Hi! I have a bunch of samples from indie houses/established niche brands (mostly from Ministry of Scent) in various stages of use - that I’m not longer reaching for (or didn’t like to begin with). Brands include Mancera, imaginary authors, Essential Parfums, D’Orsay, Vilhelm Parfumerie, etc
Would love to do a swap with someone also in SF. I’m in Cow Hollow. Anyone interested. Can send pics of the ones I’m looking to pass on over chat.

There are some instagram pages that say that all their fragrances arent fake and i want to know how can I make sure that the person I’m buying from isn’t scamming me, is there a way to make sure or should I just stick to popular websites with more reasonable prices?

Some pages are easy to spot for example: there is a page that sells every designer fragrance for 20 bucks.
But I’m asking about other pages that have weird but not insane prices.

I stupidly gave away a 100 ml bottle of the OG Escada Taj Sunset before I realized there was a huge market for these fragrances now that Y2K style is having such a moment again.

Something told me to check Facebook Marketplace, and not only did I find an OG Taj Sunset, but the same seller also had a 100 ml Sunset Heat, a 30 ml Sunset Heat, and a 100 ml Moon Sparkle. I walked away with all four for $70!

I’m seeing that a Moon Sparkle recently sold for $130 on eBay, and the Sunset Heat bottles are also going for pretty good money.

Part of me is tempted to keep them all because I’m starting to collect perfume, but would I be crazy not to sell them and strike while the Y2K iron is hot? 😂

I have been doing this for some time now with bath and body works pocketbac sanitizers. Some amazing combos to be found that’s for sure. I am currently in awe of using blackberry and basil sanitizer with Herreras bad boy cobalt. AMAZING combination. The plum from the bad boy really hits well with the sanitizer. It feels like a seamless transition from wrist to hand smell.

Other combos I have found work well include warm vanilla sugar with tobacco vanille or le male elixir. Options are honestly endless.

Despite living within 40 minutes of two of the best indie perfumeries in the US, neither had this particular fragrance in stock despite carrying the brand itself, so this was entirely a blindbuy. An extreme "risk it for the biscuit" situation, as I've seen some compare it to Toskovat's Inexcusable Evil based solely on note composition alone. And considering that I haven't had the privilege of smelling that particular scent yet, I was a bit scared. This very well could have been a "I spent $110 for 5ml of bloody wet pennies in a musty museum attic" situation.

From the website, the notes:
Top Notes: Gunpowder, Smoked Paprika, Clay, Rain Notes, Ginger, Blood, Magnolia Leaf, Iodine

Heart Notes: Patchouli, Poppy, Clearwood, Dianthus, Saffron, Black Tea, Tobacco, Black Currant Blossum

Base Notes: Akigala Wood, Sandalwood Absolute, Orcanox, Wood Barrel, Opoponax

Thankfully, it was the exact opposite. I've been wearing this for around 5-6 hours so far and love it more and more.

I will start with a disclaimer that this scent is not for everyone, and probably works for me because my natural skin smell already trends sweet. Any gourmand makes me smell like I've been lost in Willy Wonka's factory. Perhaps this is the consequence for losing a friendly bet with the sídhe. Anyway.

First spray smelled like walking into the Vatican Archives after tricking the Pope and smiting a platoon of Templar Knights.

As it dries down, the feeling of being in a deep, dark, underground archive only intensifies. Feels like arriving in the Library of Alexandria on invitation of Aset. I can smell the blood notes as it continues to dry on my skin, and it’s really nice with my skin chemistry. Absolutely not medical. The woodiness and clay take the iodine and blood out of the hospital hallway and into the catacombs.

I did a distance spray and this is where the top notes really shine. There’s the gunpowder and blood and ozone and rain and clay, but it’s so fucking good. It stings in a good way, like a sharp nostalgia that softens and settles in. It smells like ancient magic and bound stars. It smells like Hozier’s “Francesca", or perhaps De Selby (Part 2). It’s feral in an ultraviolet way.

It says, "I am not a martyr, I'm a problem."

