The Unmentionable Subject: Dupes

Forgive me for my naivete, dear readers. I'm not sure if this is a forbidden subject, but it's one that I feel compelled to write about today. Whether we're trying to duplicate a long-discontinued scent, stumble upon a fragrance that bears more than a passing resemblance to another, or are actually seeking out a cheaper alternative, there is that unseemly, underground world of perfume 'dupes' that seems to be avoided as a topic altogether.

(Sesame Street's: One of These Things is Not Like The Other, courtesy of youtube :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueZ6tvqhk8U

In my early perfumista days, I sought out cheaper alternatives to fragrances I was not able to get my hands on. My fragrance obsession ironically reached it's height as soon as I moved from the big city back to my hometown. Unfortunately for me, 'niche' is unheard of here, the most one can hope to sniff is the vast array of new celebrity scent releases. Dig a bit further, and there are perhaps one or two Chanel or Guerlain sources (that would be the bare minimum, no 'Exclusifs' to be found).

When I returned to my hometown, I opted to take advantage of etailers who offered wares that were 'inspired' by other scents. Admittedly, some of these purchases were very misguided. In my attempt to find a 'deal', I had spent way too much on alot of scents, rather than just invest in a bottle of the actual fragrance.

One positive that came out of this experiment was the fact that I was introduced to many scents that gave me a very cohesive idea of what the original is meant to smell like. In some instances, the 'dupe' would be virtually indistinguishable from the original.

image taken from www.fragrantica.com

Unintentional duplications are scents that due to coincidence, (or something else entirely) resemble one another. I'm sure there are many, but the one pair that instantly comes to mind is the (long-discontinued and rare) Gloria by Cacharel and Guerlain's Spirituese Double Vanille. Another is Dior's Miss Dior Cherie, and Soap and Glory's Girligo Body Mist.

Ironically, the scents we're desperate to duplicate the most, the long-discontinued are often un-dupable. One of the many cruelties of life and fragrance appreciation.

What say you, fellow perfume addicts? Is the 'dupe' subject untouchable, or dare you contribute your two cents?

The Scents of Melancholia

(image taken from my bedroom window at dusk, sometime earlier this year :)


Taking in the essence of a fragrance can enhance one's mood, evoke emotion, or provide some kind of fragrant association. In my mind, there are several scents in the fragrant world that evoke that true sense of melancholia. Whether it's a rainy day, you're down in the dumps, or your heart is quite simply broken, it's at times therapeutic to just wallow in it and immerse yourself in a scent that embodies your depressed state. For myself, I like to partake in one of the following:



#1. Guerlain Apres l'Ondee

image taken from www.polyvore.com

According to www.fragrantica.com, notes in this fragrance include orange blossom, violet, and aniseed. The scent is meant to evoke those initial moments after a rainfall, where foliage is sweet and wet with fragrance. The traditional Guerlainade is ever-present in this one, artfully enveloped by a very retro violet.

I'm not sure if it's the vintage quality of this fragrance, but wearing this one makes me feel as if I've hopped aboard a time machine and transported myself to the turn of the 20th century. I see myself in an older, damp English home, looking wistfully out its carefully paned window onto a dew-infused garden. In my hand a lover's letter of regret. It's the scent of heartbreak, and when it's time to wallow, this is the perfect fragrance for it.


#2. Christian Dior Dune



image taken from www.dior.com





Puzzlingly described as an 'oceanic' scent, this fragrance embodies the dryness of the desert and imparts such a cold aura that I practically shiver when I wear it. With notes of mandarin, peony and vanilla, (and something else that somehow manages to smell how grains of sand feel), Dune is Cruella Deville-like in its disposition. Despite it's assertion as a desert fragrance, it's positively icy to me. When one isn't ready to face the world in their heartache and is desperate to feign a courageous facade, Dune is positively the way to go.




#3. 'That' scent.








(image taken from www.dezeen.com)




When one is ready to torture oneself in grief, it's time to take in whatever scent reminds you of him or her most. That mystery scent will transport you back in time, to the beginning of love, when everything seemed possible and you never envisioned yourself without them. That mystery scent will be the constant reminder of what once was. You might never reclaim it as anything else.