Today's poll is about guilty pleasures: fragrances you love even though you (or others?) think maybe you shouldn't. Another way of stating it might be "the perfumes you don't usually admit you own".
So do 'fess up! Your host today is Aparatchick. If you haven't met Aparatchick, please let me introduce you:
Note: image is White blossoms, color wall by CoCreatr at flickr; some rights reserved.
I love to wear/sleep in Tabu (drugstore or vintage), Angel Men and drum roll please . . .
I absolutely love Guerlain Mahora, which Turin and Sanchez totally reviled.
To me it is tropical nights in negligee, a fabulous cocktail in hand along with the cigarettes I’m not supposed to smoke anymore.
Ruth, that could be a whole guilty pleasure category: “The Ones That Lucatania Hated.” 😉
For another poll, you could turn it around–“The ones that Lucatania loved but that you can’t stand”.
I really love reading their book, but I disagree with many of their opinions about what is and is not a great fragrance. For a start, I really do not understand the whole Tocade thing. So either perfume smells differently on different people, something that Luca Turin argues against, or we perceive it differently – or both.
I forgot to say that there used to be an Avon fragrance called “Jamoca Soft Musk” that was wonderful. It cost next to nothing and smelled really expensive. I wish they’d reissue it.
I’ll get that new thread started with Lucatania LOVE Cool Water, but to me it smells like an overly-chlorinated swimming pool filled with unripe tangelos.
Hello, JPG Classique!
I’m right there with you on the Mahora! I love it!
I’ll make that a third on Mahora. It’s faaabulous wafting up from a cleavage and surprisingly good in cold weather. Turin? Tant pis!
Same here – I have a little bottle of Mahora [isn’t the bottle cute?] and I do like it. 😉
Oh I brazenly heart Tabu! I wore it so much last winter. Tabu and Chanel 22 are my top reasons for wishing fall would hurry up and get here! Well, that and more hubs cuddle time. 😉
Yup. Mahora. Total Love on me. Glad to see I’m not the only one enjoying it.
Hello everyone!
Ah, the joy of guilty pleasures. As much as I’d like to believe I sit at my desk every night and read improving books, I have to admit that I secretly love watching Wipeout. Lowbrow, but fun! The same holds true for perfume. Some of my guilty pleasures are lowbrow treasures: BBW Brown Sugar & Fig and White Citrus or Avon Just Play. Others are big and bold and I feel a little guilty about wearing them around others: Kenzo Jungle Elephant for one.
What are your scented guilty delights?
This is going to be fun 😀
Erm…while I haven’t worn/owned them in years, I used to rather enjoy Light Blue and L’Eau d’Issey. And I still think there are worse smelling things out there.
I own and like Hermes Hiris (one star and a “horrible” in The Guide) and the original Narciso Rodriguez For Her which I don’t think is a universally loved frag either.
There are definitely worse smelling things out there! 🙂 I hear a lot of love for NR for Her, so it must be a pleasure, guilty or otherwise for many people.
I sniffed Light Blue in Nordstrom, having read the scathing review in The Guide and expecting it to be vile–it isn’t. The overall impression I got was that it is very pleasant. I certainly wasn’t motivated to buy a bottle, but if I had one, I would wear it.
I love Hiris. Love. My daughter loves it, my BFF loves it, her daughter loves it. What’s not to love?
More love for Hiris—I love it, my 18 yr old daughter loves it, the CEO says it’s “nice” (high praise from him) .
In fact I’m having a bit of a hankering for a spritz of Hiris right now! 🙂
Ha, ha – I was thinking of Hiris, too! It was my near-signature scent when it first came out. After the LT review, I bought it again and – thank the perfume gods! – I love it just as much.
Ha! Good for you! In fact : Good for us! I know , one measley star …. I’m afraid that I disagree so frequently with Mr. Turin, that if I love something and he gives it beaucoup de stars—I’m shocked and start to doubt myself! Then I need to retest to make sure I wasn’t mistaken and actually hate it! Occasionally, I grudgingly allow him to like something I like….it’s good to be borderline magnanimous once in a while. 😉
🙂
Turin loves Secretions Magnifques, after all!
my point exactly! ***gag!***
Sometimes I think he loves things conceptually more than for how they actually smell.
At least now I know that “a stupendous nitrile note” means “this will make you gag in 12 nanoseconds.
oy! maybe fragrances could have a surgeon general’s warning on the box ! ” WARNING: this product may produce severe gagging in less than 12 nanoseconds.”
Yay for Hiris love! I always reach for it when I want to wear a perfume but need something discreet.