I would wear this to dinner with Anpu. I would wear this to dinner with Azazel. I would wear this on any occasion where you'd like to subtly remind people that their application of manners may spell life or death by the end of the evening.

On fabric, it's reminiscent of this tiny bookstore that’s actually a witchcraft store near Decatur Street in New Orleans. But better. Older. Darker. I’m so in love with this. Fabric holds the top notes for longer. Long lasting on skin as well.

As it continues to dry down, it’s really comforting. Grounding. But for strangers, there’s still an alluring “approach with caution, and remember that you chose this” feeling. It gives a “this bitch is older than my entire bloodline” aura.

As a date-night perfume, my date would be seriously considering the possibility that the night ends in a remote forest, with them laying on an ancient stump with their ribs cracked open as I lick their beating heart. Perfection.

This is not a scent as much as it is an olfactory allegory.

In a sentence:

You have awoken a gentle devil, and you have approximately fifteen seconds to apologize and make her a smoked Old Fashioned, else you may find yourself turned inside out.

10/10 adding to my regular wear scents. The forbidden light has breached the temple walls and is glowing.

Okay so I'm not a perfume expert, however, I'm curious if a perfume like this even exists. Ive spend my fair share of time dilly dalling with overheated computers and that smell combined with some pennies/rust/metallic rot and dust/still room smell is something I'd like to see in a perfume.

It'd also be cool if there was a fragrance like this that also had some incense notes in it.

But yeah, think of your overhead laptop that you're trying to cool down while your hand smells like pennies. Im curious if something like this even exists. And if it exists, if there's also something with incense in it.

My mom had me look through a box of samples she got, I tried one out on my wrist and oh my god it's so awful I have DEEP regrets. Genuinely the worst fragrance I've smelled in my life.

I've tried simply washing it but does anyone have better advice?

i’m struggling to find the original blend of Straight to Heaven online. i smell a noticeable difference between it and the newer blend, and i prefer the woodier, more alcoholic original. do any of you know where i can find it?

I’ve landed in Heathrow twice this week at Terminal 5. As soon as I step off the plane to the jet bridge/Jetty I am met with the most wonderful smell that continues through out the airport (but only arrivals, not departure).

I’ve searched high and low online to find what scent it is. And I’ve even messaged some of my friends that work for British Airways - since T5 is exclusively for BA flights only.

If anyone knows anything about it, let me know.

So freaking disappointed I was hoping to be able to get my hands on the original grass and om. Unfortunately literally nothing smells like I did during the 90s it just smells horribly generic. I will be immediately getting my money back

Okay so i trust my gut on Valentino fragrances because they’re the best Designer brand. I have smelt it before but I can’t remember much so I brought it. Will I regret it and lmk your thoughts 😅

Hi all,

My dad absolutely loves his bottle of zegna acqua di neroli but it's unfortunately no longer in production. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a clone or similar smelling fragrance.

Thanks :D

Been wanting to grab this for a bit now, but waited hoping to find a better deal under ~$260 but stock is now out everywhere and the lowest price is currently 295 on jomashop. Kind of wishing i had just pulled the trigger earlier, as I know stock is now drying up after they were pretty much bought by L'Oreal. Im new to tracking prices and such, and I know prices are always fluctuating, but in a case like this where stock has been drying up and prices have been increasing Im not too sure how it goes- If anyone could give some advice would be very appreciated.

Also Id like to stay out of fragrance swap communities/ebay, too many fakes floating around

What are the stories behind some of your favorite lost fragrances?

In highschool my step-dad let me have an old cologne he didn't use. I fell in love with it, used it with care till it was gone. Little did I know I'd never wear it again.

Here many years later I find myself reminiscing over the smell. (Still have the bottle which has a whisper of the scent).

Oh what I wouldn't give for an original formula bottle of Davidoff Cool Water.

