I love perfume.Let me back up. I love subtle scents that deepen into something unique and tempting. I don't like being thrown into radiation sickness by someone's itchy trigger finger and a bottle of imitation Gorgio.
In high school I wore Benetton (after a trip to Europe and a crush on all things European) and sometimes Poison--the bottle that comes with its own bulging 80s hairdo. College? It was Beautiful by Estee Lauder, Eternity, Fendi, Caroline Herrera, Anais Anais--I tried them all. The lean law school years were known as The Years Sans Parfum--Desitin and Baby Magic lotion became my frangrances of choice.
Since then, however, I've wanted to find The Perfume for me. The One that fits me perfectly, that mixes with my own scent, gets better as the day goes on, drives my husband crazy with desire and doesn't remind me of my grandmother (I can't smell Chanel No. 5 without thinking of Grandma).I've always liked musky perfumes but they don't fit me. I'm really a floral-with-maybe-a-touch-of-citrus person that can't pull off Coco by Chanel any more than I can pull off red lipstick and fishnets
(and hats off to you ladies out there who can, I'm jealous). I've tried Clinique's Happy because someone gave me a bottle and it was nice enough. I've tried Sunflowers by Elizabeth Arden which was . . . okay. Recently I 
bought Herve's Rose Leger because it smelled good at Nordstrom but now that I'm wearing it I'm less enthralled.So tell me . . . what's your favorite perfume? Do you wear only one? Do you buy the real parfum to dab on your heat spots or a spray bottle of eau de cologne? I need suggestions because every time I start sampling I get two or three sniffs into things and then I can't tell one smell from another no matter how many coffee beans I use to cleanse the old nose.
Which perfumes do you hate? I dislike men's cologne generally, it probably goes back to a boy I knew in high school who ritually bathed in Polo like it was Holy Water. I remember sitting behind him and feeling my sinuses go "pop" each morning as the odor hit my nose. I used to like Drakkar Noir (yes, total 80s) but I think it was more the boy that wore it whom I had a crush on rather than the smell itself.
Now's the time to make your voice heard--I'm begging for your wisdom and advice.
Technorati tags: perfume, favorites, Christian Dior, Estee Lauder, Fendi, Caroline Herrera, Clinique, Elizabeth Arden, Rose Leger
55 comments:
I love Opium - it's a spicy, musky perfume that has a hint of nutmeg to it - but I rarely wear it outside the holiday season. It just seems to go so well with Christmas and eggnog and sweaters. Mmmm.
But for the rest of the year I wear Bath & Body Works' Coconut Lime Verbena body spray. Man, that stuff is mouth-wateringly luscious.
My favorite one is Love at First Glow by JLo. It's pretty much the only one I wear. DH has about 20 different colognes!
I change mine up a lot. Most recently I am wearing Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker. Not too musky and not too froo-froo either.
At the moment it's chanel allure.
My previous favourites are christian dior poison (the new one), emporio armani (the original one), paco rabanne ultra violet, and d&g.
I may well revisit christian dior again, mmmmm.
I am allergic to most perfumes. On rare occasions I can handle a single light squirt of body spray, if I take a pill and carry lots of tissue with me.
The worst is trying to find a place to sit in church. Some days it seems that no matter where I sit, some scented woman is going to come sit near me and take away my ability to breathe.
I wear 2. One for normal days and one for special nights. My everyday favorite is Burberry Brit, but its not one to bathe in. One squirt on my wrist is usually enough.
My "I Wanna Feel Sexy" perfume is Cartier Eau de Cartier. I was surprised how much I love it because it is a unisex scent, which usually don't go for...but I LOVE it. It is very subtle--the kind of scent that my husband might get a faint whiff of and then come a little closer for better sniff-- without sneezing all over me.
A woman from church wore Cartier, and I could always tell when she was getting close...but in a good way, because I loved her smell so much I wanted her to come closer. That is how I stole her scent. I finally just asked her what she wore, because I wanted to smell as good as she did.
She also told me that Cartier was her scent that she wore when it was "just her and her husband". She had another perfume that she wore when her "boys" came home to visit. It was the scent that they grew up smelling and associated with mom. I really liked that idea.
