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Fragrance/Perfumes/Cologne
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I haven't bought cologne or perfume for a long time because I bought some SUPEREXPENSIVE stuff in Florence, Italy 2 years ago which exhausted my fragrance budget for the forseeable future. My experience there was a cautionary and ludicrous one. But all too typical of me!
I bought it at the Santa Maria Novella Pharnacia which has to be one of the loveliest but most intimidating shops I have ever been in. It dates from the 15th Century and is a showroom where samples are NOT displayed and NOT ENCOURAGED. You have to ask for samples from behind the counters from the snooty saleswomen and there were signs EVERYWHERE that say ALL SALES FINAL...NO RETURNS. And in addition they don't admit to speaking ENGLISH.
Since I don't speak Italian I looked at the menu of fragrance choices, asked to sample one and then selected something that was unusually reasonably priced. I was quite pleased with myself and continued to browse. I asked to look at the menu again and noticed that there were more expensive items listed as cologne. Upon closer inspection I found to my horror that I hadn't purchased COLOGNE at all but rather AIR FRESHNER. Uh oh...since I had not left the store I begged the salesperson to make an exchange.... She sighed heavily and said OK but then of course I was too intimidated to try out too many samples and finally got something nice called BAGARA. I kept saying "GRAZIE! GRAZIE!" as I slunk out of the shop in embarassment.
Uh... so you can tell I'm not a real fragrance afficionado except for body wash/lotion. I like Lavender but it's not real exciting though easy to find.
Any suggestions on how to choose my fragrance TYPE before smelling everything at ULTA or Sephora? I think I like FRESH rather than FRUITY or SPICY.
Need I say...Grazie! -
In my expierence I always forget that there are 3 different types of smells to perfume:
1: how it smells in the bottle
2: how it smells when it is first sprayed
3: how it smells after it has been on you for an hour and has a chance to react to your body chemistry
Each one is very different. And I really never get past how it smells in the bottle. Generally, if I like it in the bottle I buy it...I'm not that smart sometimes. Although I have been experimenting with friend's perfumes. I just recently bought Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely because my friend has it and I tended to wear it whe I was visiting her...she gave me full runof her closet and make-up when I was there and she had to go to some stupid PT conference...I had fun. But I got to wear her SJP and I like how it reacted with my body so I bought it.
I worked at Victoria's Secret for a while and I would intentionally not wer perfume so I could wear the Pink...which smells awesome in the bottle, but on me it was awful awful.
I think you are going to have to expirement Judy! Good Luck! You could have a lot of fun with it...or some messed up sinuses... -
i associate fresh with citrusy and flowers, is that what you mean? i'm thinking jasmine notes, and other light flowers..
and personally, i don't think women have a specific fragrance type, just preferences.. if u don't like fruity or spicy, then u will never wear it..
i have no idea if that helped at all.. but oh oh oh.. bring a small container filled with coffee beans when u go shopping! that's what the perfume lady at macy's did.. my nose was overwhelmed by all the fragrances around, so she had me sniff coffee beans so i can smell the perfume i was trying!! it totally helped! -
The only way to figure out what you like is to try out a bunch of different fragrances. I'd start here:
Perfume primer
This has a good, basic list of fragrances to start with. PerfumePosse is probably my favorite perfume blog. Read Perfume 201 as well.
Other good blogs:
Biosdejasmin
Now smell this
Now Smell This has good articles as well as perfume reviews. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen for a link to articles, a glossary and other useful information.
The Perfumed Court
Sells sample and some hard-to-find fragrances. They sell sampler sets that go along with Perfume 101 and Perfume 201, as well as sets by notes, perfume house, region, etc.
Osmoz
Has a listing for almost all fragrances and some basic info. There are no reviews but there is a list of the notes and the classification of all the fragrances. This is really useful once you've figured out what type of fragrances you like.
Lucky Scent
Sells some hard-to-find stuff and also sells samples.
Any good fragrance counter will let you try anything that they sell. They should also be generous with their samples too. Nordstroms will make you a sample of any fragrance they have. I wouldn't buy a fragrance that I hadn't tried 2 or 3 times. If they won't let me try it then I'm not buying from them.
