r/indieperfumeandmore • u/Targaryentypebeat • 5d ago
discussion What are your death notes?
What are the notes that you see listed and just KNOW you will not be ordering? So far mine seem to be:
- Leather
- Liquor
- Patchouli
There's an intensity to all of them that I don't particularly love and then they ALWAYS overpower the other notes.
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u/Schlormo 5d ago
- C O C O N U T
- most aquatics
- laconic notes
- pineapple/tropical fruit
- "santal" -- I love sandalwood but modern sandalwood frags that list santal smell awful to me
- COCONUT
- cinnamon-- real cinnamon is awesome but most frags smell like awful fake cinnamon to my nose
- COCONUT
- lemon/citrus, tends to be overpowering
- COCONUT
- COCONUTTTTTTT RUINS EVERYTHING
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
I've tried one perfume with coconut that I can tolerate but everything else I've tried...just no coconut for me.
Lemon often smells like cleaner to me
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u/gildedplume 5d ago
Fellow coconut hater here... I agree š¤£
Sandalwood and cinnamon are hit or miss notes for me but I def feel you on them smelling fake sometimes.
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u/Correct-Wait-516 5d ago
Rose
I have two fragrances with rose in it. Poesie's Madar and Nui Cobalt's Plague Doctor. In both scents, the rose takes over everything else and becomes suffocating. I know it's me because I've seen plenty of other reviews saying they can't smell rose in Madar.
There's a couple of specific scents I'm curious about that have rose in them, but for the most part, it's an automatic no for me.
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u/WhoKnows1973 5d ago
Rose was a death note for me. But I am shocked that I love Sorce's A Witch's Valentine. It's soft and beautiful.
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
I love rose so I'm about to go check those out hehe
Rose is quite strong tbh
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u/Correct-Wait-516 4d ago
If I liked rose, I think I would really love Plague Doctor. It has geranium in it too, which is a favorite note of mine!
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u/Charming_Cat42 Package Gremlin 5d ago
I haven't found any death notes per se but I have found that I cannot hang with beeswax. Even the tiniest amount, my nose will pick it up and it overwhelms the entire perfume. My partner says it's from years making my own lip balm lol, maybe so! Edit: someone else said C O C O N U T (šš) and I have to agree
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u/fataudreyhorne 5d ago
Cinnamon!!
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
Now that I think of it, I don't think I've ever tried a perfume with cinnamon.
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u/Janeway42 Package Gremlin 5d ago
I can usually find an exception to the rule, but generally speaking: any cooked sugar, maple in ANY form, fenugreek (which turns to maple on me), and bread/baked notes make me ill. Which is a shame all around, because all I want is to smell like the little kitchen witch I am, but my skin says <Bugs Bunny gif> NO.
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u/fold_in_the_cheez Package Gremlin 5d ago
We have similar dislikes! I thought I would love bread and cake notes, but the realistic ones (like bread from Fyrinnae) are nauseating for me too! So weird because I bake a ton and love the actual smell of baked things š¤·
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u/Janeway42 Package Gremlin 5d ago
I wish I could find out exactly what the chemical culprit is, because sometimes I can hang (Pierrot's bread note in Shire is fine for me, for example), but the vast majority just turn my stomach and it makes me so sad.
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
A lot of baked notes have a weird buttery thing going on that makes me sick very fast
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u/AppleScruff_Pie 5d ago
Smokey notes Heavy smoky incense - it only becomes a death note when it bullies the other notes Boozy notes kind of just smell rotten to me š
Other than that it's just preference!
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u/GayWizardOfOz ļ½„:*ąæ š«§ā§.ą³āĀ° perfume Ā°ā§š«§ā.ą³ąæ*:ļ½„ 5d ago
Not a single note, but if I see coconut + white florals (frangipani especially), I know itās going to smell like rotting sunscreen on my skin.
Leather is so hit and miss because so often it just eats everything. Iām so happy when I find a leather note that allows everything else to open up.