Good luck on your quest! Be sure to fill us in if you find the "perfect" scent.
I wear Cool Water. It has been my perfume of choice for years. Sometimes I'll wear Bath & Body Work's Cotton Blossom body splash.
I am not a huge perfume wearer, so I use Pink from the Gap when I feel like I need to smell cute ... otherwise Burt's Bees moisturizer gets me compliments. I am fancy! ha!
(New reader...) For that floral with a hint of citrus scent, I don't think you can do better than Presence D'Une Femme Perfume by Mont Blanc. My husband chose it for me as my wedding day perfume, and I think it is definitely worth it!
I love Il Bacio by Borghese. You can get it at Dillards, but I get mine at Drug Emporium for cheaper.
I hate the heavy musk scents. They just aren't me. I would really love to find a new perfume, but never seem to like the ones that I find. So I stick with my Il Bacio.
My all-time favorite is Issey Miyake, its a little sweet and a little spicy. It drives my husband crazy!
For an everyday perfume I like Romance by Ralph Lauren.
Back in the childless days I could wear Karl Lagerfelds’s Chloe. My chemistry has changed or I cannot smell things the same way. I can't do Chloe now. It starts off okay, but turns…blech.
In the last year I have sampled Perry Ellis’ 360 and that was okay. I went back to my old post college Calvin Klein Obsession, which I still love, but is not my hubby’s favorite.
Right now we both agree on Ralph Lauren’s Blue.
I think I would like to try Coty’s/Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely, but haven’t smelled it for real, so I don’t know.
Parfum was for pre-child days and pre-child budgets (they always want to eat—what’s up with that?). So I stick to eau de toilette or eau de parfum.
hi, i love perfume too. my favorite is by elizbeth arden and also the green tea one.
there´s so many now. i remember when i was young there was like 3 to choose from.
ciao
I only occasionally wear perfume. I have never found a signature scent so it is sort of an after thought. I just got Lovely- (I think- the Sarah Jessica Parker perfume)and I am not as crazy about it as I was in the store. I tend to like Calvin Klein scents. I used to have a student whose mom worked for CK in Paris (she commuted to Paris from NJ several times a month!) anyway she always gave me some CK perfume for Christmas. I do love my husbands cologne! It's Claiborne. My former student teacher wore it and I finally HAD to ask him what it was! Whenever the Crayons would get a bit stinky after reccess, I would go stand by my student teacher! Totally get the overused Polo thing. Some of the boys get interested in cologne at the end of fourth grade and they tend to be very libral in their application! Cough! I guess it's better than sweaty preteen though!
I adore Tommy Girl. I am also REALLY fond of "Lovely" by Sarah Jessica Parker.
i love tommy girl and it just seems to fit me. i have to be careful with perfumes because some of them really give me a headache so i always try them out in the store before i buy them.
Opium! I loved that one, but had forgotten about it. It is very musky--and again one I just can't pull off but I love the smell.
I'll have to sniff at Lovely and Tommy Girl--I'm impressed with all the perfumes out there those two got mentioned more than once.
I've never tried the body splashes at Bath and Body Works--and that reminds me, I read somewhere that vanilla is the most popular scent the world over, men and women. Trivia . . .
Hardest thing is with perfumes is you can try one at the store and have it smell one way (if you can smell it at all over all the other scents in the air) and then once you get it on you at home and wear a dab all day it isn't necessarily the same. Very tricky.
Your comment about Cartier intrigues me, I'd be interested to smell that one--
And I hate--HATE--smelling any perfume too much. My philosphy is you shouldn't be able to smell it unless you're practically nuzzled in their neck. I had a room mate that would spray once, walk through the mist, and call it good and that's not a bad rule of thumb.
Keep those tips coming . . .
Ah you brought back some memories with the names of those early day perfumes. :)
I tried Beautiful for awhile and then I switched to the Peaches scent from Victoria's Secret. Oh how I loved that smell. I had the bath wash, lotion and perfume.
My sister wore Sunflowers. I wore it for awhile after she died because it brought back memories.
I'm not much of a perfume wearer these days. I get headaches from the smells.