While I wouldn't pay for a sample from a store, I'm willing to pay for samples on-line. The sampler sets from Perfumed Court are an excellent way of trying fragrance. Lucky Scent sells samples of almost all of their fragrances for $3 - $4. It's a nice way of trying perfumes that you'd otherwise not be able to sample.
Lastly, many of the SAs aren't that knowledgeable. Trust your nose. Don't let them tell you what it should smell like or what it does smell like. If she says it's sandlewood and your nose says cedar then thank her politely and walk away. Don't think you're wrong or you're missing something.
Lastly (and I really mean it this time) don't be seduced by a pretty bottle. Some of them are gorgeous. I'm currently in love with the bottle for the new Pucci fragrance but the perfume is just okay. I've tried it 3 times so far and I want to love it because of the bottle but it never gets any better. I know people who bought the Marc Jacobs perfume in the daisy bottle just because they liked the bottle. Never even tried it on; just bought it. That, to me, is insane and an indication that you're just decorating. -
Purple, that perfumed court is great! I ordered 5 samples. There are some perfumes that I just LOVE, but my boyfriend really doesn't like most fragrances (he likes Victoria's Secret Love Spell. And that's about it). So these itty bitty bottles are perfect for scents that I like but will only wear once in a while.
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Everyone raves about Love Spell, but I hate the smell of that.
I am not into florals at all. I like musks and scents of that nature. -
I'm not a Love Spell fan either. And if I wore it my husband would probably not want to be anywhere near me :cry:
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What an interesting story, Judy!
Florals are the one scent I just don't care for, either. I almost feel bad saying this but it always reminds me of sitting in church as a child and smelling "old ladies". :neutral:
Thanks for all the great info, PurpleRules. -
I really dislike floral scents, too. I can deal with fruity (like lovespell, which is mainly peach and cherry blossom, with a bit of jasmine to it), but I cannot stand pure florals, especially things like Eternity. I can't even stand to be in the same room as them. I worked in a perfume shop for about 3 years (really fun job!) and used to hate to have to spray a bunch of florals for someone. By the way, the coffee beans thing really works. We used to have jars of them at work.
I much prefer orientals. My favorite now is Dior Addict, which I've been wearing for about 2-3 years now. Unfortunately, my boyfriend is not a fan. I also love sugary-sweet smells (ala Aquolina Pink Sugar). Fresh scents are ok. I like Dolce and Gabbana's Light Blue. But for the most part, I don't want to spend a lot of money to smell like soap.
I wish my boyfriend liked something other than lovespell, because it's really not my favorite, but he just really doesn't like scents in general, which is funny because I enjoy different scents so much. -
PurpleRules--That is some GREAT perfume information!
Wow! yeah I just find a scent that I like AND my husband too. We really like Pure by Alfred Sung...it is reasonably priced...but I am out and have been for a few years! He actually bought it for me just after we started dating when he was away for a weekend working :rainbow:
But that perfumed court is a great way to try out perfumes at your own pace and it doesn't cost a million dollars! Great! -
If I had to pick a single favorite note, it would be fig.
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Mmmm... fig. I grew up with a fig tree, so we always had fresh figs in the fall, soooo good. Great scent, too. Bath and Body Works has (or had?) a nice fig scent.
It would be really hard for me to pick a favorite note.. almond? vanilla? sandlewood? carmel? white musk? Hmm... I think I like to smell like food!! -
I would fight with the bluejays in my backyard for the figs. Avian showdown, literally. I would stare at the birds and they would stare at me and then we would make a mad dash for the figs. Sadly, we had to get rid of our fig bush.
I usually go for aquatic and green scents or scents with cucumber or melon notes; the most floral I get is with L'eau D'Issey, although I do like scents with jasmine snuck in one way or another, but not in a flower bomb way. I have been thinking about going to sniff Dior's Midnight Poison, but am worried it might smell like a teacher.