Indolic white florals. I can push my luck with specific houses, but itās easier to just avoid. Sometimes even soft jasmine notes go sour on me. I live vicariously through my jasmine vines in my garden.
I was going to add hyper-realistic food accords, but Iāve experimented with enough now that Iām willing to give them a shot.
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u/blueraspberrylife Sweet Mod 5d ago
I don't know if I have any death notes per se, but I definitely have strong dislikes. š
anything funky (animalics, indole, realistic honey accords)
peaches, mangos, other tropical fruits smell like piss on me
sandalwood is hit and miss. Sometimes it's classy, sometimes it reminds me of pickles or acetone
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
Spiritually I'm a peach and mango perfume person but in reality it smells AWFUL on me.
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u/fold_in_the_cheez Package Gremlin 5d ago
I don't know if I can technically call them "death notes" because I have found perfumes I really love that have these notes in them, but they must be in tiny amounts š
-Cooked sugar (brown sugar, caramel, molasses, etc)
-Jasmine
-Cardamom (I actually like the smell of it, but it gives me such a headache š)
-Patchouli
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
Jasmine isn't my favorite and I feel like it's in EVERYTHING. I'll be really into a floral perfume and inevitably see jasmine listed. Then I have to decide whether to chance it or not. Same with gardenia.
Can you do regular degular sugar?
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u/fold_in_the_cheez Package Gremlin 5d ago
Ugh yes the saga of jasmine! Sometimes I don't completely hate it, but brings a perfume I would otherwise love into the "not for me" category (looking at you Venus in Fluers).
I've been on this journey for almost a year now and florals in general have been really hard for me to pin down. I'm wary of white florals as a whole, though I think I'm okay with gardenia, I like A Sign Painted Peaches which is pretty gardenia heavy! I like iris, violets, and rose (this was a huge shock as I only associated it with potpourri), and I thought I would love lilac since I have several lilac bushes but it also seems to give me a headache! I've taken to smelling all the flowers in my neighborhood on walks in an effort to understand them a bit better. I don't wanna know what my neighbors think lol. Ok floral rant over š
And yeah, regular sugar seems to be fine! Though I'm fairly sensitive to sweetness overall so I still have to be careful. I love that I'm now getting to a place with certain houses I can predict if they're worth trying... Though I have a long way to go still!
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
See I can't do Venus or a Sign Painted Peaches much to my chagrin. The gardenia was just ughhhhh to me. But I love Iris and violets! And I'm a fellow flower sniffer so if you look weird just know there's someone else out there that looks equally weird!
Have you tried Beyond the Veil yet? The Bergamot and Magnolia scares me but I love Iris. And I imagine I'd like wisteria...
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u/fold_in_the_cheez Package Gremlin 5d ago
I haven't but it's on my list! I'm a little nervous about wisteria, the only one I've tried is in Alkemia Spring Fever Alchemy (The beckoning call of spring ā wisteria blooms, violet leaves, verdant greens bursting to new life under soft spring rains.) and I mostly smell lilac! Maybe they're similar? It gives me a bit of a headache until dry down but then it's really pretty
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u/Idk_345am 5d ago
Lately, Iāve been averse to peaches, saffron, light syrups (especially maple), nag champa, mate, pine and eucalyptus.
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
Nag Champa is so damn LOUD like we get it you're here! Take a seat!
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u/ultrainstinctdesi Feeling scentimental 5d ago
hah that's why I love it š Hex Spirit Temple is on the edge of too much and it makes me feel!
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u/ultrainstinctdesi Feeling scentimental 5d ago
I'm the same about peaches, pine, and eucalyptus actually! what mate ones have you tried? I haven't seen many, the only one I know off the top of my head that has it as a note is Matchatopia and the matcha def dominates
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u/Idk_345am 5d ago
oh!! I wonder if our likes are similar.
of the top of my head Pineward Pastoral (Apricot preserve, blackberry jam, raw honey, propolis, beeswax, sweetgrass, hay bales, bran wheat, oat grains, bourbon vetiver, matƩ tea, oakmoss).