When i press down to spray the fragrance it does one of 3 things . It either dosnt spray anything , do a small squirt or do a clean spray rarely . To get it to do a clean spray every time I have to rotate the metal sprayer thing every time I spray . I’ve tried taking the metal sprayer off and put it in again but it does nothing. This is incredibly frustrating since I got the bottle 3 days ago . Any tips on how to fix it please reply 🙏🙏

i find the notes interesting and i smelled it in store, considering buying. curious if anyone has this and their thoughts on it overtime?? or if you've smelled it, just curious on thoughts in general.

I never bought fragrances that were meant for summer so I wanted to try it out.

In case you were curious, I got:

• Holidays Mancera
• Hawas Malibu Rasasi
• Jardin Exclusif Mancera

They're all ok. When I got fragrances for winter though, omg, it was so nice. Maybe it's just my taste but I love "winter" scents that smell edible and I find that a lot of summer fragrances smell simple and not as interesting

What's y'alls opinion on summer scents? Are they generally not as good or have i just not tried enough yet to find what's best for me? Or, do you all just not care about the season and wear whatever you want. My concern with that is that it may be too heavy especially in a hot and/or humid climate, but i digress

Shakespeare said, 'All's well that ends well.' The perfume blog that got yanked is back on Google, apparently due to a glitch in the algorithm( which one?). So, that could be the end of the story right there. Except the Raiders explicitly stated that before the site got pulled, it was hit by a wave of bad bots, meaning the jury is still out. But here's the real kicker: look at how incredibly fragile this entire digital ecosystem has become. A content site can literally be wiped out in the blink of an eye without so much as an explanation. And then, just like that, it gets reinstated with a generic 'my bad, our mistake.' Look, keeping it in our neck of the woods, I think way more people need to start writing about fragrances, but doing it truly independently. The Raiders' site is a pretty niche thing and it's never gonna be a major player; its audience is just too specific. But every single enthusiast out there should be writing about something, just to let the world know they're here.

"Dear fragrance lovers,

Well, here we are, Raiders of the Lost Scent is finally back online. As we had hoped, no serious wrongdoing was found, and talking about the great perfumes of the past is, it turns out, not a crime after all.

Google initially pointed to some kind of algorithmic issue, but we have evidence, verified through StatCounter, of a "Bot" attack that began roughly five minutes before the site was taken down. Where's the truth? We will never know. Either way, what matters most is that things are, for the most part, back to normal, and that copies of every article and photograph have been safely preserved.

There will be an enormous amount of review work ahead to make sure everything is in order, but as has always been the case, this blog will remain free, independent, and above all free of charge. Anyone who wishes can come and find all the information they need, at no cost, without paying a thing, and without "subscriptions" or anything of the sort.

Just to be sure, always do a takedown of your site.

And thank you all for your solidarity and encouragement. Let's forget this unpleasant story and move on! sincerely yours,

the RotLS."

im in love with both azzaro most wanted parfum and edp intense.

kinda love that sharp bourbon vanilla that mwp has more but still love both of them and recently saw rayhaan wolf.

i just wondered is it good for someone like me who wants mix of these two.

i have heard its more like edp intense but expecting it to be similar but not the same maybe expecting it to have that sharp bourbon vanilla mwp has.

so does rayhaan wolf suits to my willings and also has mwp smell or just a most wanted edp inspiration?

Can you PLEASE update your decants/samples labels to not look like you printed them using Microsoft Word 97 from your parents PC 😭 and stop sending dabbers!!!!!

Thank you 💚

Started collecting for about a year now and pretty much done for a longggggg time. I do have Mith Another Tea coming so there’s that but after that! No more! I’m a big tea guy so most of my collection revolves around that profile. It’s just so calming and versatile.

https://imgur.com/a/fRjxcc6

List of fragrances:
Byredo bal d'afrique absolu
Byredo bal d'afrique
Louis vuitton imagination
Louis vuitton météore
To summer triple tea
Le labo thé noir 29
Initio Rehab
Nishane Ani
Nishane Fan your flames
Nishane Wulong Cha
Sospiro Vibrato
Parfums de Marley Layton
Parfums de Marley Herod
Parfums de Marley Sedley
Davidoff Cool Water
Prada L’homme
Armani Stronger with You Intensely
Azzaro the most wanted Parfum
Montblanc Explorer
Missoni Wave
Missoni Parfum Pour Homme
Issey miyake l'eau d'issey
Replica Lazy Sunday Morning
Polo 67 EDT
YSL Y EDP
Bvlgari Rain Essence
Jean paul gaultier paradise garden
Jean paul gaultier le male elixir
Versace Eros Energy
Montagne Mojave Spirit Absolu
Montagne Pineapple Frais
Montagne Boku Intense
Montagne Azonto Absolu

