity Silver. I tried it twice. And every time it made me want to throw the decant away. As far as a designer fragrance..it’s between Prada Lunna Rosa Ocean and Versace Dylan Blue. I just can not get into those at all 😭🤣
I tried gentle fluidity silver also and I HATED IT. I was so confused by all the hype so I went back another time to smell it again but I still hated it.
Fragrance is supposed to be about personal choice and expression. Heaven forbid you say you don’t like a bottle of expensive, smelly water that they like.
Thanks for discussing the way individuals are going to smell things very differently. I pulled this from a science article, bc it’s more articulate than I could be rn. Each person has a unique set of olfactory receptors, which can result in variations in odor perception. Genetic variations can also impact the sensitivity and specificity of these receptors, leading to differences in how individuals perceive and interpret smells
My cheapest fragrance get me the most compliments and that’s VPH… Every time I wear it I get a compliments… I’m at the point I’m not spending no more money on new colognes… I’m sticking with VPH only, plus I love the fresh smell & also since I’m getting older a lot of cologne give me headaches except that one
I am still learning about the hobby on a regular basis. I am still learning about notes, brands, and scents. TBH, I find the science behind fragrance to be interesting. I also like the cultural and cross cultural aspects of fragrance. I like learning about the history of fragrance as well. I learned early on in my fragrance journey that there are fragrance snobs. I mentioned in the comments of another fragrance RU-vid creator about wanting to investigate inexpensive fragrances. (A fragrance hobby can be very expensive.). This led another commenter to rake me over the coals. She told me not to clutter up MY fragrance collection with cheap fragrances. If I had been smart, I would have asked her for money, so she could buy me expensive fragrances. I wasn’t smart, so I spent the time searching for inexpensive fragrances. There are so many brands that sell fragrances for less than $100 a bottle. If you find a good deal, you may find a good fragrance for under $30 a bottle. I like what I like. I don’t care if it’s trendy or popular. I like what I like because I’m the one who’s going to wear it and I’m the one who’s going to pay for it. I may listen to someone else talk about their favorites. I am well aware that I may not like what they like. Just because a content creator loves Delina doesn’t mean I will love Delina. (BTW, I don’t love Delina.) I don’t own any hyped fragrances. I sample a lot. So far, I have found a handful of perfumes (designer or niche) I would purchase. I would purchase Chanel No.5 EDP. I’m a woman who just turned 50. I’m old enough to wear it.😆. I would also purchase Loumari’s Porthole. I bought a decant when I purchased a kit from another RU-vid fragrance creator. It was love at first sniff. That will be my first niche purchase. Kayali fragrances don’t work with my chemistry. I can wear two scents from the brand. The majority make me smell like old lady (even older than 50) or toilet paper. Dolce and Gabbana’s Light Blue for Women made me sick. Hard pass from me. I try to avoid blind buying if possible. Why waste money on a scent you may hate? I’m going to keep buying what I like. I’m currently loving passion fruit in fragrance, so I’m using Fragrantica to help me find fragrances with passion fruit. I’m also on an inexpensive Middle Eastern fragrance kick. No, not all of these are blind buy worthy. Luckily, I have people who will take the misses. I have learned that emotionally healthy people don’t spend time or energy on being disrespectful to others, in person or online. Just a thought.
Fragratica had me thinking YSL Y edp was a safe blind buy. Glad I like testing stuff out because it did not work on my skin at all. I def agree about ultra male. My fiancee was pretty indifferent when it comes to that.
Mancera cedrat Boise is my overhyped fragrance. It smells decent, but I definitely dont reach for it since i bought it 4 yrs ago. The bottle is at 90%. Tom Ford is the designer i love, but none of them lasted long on my skin but the smartest thing i do is get samples.
I thought that too but after I kept trying it, it grew on me and became one of my favorite cold weather fragrances. It’s one of the few cold weather fragrances that doesn’t rely on sweetness and it’s not cloying.
ive worn it dozens times with plenty sprays and the only 2 times i got a compliment were from guys smh thankfully i just heard them say " damn it smells so good" and not a direct compliment (no diddy)
Terre Dhermes… I tried to force myself to like it so many times. Finally o gave up. Cedrat Boise. I do want to try this again. But in my initial wearing, smells like a sweet ashtray 😬
Cedrat Boise, I tried to like too. I smell a synthetic rubber when i wear it. I hate. I also dislike Hacivat by Nishane, I think it’s the oakmoss . I should have just gotten Aventus.