I forgot to add that while some people might no consider these to be examples of great perfumery, I’m not embarrassed to admit that I like ’em and don’t feel in the least bit to guilty about enjoying them. Plus I own/love plenty of 5 star-ers so it all balances out 😀
I like Light Blue and NR for Her as well. You are not alone! 🙂
Shh… I like Light Blue too!
I can take or leave Hiris, but have a FB of NR for Her. Some days I love it, and others I wonder what was with my nose that day…
Well, I do own them and I secretly enjoy wearing Issey Miyake and Light Blue! I have plenty and can send you some!
I’ve got small bottles of both as well, they get carried around in the purse frequently for scent emergencies and backup. No one gets offended by these, it seems 😛
Although it is decried by many as a sad, pathetic flanker (Turin and Sanchez loathe it), I wore Chanel Platinum Egoiste for a decade and still love it, even though my tastes are supposedly more “sophisticated” now.
Here’s a question for you: can a Chanel ever be considered “unsophisticated?”
Hm…interesting question. Yes, I think so, despite the relatively high prices Chanel charges and storied reputation it has. But I think–especially for this poll–one has to separate “sophistication” from its usual companion, “high price.”
I think this poll raises another interesting question: how many of the respondents considered these perfumes “guilty pleasures” until Turin and Sanchez told them they were? That was certainly true in my case. As much as I respect (and love) T&S’s book, it’s very difficult to get their ratings out of my head when I’m trying to evaluate a scent .
Of course, that’s true, but the rich diversity of opinion among NST commenters and reviewers provides a fast-acting antidote!
Oh, I don’t consider something a guilty pleasure just because LT/TS give something 1 star. I like their writing, but I don’t use them as a measure of anything but their own taste. And since most of their reviews are written by one or the other, I think there are plenty of things that LT might give a 1 and TS would rank higher, and vice versa.
Even among NST readers, I think a lot of regular commenters who are “niche aficionados” look down on fruity or celebrity scents, but many people like them, so who are we to judge? I think embarrassment is more likely to come from something that costs $10 per liter, or that seems totally out of character, like if I told you I like to prance around the house doused in Hello Kitty perfume.
do you??? just askin….
Mmm… maybe. Or maybe I just like to retain an aura of mystery about me, okay?
okay, mysterious is good….just keep in mind there can be a fine line sometimes between behaving with “an air of mystery” and needing a tranq. dart in the meaty part of your hinder.
Consider yourself cautioned.
Joe, if you’re prancing around in Hello Kitty fumes, please post it on youtube, pleeeeease?
Seriously though, I don’t think any of us need ever apologize for the scents (or books or movies or whatever) we love. Tastes differ, and that’s what I so much enjoy when reading NST.
**snort**
Pics or it didn’t happen.
That’s exactly what I’m afraid of and why I’ve never read it. I just don’t want someone else’s opinions floating around in my head when I’m trying out a fragrance. Not that I’m not tempted, it sounds like a blast to read.
I love the guide as it is so much fun to read. But I also love white florals, so just ignore what LT has to say on that. Nice to read about scents and then decide what I think.
I’m mostly afraid of word association. For example, years ago when my sister and I lived together, I was in the habit of drinking Constant Comment tea every evening. My sister tried some, hated it, and dubbed it Constant Throw-up. Every time I’d get out the box, she’d say, “Oh, having some Constant Throw-up?” I finally gave up drinking it when I realized her words were springing to my mind everytime I reached for the tea bag. I would so hate to have that happen with a fragrance I love.
I always loved Mahora as well. Today I am wearing something I haven’t worn for years–don’t even think they make it any longer–Paco Robanne’s Metal. I used to love it so much that when I heard it wouldn’t be available any longer, I bought two extra bottles–which I still have.
Basenotes says it’s still in production…..
Still in production, but (boohoo) not the same, of course …… I now have a big bottle of Metal sitting in the cupboard, alongside all those other old favourites that have been reformulated …..
My bottles are all the original fragrance. I haven’t smelled the reformulated version.
I was going to say treasure them, but of course that it is the last thing you should do! Wear them with gay abandon, because if you leave them for special occasions, they will have turned by the time you get them out. Spray and enjoy!
Thanks for the info.
I’m laughing because when I first saw the subject of today’s poll, I had just finished watching a fan video on You Tube of Beneath a Moonless Sky from the new POTO play, Love Never Dies. All things POTO are guilty pleasures for me.
Perfume guilty pleasures…. hmmm…. the above mentioned Mahora as well as Guerlain’s Samsara (but only in vintage). Love ’em both!
