So a guy walks into a perfumery...

JugV2

Simply boring.
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We were in the jewellers tonight picking out our wedding rings and, feeling jaunty, decided to go into a particular fragrance merchant's premises to see what they had that was any good.

One of the pair working there explained the three notes in a scent, and since Drubs had explained that to me before, I felt like she probably knew a bit about it and was happy to listen to her.

The other person working there was pure sales - asked a few closed questions in order to point me in a direction in order to sell to me. no big deal, I'm a sales person myself and I know how it goes.

I asked her about Taylors of Old Bond Street. I was curious if they stocked it, or if they had it on their books as a brand they could source.

They looked through the big book 'o' scents and advised me that no, they didn't sell it as it is a pharmacy grade product and therefore not up to their standard.

I thought this was quite funny considering some of the shite they sold - the focus in mens scents nowadays seems to be on the shape of the bottle rather than the product within.

I know there are better scents out there than TOBS (and also worse) but the reason I posted this experience is that from a sales point of view, I found it hilarious that they lied about a product they didn't sell and had no knowledge of, when clearly I had at least some knowledge of.

Oh and they tried to make me buy Hugo Boss, which I would probably never but again. It's like rubbing orange peel over my skin.
 
There's a couple of good Hugo's around, but it sounds like they pointed you in the direction of one of the bad ones. Number One is the best Hugo by a mile (Used to be called Hugo by Hugo Boss, but then they changed it and called the original formulation 'Number One', although it is slightly different today).

As for the TOBS being 'pharmacy grade', they are correct. Sounds like your place was only selling designer grade, even if they do stock Beckham Instinct at $19. In the fragrance world, stuff like TOBS and GFT etc are considered good but certainly not designer-level.

I tested L'Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme at David Jones a few weeks back, simply outstanding. The 125ml is something like $140 there but can be had for about $80 on various online outlets. Definitely a well executed, slightly dry gourmand with bitter cocao and some nice wood backing it in the basenotes. Its really refined and well executed. I'm looking to get the Extreme version in EdP which is in very limited distribution.

I have a few that I want to buy, Dior Homme Intense (aka DHI), L'Instant are the two majors. Also wish to pick up Green Irish Tweed (aka GIT) by Creed. That's an expensive bottle, cheapest online is close to $180.
 
Therein lies the marketing (and mark up) snobbery of Designer frags. Like so many products these days it's less about what in it and how it works, than whose put their name to it.

I mean c'mon what the hell does mariah caey and Usher know about making frags - apart from looking at the the mark ups that are achievable? And I'd hardly be surprised to find out the bottle and packaging constitute far more cost than any of those products are worth.

In $ terms of actual product, they'd be no more expensive than those 'pharmacy grade' peasants they look down on.
 
Also wish to pick up Green Irish Tweed (aka GIT) by Creed.

Funnily enough I'm wearing it right now! I also have the pharmacy grade equivalent: Freshman by T&H. They smell very similar when first sprayed; but 2 seconds later, the others notes of GIT just blows Freshman out of the water.
 
I'm wearing pharmacy grade TOBS sandalwood and it smells great.

I thought about going with Hobo grade Brut, but I decided to go upmarket today.
 
I'm wearing pharmacy grade TOBS sandalwood and it smells great.

I thought about going with Hobo grade Brut, but I decided to go upmarket today.

Now that's some funny shit right there.

Drubs, having met you, I think you could make the Hobo look work well SMILEY FACE
 
Let's face it - any fragrance is better than minicabdriver-grade BO though...

Me? I don't give a rat's ass what grade of fragrance it is - two key indicators:

1. Do I like it?
2. Does the lady in my life like it? (Oh, I suppose there's a third - what about the wife? :laugh:)

One of those is more important than the other of course :embarrest:
 
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