Had the exact same experience with both these fragrances. Dylan Blue smells terribly synthetic and Cedroit Boise smells like nothing but ash tray in the dry down. Can't stand the smell of it at all and thought I was tripping because all the reviews say how good it is. I was like, do people not smell the ashtray in this fragrance? Lol
😂 My 8 year old wanted to try fragrance for the first time and so I decided on Terre based on reviews. Boy do I regret it! That smell paired with my kids heavy hand in applying it...disaster!
I disliked Terre D'hermes too at the first sniffs, I end up liking it because i smell it on a well dressed tall guy besides me, I wasnt even saw his face, but I somehow respect this guy and snapped about TdH. TdH smells good with distances, dont smell it directly. It gives sophostication vibes to a person in my opinion.
I understand you about Ultra Male. Most women dont like overly sweet,synthetic feminine smelling fragrances on men. Bvlgari Aqva Amara - a rotten fruit kind of smell that only gets compliments from fruit fly's Baccarat Rouge - I dont get it why people want to smell like burned cotton candy.
First time I tried Ultra Male it was "meh" to me. Few months later, 2nd time trying it I sprayed on skin and went home, couldn't get enough so I knew I had to get it.
I agree with you on fragantica; the only reason I go to it now is to see notes and seasons the parfum will work best in. Reviews are generally useless as are the ratings. Some of the writers for fragantica put out good articles that give me an idea of new stuff coming out….but that’s about it now.
I really like Lemale and the flankers but I definitely agree you can’t go by personal comments in the reviews. For example I read many so/so comment about PDM Althair got sample , tried it and immediately ordered a full bottle the next day. Althair is my favorite among PDM lines regardless of of the negative reviews.
@@Billable_Ours Fragrances really are interesting like that. I'm at least glad it worked for others even if it didn't work for me. I can easily believe Y edp though.
your taste in fragrances is similar to mine. and i also live in a warmer weather country. so whenever i'm interested in a fragrance and planning to buy it, i always look up your opinion on that fragrance. well, i had the same take on ultramale. enigma on the other hand, i'm really not feeling it since the beginning. i'm about to buy tuxedo soon. hope i'll enjoy it as much as u do
Melissa i appreciate you so much because your nose is that bridge between Niche and everyday people. Unfortunately a lot of us frag heads forget everyday people dont always smell what we smell. Not to mention a lot of guys do not understand the feminine nose as well, so thier collection ends up being a sausage fest 😂. For overhyped is Erba Pura Designer: i think JPG is beyond overhyped.
I'm telling ya.. i will never blindbuy any parfum anymore. i purchased ariana grande - thank u next perfume because of an youtuber and because everyone told me "it smells so nice". it's such a horrible smell.. i can not wear it. worst fragrance i know. i regret this buy so much that i promised myself to never blindbuy any parfum anymore xd
I agree with ultra male and to me all the flankers are just sweet cloying headachey make you dizzy scents. As for Niche it’s very easy. The most overhyped niche scent easily top 5 on everyone’s list should be Le Labo Santal 33. The only scent to ever to remind me of getting my blood drawn experience. Like a sterile latex gloves/rubber tourniquet/bandages smell. It’s like the phlebotomist is wearing a powdery floral bodyspray combined with all the supplies/tools reminds me of that scent. Also I hate getting my blood drawn so of course I hate Santal 33
As for hyped, Ombre Leather. That's just a fragrance I don't get. Also for the record, I like Salt & Pepper. To me it smells unique, I'm on my second 5ml bottle of it. Never received a compliment on it. My most compliment fragrances so far as CDNIM and Coffee & Whiskey by BBW.
I agree with JPG Ultra-Male. Lots of guys hype this thinking it’s the best fragrance in the game. Yeah no offense but I ain’t tryna smell feminine. If someone help a bottle of Sauvage EDT and JPG Ultra-Male, even tho Sauvage EDT is overplayed, I’ll take it any day. Why? Because it at least smells great and the ladies love it as well. Even tho I won’t be unique. But at least I’ll smell masculine. I’m not saying that guys aren’t allowed to like JPG Ultra-Male, no if they like it, ok that’s fine. Wear it, but don’t expect to receive any good compliments.
I have ultra male and Armani code Profumo. They smell very similar and I love wearing them to compare them. Ultra male smells like ripe pear whereas Profumo smells like a green pear. I’ve wore them very sparingly, however. Lol. I respect your nose Melissa.
