What perfume do you like?

[Winged Victory]

I like to wear perfume on occasion; here are a few of my faves:

Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb (and the body lotion is great, too!)
Clinique Happy
Givenchy Very Irresistible
Chanel Chance
Bulgari pour Femme

I'm very tempted to buy the new fragrance from Banana Republic called Wildbloom--it's divine!

 

[Marie1]

My absolute favourite is Champagne (would love to figure out where to get it!) but I also like Happy by Clinique and some Liz C. sents.

Sadly, I have asthma and allergies, so I can't swim in them... :/

 

[Jadzia]

Perfumes are a trigger to my asthma. I like smell of cartain perfume however.

I wonder if I would react to your perfumes or not.

Does the scent of fresh fruit (eg orange peel) aggravate your asthma? or the scent of dried herbs? or the scent of freshly hewn wood? I won't ask about flowers because they have pollen.

My auntie is sensitive to some of my perfumes, but for exceptional reasons because her tongue is hypersensitive to certain scents. She can detect traces of some scent components from a long distance away, which is quite amazing.

By testing different scents with her, I managed to narrow down her sensitivity specifically to aromatic esters. I don't know what this means in biochemical/neurological terms though, because I'm not a biochemist!

 

[Jadzia]

What a great idea! I am tempted to try this myself, except I am far too lazy .

Do try it! It's a lot of fun.

When I was building up my oil set, I bought one or two per week. Starting with some cheap ones (lavendar, basil, lemon, bergamot, patchouli, etc), and moving to the more expensive ones later (frankincense, rose, etc) I have about 50 of them now. I keep them in a little handmade wooden box in my wardrobe. Even though the bottles are well sealed, traces of fragrance still manage to escape. It's a wonderful scent to open my wardrobe doors in a morning!

Even with just one or two bottles, you can have a lot of fun trying oils by themselves. But when you can blend them, you never need to wear the same scent twice

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

My absolute favourite is Champagne (would love to figure out where to get it!) but I also like Happy by Clinique and some Liz C. sents.

YSL Champagne is now called Yvresse, you should be able to find it at any YSL counter

And Kestra I agree, Narciso Rodriguez for Her is very sexy stuff. It's an almost syrupy (in a good way) musk.

 

[Whoa Nellie]

I've worn Herve Leger Eau De Parfum for several years and have always received compliments on it.

Warmest Wishes,
Whoa Nellie

 

[WillsBabe]

I also like Happy by Clinique and some Liz C. sents.

Oh, I love this. I think they do another one too, that's called something similar, but I like Happy much more. I also love Calvin Klein's Eternity Summer. And in winter, Issy by Issy Myakki, but I usually don't feel I have the where-with-all to carry it off. It's a real "in your face" aroma to me! Paqst favourites have been Paris and Eden, but especially Paris. And of course, in the 80s, Opium.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

I once bought my girlfriend Paris by Yves St. Laurent because she said she liked it. Kind of expensive though.

I like one she uses called Pink Sugar, but probably because it makes her smell like cotton candy.

 

[marillion]

For me, Colors by Benetton always worked.. It's a classic fragrence of the 80's that I still love.. Bought it for my wife a few years ago but she didn't care for it. I wore the men's version for years and actually still have some from my college days..

I occassionally wear Burberry Touch (for men), but I try to be considerate of my office mates and so only wear it if me and the missus are going out somewhere.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

Commercial perfumes smell unnatural and unpleasant to me. It may be the base solvents and additives that I dislike, or maybe because most of the scent ingredients are artificial chemicals.

I make my own perfumes by mixing essential oils and diluting in a simple water-alcohol solvent. Their fragrances can feel very gentle, peaceful and comforting, and makes a much more personal and harmonious scent for self expression.

oooh that's nice...making your own. Heh, that reminded me of when i was a kid, there was this great set for children, where you made your own perfume. I can't remember who put that set out. There were about a dozen tiny little bottles, and then some 'scents' that you could mix together to make your own bottle of perfume. That was so much fun. Of course, i probably smelled like a whorehouse!

 

[Jadzia]

You can do more with the oils than just make perfumes. Some have health benefits, for example basil oil is effective at treating mouth sores. Thyme oil for making your own mouthwash. Lavendar oil for minor skin burns. Tea tree oil for spots and fungal nail infections. Peppermint oil for stomach upset.

Inexpensive moisturiser can be upgraded with oils and other things beneficial for your own skin type, turning a cheap product into something a bit special.

And when people discover you own and know about oils they'll all want massages!

 

[indranee]

I love Estee Lauder's Beyond Paradise. Also two older ones: Bobbi, by Bobbi Brown, and Liz, by Liz Claiborne.

I think some heavy, spicy perfumes might seem weird on a very young woman, but aside from that, I don't think age matters. What's more important is realizing that a perfume will smell slightly different on different people, because it interacts w/ one's body chemistry. So just because Beyond Paradise smells heavenly on me doesn't mean it will necessarily be heavenly on you or your friend.

What scent have you been wearing for years?

Thanks Ziyal. How're you doing?

Wow, so many responses!!

I wore Nude by Bill Blass for a long time... through the 80s and the 90s. Everybody I knew used to comment on it. It fast got to be "my scent" in my friends and family circle. I hear it's been discontinued. I was saddened by that fact. You can still find it though in those little perfume booths they have in the big malls. It's a really distinctive smell. A bit flowery and slightly fruity but not too much. I hate lemony scents and this is decidedly not one of those. Lately, this was one of the perfumes I've been hearing about that's "old", or for the "older crowd". Who knows? Anyway, I've been wearing NOA lately. It's very light and sweet and kinda charming. But it's not as unique as the Nude.