I have worn Happy by Clinique for the last year. Bought it in a moment when I needed Happiness moreso than a certain scent. My husband seems to like it.
I am like you, I really only want someone up close to be able to smell me. I hate it when you can smell a person before you see them.
I used to love Lauren, Obsession and one I can picture the bottle, but can't think of the name!
Love the post, very interesting what people choose to wear.
I wore Anais Anais when I was in 8-9th grade. :)
I used to wear Pleasures and I still like it. But now I wear Vera Wang and I LUH-HUV it.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. It always makes my day when I find a new reader. :)
I don't wear perfume...my goodness, I do well if I even have time to completely dry my hair before work every morning, I'm not much on non-essentials. I do love Victoria's Secret's Very Sexy on guys though. It's yummy...although I don't know any guys who would buy cologne from Vicky's Secret.
I love Joop (reminds me of my high school European trip). I wear Inis now - my husband bought it for me in Ireland when we were there in the fall. Ralph Lauren Blue is also nice.
Ah, the memories! I can almost smell the Eternity and the Vanilla essence (I bought at a Global Village in Duluth) I used to wear in my pre-baby days.
Now, I wear...well, nothing. But if I did have the cash and the time, I'd probably revisit Calvin Klein -- maybe Eternity or Escape.
I like Bath and Body Works spray mists. It's just a little something, you know.
Oh boy - perfume talk! Love it. For floral and slightly citrusy you should check out DKNY. It's my spring and summer perfume. I've also been know to wear Curve for men myself, but I was so hip back then...now the remainder of the bottle is wasting away.
I've been trying to find a perfume, too!! I loved something called Flirt, but of course it was discontinued.
Now I just wear apple body spray from Bath & Body Works. Men love it. They're slightly baffled that I smell like something they can't quite place--the apples. But I've been meaning to find a new scent. In high school, it was Liz Claiborne.
funny, i've been working on a draft post about the smelltrack of my life, which is heavily dictated by perfume (starting with love's baby soft in elementary school!)
i love musky, spicy things with a touch of floral. most of the newer scents are way too floral or sweet for me. i know chanel #5 reminds you of grandma, but i am drawn to most of the other chanels--coco (a little heavy at times, but nice) allure, allure sensuelle, chance, and (my long-time favorite) cristalle. you might like some of those. they last all day and change a little throughout the day.
i also love calvin kleins, esp. "One" (which smells very clean) and truth.
if i like the basic smell of something but the top notes are too floral or it's not musky enough i'll mix it with a man's scent (e.g., banana republic's "W" mixed w/their "M").
finally, i love "quartz" by molyneux. it is available online but the only bricks & mortar place i've ever found it was in a little boutique in san francisco. it's light but lasts all day. it is spicy/fruity and doesn't smell like anything else out there.
perfume's make me sick now -- but when i used to wear one, it was betsy johnson's. it sounds like what you're asking for, in your description. maybe you ought to go check it out.
I have always liked Byzance by Roche. I lashed out and purchased a bottle for my wedding 10 years ago and have bought one other bottle since - which I use sparingly.
I also really like rose fragrances.
My husband used to buy me perfume whenever he when on an overseas trip, I have enough. But even still I always come back to Byzance. Chanel Allure makes me sneeze chronically. I just had to give that away in the end.
Wow, it was fun reading your post and all these comments. Makes me want to find a big department store and go shopping for a new scent!
My dad is a chemist who deals with lots of fragrance companies, so I always had samples of the brands my allowance would never afford from the mall. Tommy Girl was my favorite, but only a particular batch. In college, it was Lauren and then Eddie Bauer's Balance (or whatever it was called), and then it was Jessical McClintock (sp?), which I loved but never had it last on my skin. In my 20's I started using Bath & Body Works - freesia and then white tea & ginger. My best friend said she loved holding her little ones after I'd been there to visit, for the babies and kids all smelled like "Sara Orange". That was before marrying a low-maintenance mountain man, back when I layered on the body sprays, lotions, and fragrant hair products. Now that it's somewhat important to be ready to go in 15 minutes or less and I no longer have a job outside the home, perfumes of any kind are a rare treat. But now everyone has me curious about Sarah Jessica Parker's perfume....gotta try it. Oh, and the vanilla....that gives me a headache every time. Vanilla goes in cookies and ice cream, but not on my body.....unless you count the cellulite from aforementioned cookies and ice cream.