Boxer dropper fragrance 😂 I have the same issue with the PDM line and especially Delina(s). Fragrantica raves but truly, there's absolutely nothing special about it, even Delina La Rosee smells incredibly generic. Performance is a monster, that's true but also unwelcome when you don't actually like what you are wearing. Pity, I would have loved that bottle on my dresser. Oh, BTW, have you tried Scherzo by Miller Harris? Be curious to know what you think.
Got TF Oud Wood based on a quick test at a duty free shop and some reviews including yours, loved the fragrance, somehow misinterpreted the 'poor performance' factor thinking it might not be as bad as some reviewers say it is, absolutely disappointed that it completely disappears within '30 minutes'!!! Had to buy Thameen Carved Oud to satisfy the need to have Oud Wood fragrance with better performance. I would say TF Oud Wood with current formulation is the most overpriced and overhyped perfume as of 2024.
I blind bought Miami Glow by JLo because I have the same fragrance taste as another RU-vidr who raved about it. Thank god I only spent $25 on it because it smells like kitty litter to me 😂🥴 it’s so nasty idk how anyone can stomach it.
Wanted to like Side effect & cedrat Boise based on the reviews but one smells like it’s 100% for women & the other smells like a bowl of fruit loops with an ashtray dumped on top lol
Ultramale and even 9pm - I dont understand the hype at all tbh. Why would people wear something this sweet and cloying. Men sometimes stupidly follow non sense trends.
And I think Jeremy Fragrance had something to do with it. His simps are always like “HeY jErEmY, i’M wEaRiNg UlTrA mAlE.” They’ll just follow trends just because a “used to be” fragrance Icon said something great about it
Tom Ford: Hombre Leather. Smells like a second-hand car that you detailed using armor all on the leather seats. It reminded me of a taxi I took once in Puerto Rico. Does not smell like a leather hide
I agree ombre leather is garbage to me very overpriced overhyped the only Tom fords I like is noir extreme and the parfum version and hot take black orchid is fire
Yes, I love perfumes but yeah, I always just trust my nose at this point. For the niche fragrance, I went to an MFK store and tried Grand Soir, it seriously didn't wow me. At this point, i have come to understand that it's important to trust yourself, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Ah Gucci Guilty for women, I got a sample and tried it liberally, and no, I don't like it. Everyone else seems to.
When I was a kid I ate KFC and Sedley is reminiscent of the wet wipes they gave with the food there so that’s why its hard for me to like that one, but I got a 30ml for the summer to try.
Oh, and of course two overhyped fragrances that totally didn't work on/for me: Niche: Parfums de Marly Layton; Designer: Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb Extreme. 🤷
Baccarat Rouge 540 extrait. Do not understand the hype at all! It stinks on me, like hospital antiseptic. I wanted to wash myself clean of the fragrance cos who wants to be reminded of a hospital all day?
Same. I hate ultra male and enigma but I adore Elysium and LV AS. Now I’m planning to blind buy either Isola Blu or Oceania. I already have Burlington 1819 but I wasn’t blown away but I’m keeping it coz I love the bottle. Any way Which one would you buy if you were me? Hope you’ll answer this thank you.
Your video was a bit all over the place, so i'll say this. With Fragrantica many of the people sharing their opinions are sharing opinions that are heavily influenced by RU-vid Influencers. So its very hard to find an honest opinion of a Fragrance thats so hyped. As an older male a fragrance like Ultramale, or "Stronger With You" doesnt appeal to my nose. They both smell immature IMO. With Roja's Enigma, & with you also being a young lady I wouldnt expect that a fragrance like that would appeal to you. So its no surprise that you dont like it. That said, age plays a major role in whether we will or wont like a fragrance. Gender also plays a role. The way you feel about Roja's APEX isnt at all surprising. Again, you're a young lady. And regardless of you being Lesbian, you're still a woman. So a heavy Oakmoss & Spice fragrance isnt going to appeal to you as something you'd want to smell like. Just as there are certain Floral & Gourmand frags that are just too Feminine for men regardless of their sexual preference. So consider Influence, Age, & Gender when it comes to fragrance. ... and keep in mind. Because you have taken on the role of an Influencer/Reviewer, & you have become this "Voice Of The Community". You have opened yourself up to critics of your channel who have been collecting for longer than you have been alive. You're very expressive about your dislike for particular fragrances on this public forum. So you should be welcoming of any dislike of your critique regardless of the age of the person critiquing you. Dont cry now. Own your shit.