(In elementary school, I had a teacher that would wear Shalimar everyday and I hated smelling such a heavy scent in the daytime, and have been turned off by "oriental" notes in perfumes since. Come to think of it, a lot of school teachers turned me off from heavy notes in perfumes. Weird.) -
I really don't know what notes I like in a perfume. If they smell nice on me a hour later is really how I decide. I think I like a little of everything.
My perfume collection consists of in order of most recent purchase:
1. Falling in Love - Philosophy
2. Lovely - SJP
3. Japanese Cherry Blossom - Bath and Body Works
4. Body By Victoria - Victoria's Secret
5. Very Sexy - Victoria's Secret (free)
6. London - Burberry (that's my wedding perfume and I only wear it in October!) -
Cate: I think it's soooooo romantic that you only wear your wedding perfume in October. (I assume that's when you got married?) It reminds me of this post we did back in December on custom wedding fragrances Did you see this? It seems a little corny to me, but kinda romantic at the same time.
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Sarah Bellum--Yes I did get married in October 4 years ago! And I just read that post and the harsh comments :sad:
It probably costs a million dollars and what if you don't like it!
I found London because my co-worker wore it one day to work and it smelled os good on her that I just decided to go and buy it. It was just days before my wedding and I was all into spending money I didn't have. I wasn't even sure it would smell nice on me....and before I bought it...I was teaching pre-school at the time (no comments mtrimier...I smelled nice:wink:) and we had back to school night and my co-worker happened to have it so I spritzed myself and an hour later I knew! Thank goodness I didn't have time to go home before hand! It was meant to be!:rainbow: (oh so my favorite vanillacon!)
I like the spicy scent of London, it just reminds me of autumn...oh so pretty! -
Omg cate, that is way too romantic!!!
I like light scents like Dior Addict 2.. it's light and long lasting..
I use to love more sporty scents like Tommy Girl back when I was in high school.. I tried it on again a few months ago, and it was just too young and sporty for me! Apparently I'm meant for more sophisticated and sexy scents.. HAHAHAHA.. -
I love Cate's story, too! What a lovely idea to keep the romance & memories going. Thanks for sharing, Cate!
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I am glad you enjoyed my little story. It was a really wonderful, fun wedding. We both knew what we DIDN'T want in a wedding and just planned what we did want. Really, even now and I know I've only been married 4 years, but we really try and look back to that day when we get bummed....we were SO happy and I'd say wae still are . I only cried when his sister read...and that is because she was in tears.
Gloria--one of my high school fragerances and here is my age showing...lol was Navy and then just out of HS was Elizabeth Arden Red Door....I recently had the opportunity to smell Navy again...wow! I don't even know how I could stand it. They still sell it! Crazy!
I love memory lane! -
I was just thumbing through the new Sephora catalog and they have a cool new fragrance gift. It's $50 for 10 different samples of perfume and a coupon that you use to trade in for the full size of whatever perfume you like the best (not sure what size). Unfortunately, it's a set 10 fragrances, you don't get to pick which ones you get, but it's still a pretty cool idea. They have a men's set, too. I think it has 8 different samples in it.
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*hugs Karen*
I can't believe aloe vera would burn! That's suppose to relieve burns after too much time under the sun, no??
Oh.. speaking of fragrances...
I applied to Macy's hoping to work in the cosmetics department, but all the nights/weekend shifts were taken. They only had on-call for that department soooo...
I got placed in Men's Fragrances. =D Apparently it's under the cosmetics department, so if they need people with the actual make up/skincare, and I'm free, I can go play!! -
Gloria--you're going to have so much fun! I always said when I had to work at Victoria's Secret for the holidays I wished it had been combined with the beauty store! Although, bad holiday story. I was working full time as a pre-school teacher and PT at VS....December 23 it was almost 3am when I got home.
My manager was such a b**** that she made us pull out ever panty drawer and refold the panties. She also made us re-set the tables, and re-hang the pajamas etc...I fortunately only live 10 minutes and FORTUNATELY didn't have to work with the little 3 yr olds the next day. But my friend who was going to school in PA was on break and had to drive an HOUR back to Branchburg, NJ. It was 4am when she got home!