Took some googling but I’m assuming POTO is Phantom Of The Opera? In my house it’s Pointing Out The Obvious or possibly Plans, Operations and Training Officer but neither of those made sense. Couldn’t stand that I couldn’t figure that out!
Ha! I was thinking the same thing: Pointing Out The Obvious….then I realized this was Rapple talking…..oh, Phantom of the Opera…she’s quite addicted, you know. 😉
My name is Rapple, and I am addicted to the Phantom (Erik). Sigh….
Hello Rapple….welcome….. ***snicker***
I saw POTO 5 times!
Oh Carlos, I am so jealous! I’ve only seen the play twice, and would love to see the Vegas version before it closes. Of course I own the movie and have seen it at least 1,000 times! Most people (unless they participated on the original WB POTO movie board) don’t realize all of the symbolism that ALW managed to weave into the story in the movie. Truly brilliant!
My name is Rapple, and I am addicted to the Phantom (Erik). Sigh….
Hmm…. not sure how this happened. Sorry.
Oh yes, you’re right – Phantom of the Opera. I shouldn’t have assumed. I’ve spent too much time on POTO boards and reading POTO fanfics obviously! 😀
Oh, don’t apologize! I took it as a challenge since I wasn’t aware of your love of POTO and never associated your name with the play. Learn somethin’ new every day (or at least I do!).
Funny, I wouldn’t consider Samsara a guilty pleasure… just a pleasure.
You’re probably right, and I don’t *really* feel guilty about wearing it, but I don’t think it gets a lot of perfumista love.
Where to begin? I have many frowned upon fragrances. haha I’ll start with Cabotine, though I hardly ever wear it anymore, this ‘nasty floral’ [according to The Guide] used to be my very favorite and I’ll always have to have some on hand. I think my most emabarrassing perfume, hands down, is none other than M by Mariah Carey – I had to have it’s toasted marshmellowness when it came out. Again, I hardly ever wear it, but sometimes I really get in the mood for it. I also still have more than half a bottle left of Amarige, which I never loved, but my best friend raved about it when it came out [early 90’s?] so I bought a bottle. Those are probably the most egregious items, by perfumista standards, that I have in my collection. I also have a bunch of Yves Rocher stuff, but they are cheap thrills and they do get a little respect in the fragrance world. That’s all I can think of off the top of my head. Fun topic!!
I have a bunch of Yves Rochers also. Back in the early 90’s, YR or the drugstore were the only ways I could afford to buy perfume, and I managed to collect almost everything in their line at that time. My very, very favorite was Ispahan. I LOVED it, and was heartbroken when I learned it had been discontinued. I still have a 1/2 ounce bottle of the parfum which I have been hoarding.
Oh, Amarige… I had a bottle of that when it first came out. I *loved* it. I wouldn’t buy it now (too many other things to have), but I still don’t think it’s all that bad. It’s just logistically impossible to wear just a little Amarige, and I think that’s where it got it’s bad reputation.
I was at a dinner party (quite a few years back) but I will never forget the woman next to me (a beautiful not platinum blonde 1950’s movie star type) smelled absolutely gorgeous and I asked her what perfume she was wearing: Amarige!! It is perfection on some people.
I have a fairly vintage mini of Amarige, which dabs. Perfect. Even so, I don’t think I’ve worn it out of the house yet.
I love Amarige-wore it quite often when it first came out. I have a vintage bottle that I occasionally dab on. It really is pretty and soft in the waaaay drydown. I liked the flanker too, the one in the green bottle? I think it was Amarige Mariage?? It had patchouli which I loved…
I chased down a bottle of the 2007 harvest edition after hemming and hawing until it was no longer available locally. Maybe it’s “horrible”, but I managed to brainwash at least a few fellow NSTers into liking it too. 😉 It’s certainly not something I’d wear daily, or even often, but sometimes it is JUST the thing.
of course, you mean “brainwashed” in the most kind and nurturing way possible… 😉
I love Cabotine! It has a really nice dry down even if The Guide did pan it.
Rustic: When I got a vial of Cabotine I thought it was lovely and fresh, so I bought a very cheap (like $12 for an ounce) bottle. However, now I can’t stand it… which I confirmed by wearing it a couple months ago. Seriously gag inducing, which is always a shame. If anyone would like this, contact me by clicking on my name above.
Amarige is such a nice scent. I had a friend that always wore it around 1996 but I couldn’t pull it off. I finally bought a bottle of Amarige Amour a couple of years back which seems to work better on me, but I have a mini of the original that I dab on now and again just for the heck of it. Live crazy, I say…..
I don’t own it. But I’m a sucker for a man wearing Brut. *hangs head in shame*
LOL 🙂
Wow! That takes me back to – gulp – high school!