Lmaoo “don’t cry now. own your shit.” The comments are on aren’t they? People can criticize all they want, I got no problem with that. For that to be your takeaway to a video of me sharing my experience is under-developed thinking lol
I’m not that old but if full on adults on Facebook groups are taking weird screen grabs of a creator and slandering her looks because she didn’t like their precious fragrance, that’s no longer “criticism” of her take. Thats very weird childish behavior. The fact you would even consider that criticism or normal says a lot about you
@@melissanacional9662 The sharing of your experience in this particular video comes off like more of a whiny rant. Which is why I said "Dont Cry Now, own your shit". But I get it. Judgement has that effect. And sometimes we dont recognize when we're lashing out. I assure you, I didnt misread you. Like I said in my initial statement. Your video is all over the place. Which is an indicator of emotional ranting. I enjoy your content. I absolutely love your honesty. And as someone who regularly watches your videos I can see that you were touching on things that bothered you. ... when nothing should bother you in this arena. Fragcom can be a brutal place, & it loves to devour Reviewers. So just dont wear your feelings on your sleeve.
@@chis8724 As I told Melissa, Fragcom is a brutal place. You would think that people who love fragrance would be some of the kindest people. But they're not. In my years i've been attacked the same way & worse for expressing my dislike for a fragrance. I was called names. People made Memes about me. but not once did it bother me. Not once did I rant about it. I just kept expressing my dislike for whatever fragrances that I didnt like. I even had Carlos from Brooklyn Fragrance Lover (RIP) put me out of Steven's group all because I made a post about a fragrance that I didnt like. He even Inboxed me to tell me that I was contradicting Reviews. It was a whole mess. The best thing for Melissa to do is never mention the attacks. Ignore them & continue reviewing. Because once she does Fragcom will smell blood & come in for the kill. I love her channel, so i'm not against her, & i'm definitely not siding with anyone who is just because I understand the criticism of her. Hell, I understood it when I was being criticized. Lastly, a synonym for Criticize/Criticism is "Attack". Just an FYI.
Melissa don't sweat the hyper-negative(s). You're on-point with your reviews [including "Niche" & eclectic points]. Make it REIGN as usual. The Haters secretly like & applaud you. CHEERS!!!
I’ve never understood why people like creation-E. I’m a cola fanatic in life and I never found it to be anything like cola. It’s much more akin to root beer. And I very seldom like root beer.
I really didn’t like bianco latte or Amouage guidance (2 newer niche babes ) they were both close … but too sweet and too strong respectively… Guidance had made it’s way off my skin and onto a hoodie I couldn’t keep in my room had to wash it , it was crazy off of 1 spray for a designer I tried marc jacobs daisy wild the other day … smelled so similar to jadore edt , really wanted something unexpected , oh well
I don’t normally comment on videos but I have to say that there is a great deal of ageism involved in your reviews and a palpable ignorance of the origins of fragrance, whilst also unfortunately showing a critical failure to contextualise fragrance genres and appreciate them artistically. One day you may look back on these videos and cringe. If you do, you will be very lucky because that will mean that you have grown in your knowledge. To me it sometimes feels like you are walking into a jazz club and declaring that you cannot stand Miles Davis because it’s old music and asking for something contemporary. This would be considered extraordinarily ignorant of jazz as a genre, its origins and its significance including the timeless offerings of the greats like Davis and Coltrane. Art requires a level of humility and intellectualism to develop understanding. And critiquing olfactory art without any historical, contextual or intellectual foundation in a digital echo chamber does not facilitate growth. If you really want to learn, read! Educate yourself to a deeper understanding and don’t approach art from an ignorant perspective. Things don’t have to be brand new to have value. And older sometimes means classic, timeless and revered. You don’t have to like these fragrances but understanding the context from which they emerged and what made them great will save you from coming across as insular in thought and limited in intellectual capacity to appreciate art. Now this might sound absurd to you today but one day, if you are lucky, the penny will drop and you will see that I was trying to drop a gem on you for real. 🤷🏿♀️
@@Leonard_Washington76 Roja probably makes some really great scents considering their reputation, just way out of my price range, & there are plenty coca cola antique store fragrances among the affordable classics (bal a versailles, youth dew, etc). Although I'd love to smell it
MFK Grand Soir - smell like Russian aftershave from the 80s with no projection at all. From designers Dior Homme Parfum smells unpleasant to me, so I don't get the hype it gets.