Fairly nice little pay check though...not sure it it was worth it though
My sweetie stayed awake and made me sushi...*sigh* -
Keep in mind that the distinction between men's and women's fragrance is entirely artificial. I buy as many "men's" fragrances as I do "women's'. I picked up a bottle of Marc Jacobs for Men last night. It's fig! So try out all the men's stuff while you're there.
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Oooh I will!! Men's fragrance smells so yumm.. and sexy~
I just hope my allergies don't act up while I'm at working. =P -
So SORRY for the tardy thanks to everyone on this, especially PurpleRules...it never occurred to me that I could buy samples...that sounds like a great way to see what works over time.
And Cate...your story is indeed very romantic!
Thanks, everyone, once I recover from the holidays I will be checking out those sample offers!
GRAZIE! -
I love Marc Jacobs perfumes, men and women gragrances
somehow he gets me
I love blush, which is the perfume I used my wedding day
I just got daisy and I absolutely love it!! -
Due to your encouragement and because of my obsession with Italian products I took a chance and purchased some wonderful body mist (not quite cologne hence the reasonable price but I checked to be SURE it wasn't AIR FRESHNER) on my recent vacation. It is White Tea Scented Body Mist and is made by Speziali Fiorentini.
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Judy--Do you love love LOVE it?
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Cate, I DO like it but I can't smell it later in the day which seems to be the case with most fragrances. That is UNLESS you douse yourself with something AWFUL...then it remains potent for eons!
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Where are you spraying it?
I spray myself on both wrists, and rub it into the inner side of my elbow, once on my neck behind me, and once down my shirt on my cleavage.
The scent lasts all day this way. -
I notice that body sprays don't last as long...I usually buy the shower gel and the body lotion so I have the triple effect...it's not overpowering, but stays a little longer than just the body spray alone...
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Hola everyone,
Great thread!
I have a few favorites. Due to scent induced migraines, I have to be very careful.
Since grade school, I wore Patchouli. Dating oneself? Love it and it really can strike up conversations when you wear it.
Alyssa Ashley musk.
I like the earthy scents. NO flowers. NO geranium. UGH.
Philosophy's Amazing Grace.
Jessica McClintock Silk Ribbons.
Inis
If you want to smell something with lots of pheromones---Quorum for men. This is such a turn on for me.
My daughter literally stinks when she wears perfume. BUT, when she wears mens cologne,she smells so much better.
And please do not wear rose scented anything. Thank you very much!! -
I'm one of the very few lucky people int he world to which body sprays last long enough to not need a fragrance. I've found that scents that have a top or middle note of fressia with fruit or wood low notes work perfectly for me; they stay long, smell nice and everybody seems to like them.
Victoria's Secret Pink is my main choice and then Tous Touch (a gift from a friend in France)
I bought Sexy Little Things because the body mist seemed perfect but the fragrance lasts about half the time the mist does on me. Sad. I didn't know that was even possible. My boyfriend like this one as a all time fave.
I also like very much the fresh linen and grass notes but I haven't tried a fragance with those. Any you recomend I might try?
Speaking of men fragrances, once I tried on me Crave, by Calvin Klein and did great with it; notes blend perfectly with my skin leaving a fresh wooded scent. I bought one bottle that I use on special occasions.
Great thread! =) -
Almost all I really like are single-note florals. Jasmine and lilac are my faves, and occasionally lily of the valley or rose of damascus. I think I'm young enough that the "old lady" timbre of LotV sort of missed me. :-) I don't wear fragrances on me, though -- when I wear them at all, which is rarely, I put a bit in the silicone serum I occasionally use in my hair.
Blended perfumes tend to be too jarring and dischordant to me since I'm a serious stickler for scent harmony (my nose is sort of hypersensitive, and I have some occasional scent hallucination issues). The ONLY blended scents I've ever smelled and liked are Dior's "Poison" and a very specific type of Egyptian musk that smells extremely light and "cold," for want of a better description. I don't own the former, but I do own the latter and sometimes use it in my hair.