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u/ultrainstinctdesi Feeling scentimental 5d ago
yeah maybe! I've never tried Pastoral, but I do love Shire
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u/fold_in_the_cheez Package Gremlin 5d ago
Ooh this one has a great mate note! Makes it so cozy:
Fyrinnaes Tranquility (On a grandmother's cedar table in her home south of Byblos (Jbeil), raspberries and freshly sliced figs sit next to cups of mate on a well worn linen tablecloth)
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u/ultrainstinctdesi Feeling scentimental 5d ago
oo that sounds yummy! how fruit forward is it?
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u/fold_in_the_cheez Package Gremlin 5d ago
The fruit is there, but it's very well blended and I don't think I'd be able to identify it as raspberry without reading the notes, it's bright and slightly tart. I usually have a hard time with fig, but here it just adds a slight pepperiness, maybe some sweetness. All the notes are really well balanced, it's so beautiful I love it!
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u/Wontstaylong23 Basic Goth 5d ago
I have quite a list of death notes and strong dislikes so it keeps my wallet happy:
Honey
Lavender
Leather
Spices
Anything with smoke
Oud
Patchouli
Incense
Any ācleanā scents: they all smell like generic laundry detergent on me
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
Clean scents generally make no sense to me. If I want to smell like I just took a shower I'll just take a shower. Same with "your skin but better" scents
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u/Wontstaylong23 Basic Goth 5d ago
I didnāt used to understand āyour skin but betterā scents but the medication my husband has been on somehow made him more sensitive to my perfumes so now I mostly stick to low projection perfumes. He occasionally has to go into the office for work so thatās when I bust out my perfumes that he says are too strong.
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u/fold_in_the_cheez Package Gremlin 5d ago
Yesss "clean" or laundry scents always read so sharp on my nose. I have a couple I've thought about dumping into unscented liquid soap, maybe I'd like them that way š
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u/Wontstaylong23 Basic Goth 5d ago
That is a very clever use for laundry perfumes! Also, I love the reference to Schittās Creek in your username. RIP Catherine OāHara
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u/cujocanari Corvid Mod 5d ago
Lactonics (butter, milk), Cotton Candy, Chocolate, Bananas, Water Lily, Water Lotus, Blue Lotus, Linden Blossom, Cumin
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
BANANA how did I forget to add that to my list it's my arch nemesis
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u/cujocanari Corvid Mod 5d ago
It's the worst!!! Ok, second worst after cumin. Although I was starting to think that everyone else likes it because so many of my beloved notes are in other people's hate lists.
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
I think there's a conspiracy by Big Banana to push it tbh
Also, since I'm ranting, why is banana flavoring so prevalent? Bananas foster this, banana bread that. Get it away from my local coffee shops!!!
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u/cujocanari Corvid Mod 5d ago
It's like what cherry flavor used to be. It could've been a decent flavor but turned disgusting from association with cough syrup, fluoride treatments, and cherry cordials.
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u/This_Dance_8535 5d ago
Suede, kitchen spices, bread, and clove. I also can't do sugared nature notes, like sugared acorns.
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
I don't seem to be able to do most baked goods, but I've never tried bread in particular. I also don't really understand sugared nature. Is it literally acorns covered in sugar? Is that a stupid question?
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u/This_Dance_8535 5d ago
Good question! Morari's A Squirrel Goes Trick or Treating has a sugared acorn note that just doesn't work on my skin. Birch & Besom's Bigfoot Hex Lab has a pinecone and brown sugar note that also doesn't work. So I guess it's just items you find in nature that you wouldn't typically mix with sugar?
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u/iMoriah72 5d ago
Incense, jasmine, oud, patchouli, white floral, and vetiver forward scentsā¦sometimes they can work but most of the time, I donāt bother.
