Comments on: Comme des Garcons Luxe series, Champaca ~ fragrance review (and rant)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 17:13:00 +0000

Yeah, R. I dunno. Money IS a bit of an object for me. I like the idea of waiting to see if I still feel the same in five months. I can be a bit of a junkie that way; once I've got it, I'm no longer desperate to own it. I'm so ashamed to admit that!!!!!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:25:00 +0000

Hi Robin, if you want it badly, love it to death and you have the cad's, then go for it and buy it! What scents are worth is of course a relative concept. Also want you to know that I love the bottles of the Armani Private Collection even better with the matching little candle holders.

With the Euro versus the USD prices of products from the US should be pretty low right now, but there is some 'legal' construction which makes us consumers from overseas still pay the same amount of money for stuff. The People in Brussels are working on that but it will take some time to change it. Maybe Canada has the same unfortunate arrangement?

Speaking of spending money: I want to buy Un Jardin en Mediterranee and Un Jardin en Nil, rather today than any later day but I have to wait, have too many other things on my list that have to come first.

What is a decant?? It that a sample/small tester?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 01:12:00 +0000

Tom, not many people chiming in here today for the Patchouli, but I've seen positive remarks elsewhere. On the Champaca, way fewer.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 01:11:00 +0000

And I'll add another take: no way is it worth that. But if you want it bad enough, that might not be the key issue

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 23:20:00 +0000

Thanks for the helpful reply. Quite so. Legitimacy is in the eye of the beholder (nose of the perfumista?) and all that. I've got my decant so will give it the five-month test.

Yes, our dollar is strong right now, but our cagey retailers tell us they bought stock before the increase and so have to sell at an unreduced price. Sigh. . .

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 20:51:00 +0000

I would answer that question slightly differently. I would say that if you have already smelled it, and (preferably) even worked through a decant, and after five months you think it's amazing and you can't live without it … well, then, it's worth it. I would say that of any perfume you have fallen in love with; if it makes you happy and you'll wear it regularly, why not? I am not sure there is any way to evaluate a “legitimate price/quality ratio” unless you're a) a perfumer and b) know the overhead regarding a particular fragrance and the company overhead behind it. OTOH I haven't checked recently, but I thought the Canadian dollar was trading close to par to USD? Did that change? At par(ish) it should be less than $200.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:47:00 +0000

No, the Armani Private Stuff is n o t worth that kind of money.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:02:00 +0000

Perhaps a naive question, but I am still a relatively new fragrance nut: on the subject of a legitimate price/quality ratio, would anyone say that the Armani Privee Encens is clearly *worth* $225 Cdn for 50ml? I love the stuff, but. . .

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 16:37:00 +0000

I tired these at ScentBar and to be frank I didn't think either one of them were worth the money. My black little heart hopes that some of these super-luxe frags will be flag-flying floperoos and drive a stake into the heart of that trend soon…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:05:00 +0000

Can't argue w/ that — they are hugely expensive! But they're selling that fancy bottle mostly, aren't they? I tend to think of that as oriented to a completely different market than perfumistas, although I could be wrong.

Heard the Guerlain oud things weren't much good, but never tried them. Forgot they were that much $$!