I found once I got into Tom Ford fragrances I couldn't go back to the cheap end designer fragrances. That includes Bleu de Chanel, nice scent but it's just like a nice top notes with nothing else. Boring. There are some RU-vid frag heads that are still recommending Eros...
Jean Paul Gaultier was a complete waste of money lol… I Blind bought (no pun intended) that one and I feel like I smelled like a middle school sleepover. Also unpopular opinion… I can’t think of the name of it, but the creed Aventis clone that everyone was wearing (club something) made me never want to try Aventis. One that I absolutely loved, but so did everyone else was Dior Sauvage. No joke, I could tell where in the Philadelphia metro area people were from by which flanker they were wearing. The entire city smelled like it because everyone was wearing it. I swear I have nice things to say, this video just kind of brought all of that into my head before I even started watching it.😂 love your videos, keep it up, be well!
This is how I was with Amouage reflection man. Smells like a grandma or something. I tried pawning the travel spray off on people and no one would take it so I just left it behind at a restaurant. And you weren’t wrong about Salt and pepper.
I just order some samples of salt and pepper and blue agave. I hope salt and pepper is phenomenal. I’m looking for a good masculine hot weather fragrance with a good complement factor.
Unfortunately I blind bought BOTTEGA VENETA, and it showed up yesterday. I find it to be the most vile disgusting thing I've ever smelled. I thought maybe it would be better on skin. I sprayed it on my knee, so it could be far from my face. Twenty minutes later it's wasn't any better. This toxic waste was hyped by a couple youtubers, and now they have lost all credibility. Fortunately, Jomashop will refund it. I'd love to hear your opinion about it.
If you don't have haters, you're doing something wrong. Brush that off and keep doing you, ma'am. ATH is getting a lot of the hate now because he won't ship internationally. I think it's so weird to complain on the internet about insignificant things.
I felt exactly the same way about Naxos 😂 I can’t do Fresh & Sweet combined, it really irks me. Naxos is absolutely worshipped by everyone but to me it literally smells like lemon Vapor rub.
Most of my Roja fragrances just sit on my shelves, never in the mood to wear them… even Elysium I don’t really care about…certain fragrances are like buying those ugly Balenciaga sneakers
1. Dior Homme Parfum/Intense 2011/2020...there's a (to me) dirty, body odor note that I just can't get past. 2. Zaharoff Signature...not a bad fougere, but over time there's something in it that makes me mildly nauseous.
Yooo Waddup Melissa showing love to the channel. Love your videos and content. Keep it coming. And I really wanted to try JPG ELIXIR. But the notes remind me of Naxos and came off overhyped to me. But yet to try it 🤷🏾♂️
I have both and they do not smell alike, maybe about 10%, maybe. Naxos is refined, elegant, and sophisticated, with the honey note being the most prominent. Le Male Elixir is more fun, way more sweet, and I get more vanilla. LM Elixir is not smoky at all, and it smells more youthful. I like it the best out of all JPG fragrances.
@@Leonard_Washington76 for me not at all. Naxos I wear when I'm going somewhere very high-end or if I'm dressed up. LM Elixir I wear out for dancing or concerts, because it is loud. Try LM Elixir at Macy's 😊
My worst designer fragrance would have to be Versace Dylan Blue. It just smells repulsive, and I have a friend that lives by that fragrance. For niche, Mancera Aoud Lemon Mint. I love oud as a note, but i dont know what the hell people see in this stuff lmao. I spotted it when i was testing a new Montale in bloomies to buy, and remember reading a lot about ALM. I didnt even need to smell the strip, i smelled it in the air and just said "mm mm nope" and the sales rep started laughing.
Oh my, I am this close to buying it. Please give me your thoughts about it because I am having second thoughts tight now especially that I ak disappointed with jubilation xxv.
I bought Miller Harris - Scherzo as UK fragrance influences were raving about it, and i don't like it at all. It smells like an old lady kind of perfume...😒
The original Flower Bomb by Viktor Rolf and Daisy by Marc Jacobs are both overhyped and mediocre imo and I'm someone who adores Good Girl and Black Opium! Both are pretty basic ass pretty florals with cute bottles and thats it. Flower Bomb in particular has pretty bad performances, like 2 or 3 hours. Mugler is pretty bad too, again they're only popular cus of the bottle.