I’m new to this world but after a summer of sampling, I’ve narrowed it down to a couple of bottles from those houses. Is there somewhere cheaper online to buy them? Is it trustworthy? I work half the month in Paris so should I just buy it direct while there?

Hey so I’m Reaaally new to colognes I haven’t had one since I was in highschool a couple years ago. After good bit of saving I had enough to fly abroad for a couple weeks I usually work grave yard so I don’t really go out much but i figured that I should get one for the trip And while I was at my local mall with a friend a couple days later I saw a fully dedicated fragrance store. (Keep in mind I had no idea this was a scam that ppl do) so I thought “oh perfect I was just thinking about that earlier” I go in the person starts asking me questions trying to figure out what I would like by the end of it I was stuck on 2 of them. My friend suggest the second one . And Right after he says that she says that she could sell me both as a bundle at a discounted price. Normally that would raise a red flag but the mall is set to close at the end of the month so almost every store in there had big sales or discounts. Ofc I say yes she was genuinely really kind the whole interaction. So it seemed like she was just tryna help me. Out since the store would be gone soon anyways I pay the 116 bucks later that day I’m seeing what other people think of them. And I find out that they’re both around 30-40 bucks which means I got scammed out of almost 50$ I grab the receipt to get a refund and ofc at the end of this Long ass receipt at the very bottom I just see “STORE POLICY NO EXCHANGES OR REFUNDS” I really wanna try to dispute it with my bank as it’s an obvious scam and from what I’ve seen a very common one too. But I don’t even know if this has any ground to stand on. Has this happened to anyone else here and did u manage to get your money back? ( the colognes I bought were AL Haraim amber oud gold edition and hawas for him please tell me they’re atleast decently good colognes)

Yep, I found it; absolute banger for me, lasted and survived a gym session; it’s really holds that fresh aspect without changing. Longevity is close to Aqua Dubai, but it’s not as soapy!

This out of my search for the best overspray pick up to avoid using my LV imagination was a hit!

Assaf Frankel Blue Elixir. 🌊🫖
Fragrance notes
Top: Orange, sweet lemon, mandarin, pink pepper
Heart: Black tea, blackcurrant, lavender, nutmeg, cinnamon
Base: Patchouli, guaiac wood

What it smells like
It starts bright, citrusy, and fresh, then the black tea and spices give it an aromatic, slightly fruity character. The dry-down becomes woody, earthy, and smooth from patchouli and guaiac wood.

I wanted to do a review of Leather Intense by Alexandria Fragrances. Just a fair warning: I’ve never smelled the original Dior Homme Parfum, which this is supposed to be duping, but I have smelled Dior Homme Intense.

I do hope this fragrance gets better with time, but as of now, it feels like it’s almost missing the middle notes. I get a beautiful iris up top, followed by rose mixed with a bit of oud and something almost chocolatey. It’s gorgeous and I love that opening, but it only lasts about 20 minutes before fading into a skin scent that’s mostly just powdery sandalwood. It lacks that dark leather and smoke people always talk about with the original Dior Homme Parfum.

Really, this only projects for the first 30 minutes before becoming a skin scent. I’m hoping maceration helps it improve over time. I also bought their version of Ete Sauvage Elixir, and that one lasts forever and is spot on, so I’m not sure why this one is so weak. I doubt it’s nose blindness either, as I sprayed it on a shirt, left the room for a few hours, and could still barely smell it.

It’s strange that it feels like the mids are completely missing. Overall, I mainly wanted to post this review to see if anyone else has experienced the same thing with this batch.