I know, I KNOW! @__@
this is much nicer than I remember – my husband just tracked down a bottle of the “original” Brut, because he loved this stuff in high school. He told me to tell my perfumista friends that “it’s from Faberge — in *France*!!” 🙂
Everyone seems to hate Jo Malone’s Lotus Blossom and Water Lily, but I’ve been turning to it so often in the wretched heat this summer. It’s fresh, psychologically cools me off and smells lovely on me. What a hoot of a topic!
Anything that cools you off this summer should be more pleasure than guilt. 😉
Oh no, several of us here enjoy that Jo Malone. Hold your head high! 😀
I have only tested that one, but I liked it! I could see it being great in heat.
I love that one, and it has great staying power too.
I like this one, too! It’s the perfect summer incense. I don’t know why so many seem to shun it.
Estee Lauder Spellbound! Have loved it since it debuted in the early 1990’s. I even have a backup bottle just in case it disappears forever.
Lucatania gave it 1 star. Haha!
Great topic! I am enjoying reading everyone’s guilty pleasures.
~Dawn
I didn’t think that anyone else shared my love for Spellbound – I really need to grab a bottle. Back when I was a signature scent gal – that one was mine. I used to get complimented on it all of the time, too, so I don’t know what the problem is with it.
Yes, Spellbound is another favorite! You are not alone ladies.
A friend of mine who is a pin-up model wears it. You don’t get a much better endorsement than that. It’s sort of film-noir-sexy.
Recently I wear Tutti Kiwi a LOT. It received a “Not Kiwi” with 1 star from Turin/Sanchez but… I just love it.
Although I don’t wear fruity florals most of the time, I’m not afraid to say I own it anyways. lol
“But …. I just love it” The Official Motto of a guilty pleasure. Hey, we love what we love, right?
Ummm….Vanille Abricot from Comptoir Sud Pacifique is divine…I’m running out though (frowny face)…
Angel Men is great and trashy…
But when I’m all alone and there’s Lady Gaga playing loud maybe… Rush!
Ha! I’m very manly if you can tell.
Tomorrow I’ll wear some Tom Ford Tuscan Leather just to butch it up a bit.
Lady Gaga and Rush….yes, I can see that combo!
For a minute I thought you meant *the band* Rush and was totally confused. 🙂
Me too! LIke, what’s there to feel guilty about there? Rush ROCKS!! 😀
Construction ROCK!
I love Rush too, my older brother was obessed with them.
I love Geddy Lee’s nasal voice “Aaaaaaaaa Salesman!”
I can’t type or spell today- sorry 😛
Also LOVE Rush, even though I could no more wear it out in public than I could one Lady Gaga’s outfits 😉
Vanille Abricot is definitely nice — I have some very “vintage” stuff that’s got a lot of deep caramel almost burnt-sugar vibe to it.
I’ll sheepishly admit that Vanille Coco is really fun too… smells delicious (for those moments you don’t mind smelling a bit like dessert).
I’ve got some Vanille Coco – always gets compliments!
I own both CSP Vanille Abricot and Vanille Canelle. Perfect bedtime scents. They are probably my most guilty perfume pleasures nowadays. Used to wear Rocking Rio ( Escada); deliciously trashy! I went through a Eau d’Issey phase. Don’t hate it now, don’t really like it anymore either.
Love Hiris, one star or not.
Oh me too!! I love those C/S OTT vanillas! My favorite is the banana, its just so wonderful in a tropical summer
I like the apricots – I have always wanted some of that Vanille Abricot, and recently I tried Fresh Fig Apricot and went wild for it.
I love the sound of that VA and will definitely give it a try one of these days.
Aquolina Pink Sugar and Bonbons Malizia Milk Shake……… Sometimes I wear them but only at home.
Do you wear them together?
No, separate. But in both cases I smell like a candy cake…
🙂
I love to smell like cupcakes, cookies and desserts . Delicious!
Is THAT what makes you so sweet???????????????? 😉
Have you tried Montale Vanilla Absolu???????? Perfect.
Not garish or anything else to much to it, just lasts and lasts.
It’s a gulity obsene pleasure that it costs so much $ for such simple but fantastic olfactory happiness.
yes! it’s a helluva lotta vanilla! It’s one I don’t own though because when I sampled it my daughter swore it sucked the oxygen out of the room…..maybe I should drag out that sample again and see if she still begs me not to buy it…
Is that so Daisy?
Wow I really don’t find VA to be that strong, it is almost a comfort skin scent after about 20 min. I mean i don’t go crazy, but I can do spray lightly 5-6 times and it’s lovely.
