Have you had fewer or no compliments lately on a perfume that used to bring compliments in the past?

The reason I ask is I can think of two perfumes which, when I first bought them, would garner compliments almost every time I wore them: Boucheron and Eau du Soir. Each one of these, when I finished one bottle and bought a new one, the compliments stopped dead. In the case of Boucheron, it was right at the time they changed the bottle design

from this to this Did they water it down at the same time?

In the case of Eau du Soir, it was when from one shipment to the next the ingredients had been changed from oakmoss (evernia prunastria) to treemoss (evernia furfuracea).

Can you think of any perfumes that were highly complimented but at some point lost their appeal, and was there any evidence of a formula change at that time?

THAT IS SOOOOOO SAD!!!!

Possibly there may be a slight change in the way people respond (or don't respond) to Aromatics Elixir when I wear it. The main fragrance that I wore that got me many compliments was Angel. The compliments stopped when everyone else started wearing Angel and all her clones. In my experience compliments peter off after I've worn a fragrance for a while...people get used to it, I guess.

You know, whenever the packaging of a fragrance gets changed and the SAs claim that the perfume itself has not been tweaked, I never believe it. I always notice a difference.
It's not always for the worst, though.
In the case of First, by Van Cleef & Arpels, it turned out to be for the better, for me.
But for most, it forces me to add the frag to the ever growing list of those that I will never buy again.

Glo, sad it is indeed.

Blackchat, I've been reading about changes in AE here. I came to it late in the game but even I have noted a drydown that is less chyprish and more oriental. Nevertheless, I'll bet it smells great on you!


C&b, I have also noticed that a packaging change often comes with a (usually denied) fragrance change. Glad at least one of those turned out for the better for you.

This is just me here saying this, but if one receives compliments on a particular scent and then you buy more of it to hopefully garner more compliments and the compliments stop. Well, wouldn't one surmise that the folks that complimented you before on the particular scent might think to themselves "Oh, they smell good still and I do not think I need to compliment them again because they know I like what they are wearing". Its like a sort of phishing for compliments sort of situation. I'm not trying to be negative here. It's just that once I used to receive compliments when I wore A*Men long time ago from my family and then I got tired of the scent and then I stopped wearing it. Well, I then got reacquainted with A*Men again and started to wear it again. My family came into town a month back and I wore it when they were here and it didn't garner any compliments. But I do not think that they have changed the formula of A*Men whatsoever since I first started wearing it back in approximately 2001(?). So I think regardless of the stopping of compliments, I think that some people just assume that "Oh she smells great, I do not need to say anything here" and just go on with things.

I wouldn't worry about not garnering compliments like you used to on a particular scent. I think maybe if you were around different people, maybe you would get new compliments.

The changing of formulas has been a big thing on here and with many of the board members. To me, this is just minor in the way things are changing with the times. Nothing ever stays the same forever unfortunately.

Rufus, you're absolutely right, timing is a factor. The same people are not going to compliment you over and over and by time you're ready to buy a new bottle, they're all complimented out. LOL I'm also talking about different people met in the course of a day in public. Maybe my compliment expectations are too high. I like your philosophical attitude toward change and I'm gradually coming to change my expectations to adapt to what is and not bemoan what has past. It's a tough transition but I'll make it!

I'm sure you smell great in A-Men. I think the Mugler fragrances have done a very good job of keeping their integrity and the only one I don't like is Alien. Keep on wearing that A-Men!

Five-0, I agree with you entirely. I think that repackaging does equate to reformulation. What I think must happen is that sales of an established scent start to fall a bit, so the company thinks, "let's spruce it up, tweak the formula to modernize it and give it a new hipper bottle and packaging." Most recently, it does seem to be about cheapening the formulas and removing 'allergens', but overall, I think it's really about keeping the fragrance looking and smelling 'new' so that department stores will find room on their shelves. I have a new bottle of Eau du Soir and I'm just dying to dump a little real oakmoss into it. Would I be crazy to try it? BTW, I do have some older Eau du Soir and the difference is quite evident, indeed. The velvet quality that oakmoss gave Eau du Soir is lost in the new version which is quite sharp, but might get smoother in time. One can only hope.

A while back an SA and I were joking that if Chanel No. 5 were put in a different bottle and named after a celebrity or called Eau de Cup Cake, it would become a brand new best seller all over again. I wish it were enough for these folks to change the bottle but leave the juice inside alone. As a member of the Preservation of Oakmoss Society, I am working on becoming more optimistic and less worried about change.

NEVER BELIEVE AN SA. They have to make their quota. I was ALWAYS honest with anybody who ever asked me BUT.............they don't tell SA's ANYTHING! It's NOT their fault. They just send you to training and you're supposed to never question what they tell you. It is what it is. NOthing has changed. B.S.