Chanel No. 19. No question.
Cashmere Mist by Donna Karan hands down. I also like Cartier Eau de Cartier and Burberry Brit.
I'm a floral-fruity perfume person as well! I wear Happy by Clinique, but am looking for other similar perfumes (because I'm getting slightly bored!)
I've rarely found a perfume that really impressed me. (Probably because I'm shopping at Wal-mart) I'd have to say my favorite fragrance is Bath and Body Work's Bergamot-Coriander line. They have a body spray as well as lotions, scrubs and such. I love, love, love it. They also have several other great scents in the aromatherapy line. I like that they don't smell like perfume, but they do smell good and different.
For me, a little perfume goes a LOOOOOOOONG way... I love fruity, non-cloying scents. I love the way Beautiful smells in the bottle, but something very wrong happens when I spray it on my body. Pleasures I can do, however. Who knows.
My personal very hands-down favorite smell is grapefruit. I have and wear Happy, and also a Single Note from Nordstrom called Grapefruit. What can I say.
I cannot handle musky, heavy, scents. Makes me feel like I can't breathe... Opium- gah! Jean Nate smells like my grandma, and I like White Shoulders for the same reason- but wouldn't wear it.
Fun post, after the barf fest at my house!
Mmaaah, I love perfume, too, but don't find myself wearing it all that much these days. I like your choices. My all-time eternal favorite will always be Cinnabar by Estee Lauder. It kind of stinks in the bottle, but when I wear it on my skin, people give me so many compliments. It's kind of a heavy scent, so I tend to wear it when the weather's cooler. When it's warm, I like to wear like florals like Estee Lauder's Pleasures or Lancome's Miracle. In fact, I wore Miracle all through my pregnancy -- I thought the name of the perfume was a perfect fit! I love so many different scents that there's hardly a perfume I wouldn't wear.
In high-school, I wore Eternity. I still like it, but haven't worn it in forever. In my early 20s I wore Calyx by Prescriptives. It's very tangy/citrusy.
Then a friend introduced me to Chanel's Cristalle. It's one of their lighter scents, kind of a spicy floral, not too sweet. As much as I like it, I've never bought a bottle. My friend worked at the Chanel counter at Macy's so she nabbed a couple sample bottles for me when they got down to about half-full and they couldn't use them anymore. Now I rarely wear perfume because a)it's so darn expensive, and b)I forget, but if I do wear it, it's usually Cristalle.
i love love love Ralph. It's a little sweet, and it just mixes right with my own scent. It's not as strong as the stuff I used to wear, White Diamonds, which now reminds me of my mother because she took it over. Too funny about Polo and Drakkar. I once had to throw out a shirt drenched in Polo after making out with my boyfriend at the movies in the 9th grade. haha!
check out jo malone products beautifully light scents that mix and match in layers
All time favorite is Joi, brought from Puerto Rico by my brother years ago. I haven't used it since the original bottle ran dry because I would rather not spend a week's salary on perfume.
After trying several dozen90% that end up smelling like cheap soap on my skin), I found a heavenly scent I have been wearing for years Coriandre by Jean Couturier. Spicy, woodsy, slightly musky.
I love Victorias Secret's Rapture, but it gives me a headache.
Love the diverse subject matter, Michelle. MOM M>
i frequently wear issey miyake, encanto charms, and calvin clein eternity summer :) you might also try michael kors island hawaii!!
There is not an ultimate advice because everyone interprets odors in their own way, and the same fragrance can smell totally different considering type of skin, hair color, temperament and even the season of a year. There are important nuances if you do not want to seem vulgar or lacking of taste.
Choosing the right perfume can be difficult and because it is also considered an intimate gift buying the wrong perfume
can backfire on you and get you the opposite result of that which you hoped for.