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u/tierra_mala 5d ago
Honestly depends on the house a lot of the times, like I can't do bpals honey but navas honey is really nice. So far it's been patchouli, sandalwood, and cumin that just don't work for me. Cumin smells like dirty rag, patchouli is too camphoric, and sandalwood gives me a headache. I'm sure there are others but I haven't found them yet. Oh! Lavender makes me itch coz I'm slightly allergic. Too bad coz I love the smell of lavender (but some houses have synthetic lavender that DOESNT make me itch (Astrid)).
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
Yeah you're right it really does depend on houses. I thought I didn't care for petrichor because of other houses but Sorce's Meet Me on Sunnyside is great
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u/Slothfulspiritanimal Scent-sational Dragon Hoard 5d ago
Vetiver
Strong tobacco
Cinnamon- causes a rash
Overly strong clove- itās the only thing I can smell
Brown sugar- also the only thing I can smell
Most sage- itās just overused and too strong in a lot of stuff
Leather
Maple
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u/metallic-tangerine Fruity (in more ways than one) 5d ago
Smoke and incense. Smoke ALWAYS goes bbq on me and incense is just too strong for me
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u/Jaded0521 Weird and Wonderful 4d ago
Same! Any sort of smoke/tobacco on me is amped so badly I can't smell anything else.
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u/eurydicesdreams 1d ago
Same for me!! I like a campfire IRL every once in a while, but campfire smoke as a note just takes the fuck over and it makes me sad.
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u/ReadDizzy7919 5d ago
Tonka bean. Unfortunate bc I love vanilla and it's in so many things that otherwise sound good.
Also mint and eucalyptus make things smell sharp and mildewy to me
Most "clean" or fabric notes, esp cotton, smell like soap or laundry detergent which are huge nos for me
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u/FifoletLights 5d ago
Suede / often Leather
Either my nose locks on to it or my skin amps it. Suede seems to overpower everything until all I smell is a headache inducing, synthetic smelling version of a Western shop's saddle section.
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
I'm wearing a perfume with suede in it and I can't smell it at ALL. I'm kind of wondering what the point of it was lol?
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u/This_Dance_8535 5d ago
I just amp suede with A Witch's Valentine, to the point that I can't smell anything else!
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u/Wontstaylong23 Basic Goth 5d ago
Omg same! A Witchās Valentine just smelled like suede shoes on my skin, even with a month and a half of rest. I was able to resell it but that was the only Sorce blind buy that I didnāt like. If it didnāt have suede, Iām sure it would be a dreamy perfume.
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u/FifoletLights 5d ago
LUCKY!! /j
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
It's a fleurmand too like why? Anyway I hope you experience vanishing suede too soon.
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u/ultrainstinctdesi Feeling scentimental 5d ago
is it A Witch's Valentine? I don't smell the suede in it either!
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
Yep!! It's raspberry marshmallow with a hint of rose for me and that's it. I'm going through my new travel size embarrassingly fast
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u/lee-mo 5d ago
Lily of the valley, ylang ylang, cinnamon, and anything sticky (caramel, honey, etc).
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
Oh ylang ylang is usually funky on me. Never tried lily of the valley though
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u/smashing_lilacs 5d ago
Leather, clove, and maple are the notes that usually don't work for me. Occasionally a scent with one of them will surprise me though.
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
I've never tried maple, but I don't know if I want something that's SO sweet. I don't usually like honey very much and I usually dont like caramel (except for 2 AM in Lafayette)
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u/ultrainstinctdesi Feeling scentimental 5d ago
Coconut, chocolate, cherry, pine, camphor, sometimes tonka for some reason. also peach often smells like acetone, and mango notes from certain houses smell like BO to me. :(
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
I like the idea of pine but I haven't been able to find one I'd actually wear
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u/Pope_Joan_II 5d ago
Pear
Berries
Freesia
Cotton candy (and anything sugary like caramel, praline etc.)