I rarely scent myself since I tend to collect scented soaps (also florals like jasmine, lilac, lindenflower, etc.) and I can smell them on me all day. I don't often have a hair scent that matches the soap scent I'm using at the moment exactly, which is why I rarely to never use the EOs on my hair anymore. :-( -
I was very lucky recently. My husband went to England for a wedding a few months ago. He flew Air France and therefor had a layover in France. Now I know he can buy this perfume at Sephora if he wanted to, but while he was away and I was stuck at home...working he went into a perfume store in France and began to smell every perfume in the store to find the perfect one for me. So thoughtful because he has such perfume scent issues and only certain ones really irritate him (sarah Jessica Parker Lovely comes to mind). Anyway, he ended up getting me Vera Wang's Truely Pink. Now it is not a scent I would normally pick for myself it has a hint of rose in it I believe, but I love love LOVE it! And the fact that he picked it out for me makes me even happier. He could have gone to Sephora...much closer and less expensive, but he was so thoughtful! Yay Marriage!
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You know, I'm curious -- this must be the first online discussion of perfume where no one's mentioned BPAL that I've ever seen.
I'm not a massive fan since again -- blended scents not my fave -- but does anyone here like BPAL? -
I'm not sure what "gothy" perfume would smell like but it seems sort of gimmicky. I know they've got a cult following but I've never been tempted to try it.
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It's not too bad -- lots of cinnamon, vanilla, rose, jasmine, and musk. I think the appeal and "gimmick" is that there are so MANY blends. People with collecting-and-organizing streaks love them for that reason.
Me, I think that there's only so many ways you can combine jasmine, rose, cinnamon, and leather and make it smell interesting. As long as I can get straight jasmine essential oil and straight imitation-lilac (since real lilac can't be stabilized), I'm happy to just stick with them.
I've smelled some very nice BPAL scents, though. It's just that I'm not interested in having 150 tiny little bottles of stuff catalogued in Excel that leaves me cold, I think. :-) -
I would advise anyone considering a new perfume to consult Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database at http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ before purchasing their perfume. When I plugged in my favorite perfume Angel, it showed that it had a hazard (danger) rating of 6, with ingredients that were carcinogens and neurotoxins. Needless to say, I don't wear it anymore. Synthetic fragrance ingredients are among the most toxic chemical ingredients in cosmetics. If you would like to learn more, check out http://www.hibiscusnaturals.com/toxins.html for more information. Consider using natural essential oils or oil blends for fragrance. They are better for your health and they are not as irritating or allergy-causing.
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There are virtually no perfumes on the market today that don't contain synthetic ingredients. The few that are out there ("Red Flower Organic Perfume in Guaiac" is the only one I can think of) don't have much sillage or longevity because they don't contain any musk and musk is what gives a perfume its staying power. They're also obscenely expensive ($186 for 15 ml in the case of Red Flower), which rules them out for most of us. Essential oils and oil blends are a poor substitute for a well constructed perfume. The selection is limited and they're all linear.
As for the argument that synthetics are "bad" for you and essential oils are not, that's completely untrue. A synthetic contains only one molecule while a natural can contain hundreds so there a much greater chance that one of them will be an irritant. You simply can't draw any conclusions about whether or not something is an irritant based on whether it's natural or synthetic.
Naturals are not necessarily eco-friendly either. Animals and plants have been pushed to the brink of extinction because of the fragrance industry. If there's a synthetic that's just as good, I'd prefer that it be used. I love sandalwood and would rather not be responsible for the disappearance of India's sandalwood forests. -
Agreed -- poison oak and poison ivy are both incredibly natural. And if any cosmetic company were really using neurotoxins, they would be deluged with lawsuits. Neurotoxin is a very serious word. I'd want more than a website with an axe to grind as evidence before I believed that word.
It's also worth noting that the most potent neurotoxins in the known universe are all-natural; they're invented by nature after all, to help animals either get away from other animals that want to eat them or to stun things into immobility so they can be eaten. Or in the case of botulinum, the bacterium just doesn't even care and it's a waste product. Natural can be mean.
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