The first thing you need to do is do some homework, meaning research. Look at your lady's perfume bottles, the ones that
are nearly empty will be her favorites. If there is one there that is nearly full chances are she doesn't wear it often
or doesn't like it. Hint around and ask her what types of fragrances she likes and dislikes.
Humans are very sensory oriented and our sense of smell is no different. Certain perfumes can elicit strong reactions in
both the wearer and the person reacting to the scent. Perfumes are made not only to attract but to also relax someone. If
you aren't totally sure what kind of perfume to buy you can always play it safe and get something in the aromatherapy
line. If you go this route, bear in mind that vanilla scents are considered to relax and a peppermint or lemon scent will
be more stimulating.
I don't kow if you will get this so long after your post but here goes. I wear Rapture by Victoria Secrets. I have alot of allergies and can't wear most purfume. This one is very nice when first put on then goes to something more subtle as the evening wears on. I have had women tell me they LOVE it and my Husband always tells me how nice I smell when I have it on.
Oh I still get my comments and am always interested in what you have to say. I'll have to check that one out--sounds like what I'm looking for.
Shopping for perfumes or personal fragrances can be a daunting task, particularly if it's for a friend or lover.
Obviously online at Myshopping.com.au you cannot compare the actual scent of different fragrances. But, once you have a
fairly good idea of what you are looking for, you can compare the different offerings from different brands and vendors
very easily. So, how do you know what you are looking for? The following simple steps will narrow the search down
somewhat.tzhykgw
All perfume makes me sick. Please don't wear it in public.
The history of perfume oils dates back to ancient Egypt when these fine scented oils were presented to royalty as gifts. In modern times, however, when the word "perfume" is said, most people think of department store fragrances, which consist mainly of the concentrated oil and alcohol solution. Nevertheless, as more and more people are finding out about them, perfume oils are experiencing great popularity. Here are some interesting facts about perfume oils:
Ah….the sweet, smell of perfume! Today's market is flooded with hundreds and hundreds of different fragrances ranging from floral to woodsy. Most women love the smell of perfume, wearing it even when going to the grocery store. The problem is that perfume allergy for some women, is anything but nice.
The history of perfume goes back to Egypt, although it was prevalent in East Asia as well. Early perfumes were based on incense, not chemicals, so aromas were passed
around through fumes. The Roman and Islamic cultures further refined the harvesting and manufacturing of perfumery processes to include other aromatic ingredients.
Thus, the ancient Islamic culture marked the history of modern perfumery with the introduction of spices and herbs. Fragrances and other exotic substances, such as
Jasmine and Citruses, were adapted to be harvested in climates outside of their indigenous Asia.
I LOVE Tommy Bahama perfume for women! It smells like the Caribbean...flowers, sea, coppertone. Try it sometime in a store. I bought the perfume, lotion, and powder! It is now "my" scent!
Julie
http://askmeanmom.blogspot.com
Betsey Johnson all the way!
it's the only one i wear now, not only is the scent amazing, but so is the design of the perfume!
it's really girly and eye catching.
I used to wear Curious by Britney Spears last year and i still would but Betsey's perfume smells so good, i can't help but wear it everyday.
I can not belive no one has mentioned Light blue by dolce and gabbana. It's certainly my favorite, although i do like to wear other from time to time, fantasy by britney spears is nice. I also like dolly girl by anna sui, and ralph lauren romance is lovely too.
In the winter, Cinnabar, which is warm, spicy, and lovely if not applied too heavily.
Also luscious is Cabaret, which is rose/patchoulie/musk and is a combo of sweet/salty without being too heavy.
Just bought, unsniffed, Bijan with a Twist, which is great for everyday, smelling fresh and clean, but nothing noteworthy.
And, some European faves from my days in Italy (I loved to go the small shops and buy bottles to bring home for my mom): the sweet, youthful (and perhaps synthetic) Blu Bluemarine by Schiaparelli Pinkenz and also Moods by Krizia, which is a woodsy floral that lasts forever and that is highly underated.
I tend to like the Bvlgari fragrances. And I somehow like fragrance that end up being hard to find. I found this site that quite often will have what others don't. They have good prices and really good customer service.
check it out
www.fragrancebazaar.com
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