I also was given Ed Hardy by Christian Audiger by a niece of a friend of mine and I've been dabbing that on. It's okay. Nothing to write home about... okay, reading on...

 

[indranee]

My favourite perfumes through the years have been... Anais Anais.....

Oh, yes, forgot about that one. I still have a small bottle of that, although I hardly ever use perfume anymore. My sister used to wear that when we were teens, and I always liked it. It's very floral but very mild. I like clean, fresh, almost "soapy" perfumes--nothing too musty or alcohol-smelling.

I forgot about that one too! love Anais Anais! Good one.

 

[indranee]

I have over a hundred bottles of perfume, I've been collecting it for years.. also huge perfume book library.

Today I'm wearing a BPAL, Hi'iaka. It's a warm tropical floral, lots of pikake, light but potent.. I like it when it is warm and humid and a bit rainy out.

Perfumes are only age related in the eyes of marketing. If someone likes a sweet or fruity perfume they like it, doesn't matter if they are 40 and not 14. I think a few of Britneys are excellent (not the latest one though) and would make a good gift. Curious is lovely magnolia scent and very similar to certain much older ones. Obviously anyone with a Britney antipathy might not wish to get one as a gift though.

What perfume does she have now?

Just don't let yourself get talked into something by the sales people at the store, they are told to flog the crap out of new stuff and it may not be that nice.

Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely is a nice apple musk scent that seems very popular.. if you worry about picking something too strong I don't think many would find it so.

BPAL Hi'iaka looks nice!! Will try that one.

You're so right about the marketing. That's what I've encountered. They try to sell you the new stuff. I'll also try Curious...

 

[indranee]

Commercial perfumes smell unnatural and unpleasant to me. It may be the base solvents and additives that I dislike, or maybe because most of the scent ingredients are artificial chemicals.

I make my own perfumes by mixing essential oils and diluting in a simple water-alcohol solvent. Their fragrances can feel very gentle, peaceful and comforting, and makes a much more personal and harmonious scent for self expression.

I've actually been experimenting with this stuff myself Jadzia! It's good to see you bring it up. I love Sandalwood and Gardenia and Jasmine... especially a mix of the first two... also, I think (not sure about my bff) that because I have dry skin (the driest!), essential oils are a better bet than straight perfumes.

But I love some of the suggestions in this thread. You guys are awesome!

 

[indranee]

I make my own perfumes by mixing essential oils and diluting in a simple water-alcohol solvent. Their fragrances can feel very gentle and comforting, and feel much more personal and harmonious as a form of self expression.

What a great idea! I am tempted to try this myself, except I am far too lazy . Coincidently, my last couple of perfumes have been Acqua di Parma Colonia. I probably found myself unconsciously drawn to it because it is made from natural ingredients, as I found out later; it smells like a summer garden, it's also unisex, not too soft and not too harsh. It's certainly particular, and not for everyone, which is why I did not include it in my original list, it is also not a typically female scent.

Good luck, Indranee! I am sure you'll find just the thing for your friend if you know her well.

Thanks!!

I'm making a list based on this thread... so I'm getting there...

**NOTE to the MODS: Oh gosh, pleeeeease don't warn me for spamming! I just realized I did this. Promise I'll use quotes from now on.

Btw, anyone know and use Le Jasmine by Annick Goutal? A friend gave that to me once... hellish expensive but I haven't been able to get the scent out of my head...

 

[Roshi]

1881 by Cerruti and on occasions Fahrenheit by Dior.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Btw, anyone know and use Le Jasmine by Annick Goutal? A friend gave that to me once... hellish expensive but I haven't been able to get the scent out of my head...

Jasmine is like that Annick Goutals are very pricey but if you want to give your friend one it is a beautiful gift! And something for everyone.

Are you looking for another Jasmine hit?

You know sometimes a scent hits you over the head, uber potent but then your brain acclimatizes to it and it's not so strong any more, you realize the wearable niceness of it. Jasmine can be like that initially.

Le Jasmine was a limited edition btw, but there are many good Jasmine scents out there if you cannot find it.

So what perfume did you friend have before? What price range are you looking at?

 

[Kira's Mom]

Commercial perfumes smell unnatural and unpleasant to me. It may be the base solvents and additives that I dislike, or maybe because most of the scent ingredients are artificial chemicals.

I make my own perfumes by mixing essential oils and diluting in a simple water-alcohol solvent. Their fragrances can feel very gentle, peaceful and comforting, and makes a much more personal and harmonious scent for self expression.

oooh that's nice...making your own. Heh, that reminded me of when i was a kid, there was this great set for children, where you made your own perfume. I can't remember who put that set out. There were about a dozen tiny little bottles, and then some 'scents' that you could mix together to make your own bottle of perfume. That was so much fun. Of course, i probably smelled like a whorehouse!

I had a Barbie perfume making set when I was about 7. My bedroom smelled like cheap perfume for months after I got it...

 

[indranee]

Btw, anyone know and use Le Jasmine by Annick Goutal? A friend gave that to me once... hellish expensive but I haven't been able to get the scent out of my head...

Jasmine is like that Annick Goutals are very pricey but if you want to give your friend one it is a beautiful gift! And something for everyone.

Are you looking for another Jasmine hit?

You know sometimes a scent hits you over the head, uber potent but then your brain acclimatizes to it and it's not so strong any more, you realize the wearable niceness of it. Jasmine can be like that initially.

Le Jasmine was a limited edition btw, but there are many good Jasmine scents out there if you cannot find it.

So what perfume did you friend have before? What price range are you looking at?

Teacake yeah another Jasmine would be great! Do you have suggestions?

I think the most recent one she was wearing was Upscape. She says it's too cool (as in, temperature) for the spring/summer and she wants a change...