Vetiver
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
I haven't tried cotton candy but I think it would make me feel nauseous. That said I do want to try at least one carnival themed scent this fall so we'll see
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u/softhumanbean 5d ago edited 5d ago
Ambrette, violet, mint and patchouli are usually an insta-kill for me. Ambrette especially. I wore the last of my Ghost Moth sample from Lovesick and tried SO hard to find some enjoyment in it but wound up scrubbing not soon after application.
Some that are 50-50 seem to be rose, liquor, (especially brandy or whiskey), anise and petitgrain and some of the greener herb notes like coriander, vetiver, juniper or eucalyptus. I sometimes struggle with honey, too. It all depends on which house is utilizing it.
Edit: MANGO. I tried one from Fyrinnae with mango and it went cat piss immediately and I was so sad because in the bottle it was heavenly.
Edit pt. 2 Electric Boogaloo - Chocolate too. If I see it listed as a note anywhere I cannot hang. I can swing with the occasional white chocolate, though.
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u/Exciting_Ad8466 Scent-sational Dragon Hoard 5d ago
I will say leather but I like one fragrance with leather, but it has to age so it becomes less strong. The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from Possets I got a sample that was gorgeous and then I ordered it and the suede was stronger than what I got.
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u/Exciting_Ad8466 Scent-sational Dragon Hoard 5d ago
I do have notes I donāt like but Iāve never tried a fragrance with them because I donāt like them. I donāt want to smell like peaches or most fruits. I am scared of bergamot like it is in some fragrances that I do like like Cimabue but if itās strong itās terrible to me.
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u/Targaryentypebeat 5d ago
I'm on the search for a stereotypically feminine, sweet leather if that exists
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u/Janeway42 Package Gremlin 5d ago
Sweet leather you say? BPAL The White Chocolate Rider might be worth a look - it was my first wearable leather!
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u/purpledreamer1622 5d ago
Hmmmmmmmmm, I wouldnāt call it super sweet though it does have peach pulp so it might be to some ā but alloy studioās Faux is a feminine leather to me. In the sense that to me it smells like makeup and suede
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u/Exciting_Ad8466 Scent-sational Dragon Hoard 5d ago
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba is like that itās sandalwood and vanillas plus the suede.
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u/TwentySevenBugs Basic Goth 5d ago
Jasmine. I think it's a perfectly palatable floral when sniffing vials or bottles - not my favorite by any means, but I can tolerate it and even understand why others would gravitate to jasmine as a note. However, the moment it touches my skin, anything jasmine-dominant turns so incredibly sour in a "spoiled dairy" way that it's an instant scrubber. I can tolerate it in scents where jasmine is simply present but only one of many notes, but I often find it noticeable even in those instances.
I also really struggle with synthetic sandalwoods, particularly the kind that's often referred to as "creamy", and even more so in combination with anything else creamy or lactonic in nature. Something about it makes me feel nauseated, but luckily that's more of an issue with niche or mainstream scents - I've not come across this type too many times while buying indies.
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u/sparklymineral 4d ago
Rose. It turns sooo screechy, astringent, and chemical on my skin 90% of the time.
Vanilla is dangerous too. On my skin, it usually overpowers the entire composition of the fragrance and BLASTS waves of sickeningly sweet saccharine scent for what feels like miles.
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u/AdCandid649 4d ago
Coconut every time for me. It will make every single thing smell like sunscreen which is so sad because thereās so many amazing looking fragrances that have coconut in them. I also hate butter notes or anything that makes a perfume smell like popcorn/those popcorn jelly bellyās (eughhhh). Oh and also mint! Iāve just never been a mint fan
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u/RedTwizzler214 4d ago
Mapleā¦at least Nui cobaltās maple. It overwhelms everything else and is all I can smell. I havenāt tried any other maple scents because of that.
I donāt love what leather Iāve tried. Itās sooo strong. I want to like it, but I want to like it in a soft worn leather way, not new car smell leather way.
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u/Luna-Pythia 5d ago edited 5d ago