It is BOMB girl, yes try it again!
How can she resist? 😀
Daisy & Tamara: I find the fact that Montale has Vanille Absolu and Vanille Exstacy to be confusing, and I forget which one is supposed to be “the good one.” In any case, I think I’ve already got enough vanilla around so that I don’t need any more… for now. 😉
Hello Joe!
Well I find them different in the way they handle vanilla.
VA is just simple, subtle vanilla, with maybe a smidgen of cloves and cinnamon. It says woods are there too but I don’t smell them.
VE is uuummm well on me I’m sorry to say reminded me of a Axe body spray! The chocolate one? HA 😛
It takes a more tropical vibe with ylang-ylang, jasmine and apricot. I don’t know, I didn’t care for it. It wasn’t that great on me.
I also found it didn’t last for beans on my skin while VA is tenacious . Ok that’s my two cents Joe. 🙂
You guys are making me want a huge slug of vanilla! I’ve never tried the Montale vanillas. When I need to smell like dessert I usually turn to “L” by Lolita Lempicka. Maurice Roucel might not do subtle but he does rich very, very well. Sometimes I add some cinnamon-y Musc Rav to it, but that is really a ‘privacy of your own home’ cocktail.
I like VA too, I have a small sample of it, it stays and stays and stays on skin. Serge Lutens Un bois Vanille and Micallef Note Vanillee I like too, although the Micallef reminds me of L Lolita Lempicka. As I already own a big bottle of L I don’t need the Micallef. My favorite vanilla smells are Kenzo Amour and Joop le Bain 😀
Jessica Simpson’s Fancy. Sometimes I just wanna smell like a big, fluffy cupcake. I also have a tendency to spritz myself with Loves Baby Soft when I’m feeling nostalgic (or, if I’m feeling really retro, Malibu Musk).
I still have some Love’s Baby Soft leftover from my high school days (quite a few years ago). Once in a while I spritz some on, but only at home in the evening when I am not going anywhere. I would NEVER want to admit to anyone else that I was wearing it!
If someone asked, what would you say you were wearing? I’ve been known to make up something if it really is that embarrassing to be honest. In my younger days I would wear Aviance and would tell people it was Liz Taylor Passion– isn’t it sad that in my mind that was a step up? 😉
Well, if it were still detectable on me in public, it would have to be leftover from the night before, (I shower at night and often put on some perfume before going to bed), and would probably be subtle, so I might mutter something to the effect that it must be my shampoo or soap or something. I have had it happen that someone told me I smelled good–and I wasn’t wearing any perfume. It must have been my soap or shampoo or something.
And now I have the Aviance jingle running through my head.
I used to love the Malibu Musk, too. Don’t remember what it smelled like, must’ve been light and fruity. Also wore something called Verve with a purple, plastic cap from Prince Matchabelli. One of my first frags. My mother was patient with me, bless her, it probably smelled like air freshener, LOL.
Oh! I remember Verve! I had the pink-capped one that smelled sort of powdery. I think it was a step above Impulse Body Spray. (Eek, remember those?) It sprayed in a continuous stream, like the bottle was attached to a garden hose. Very fond memories of Verve, and all the teachers I had in middle school who must have been glad when I left the room at the end of the class period.
LOL Miss Kitty! Very sad. But hey in high school I thought I was way edgier than everybody else because I wore Cool Water and not Joop! Homme. Ah, the days of innocence…
I, too, have a bottle of Fancy and for some reason, I don’t remember buying it. Maybe a gift? Who knows, but I do spritz now and then and enjoy it for the short while it lasts.
On me Fancy lasts until nearly the end of all time. I’ve only used in store testers of it though. 😉
In my case it was a 100 mL bottle I got for $15. How many lifetimes’ worth is that?
I’m still waiting for a grownup version of Love’s Baby Soft.
The closest I can come up with is Harajuku Lovers Baby. But that’s really more of a lateral move, not “more adult.”
To my nose Keiko Mecheri Loukhoum is along those lines.
Oh Malibu Musk! I’m old school enough to remember when it came in glass bottles instead of just the can, and even had the deodorant (with a pastel surf board on the cap, no less) back in the early 90’s. I still love it for memories’ sake, though I haven’t been able to bring myself to spring for the can.
I adore Loves Baby Soft as it was one of the first perfumes I got as a little girl, and always keep some around as it is so effortlessly pretty.
Shaped like a palm tree…one sniff and I’m 14 again 😉
Mine’s Eden by Cacharel… I often veer away from it because a friend of mine told me their mother wears it all the time ( and I’m in my 40’s!) , but when I do wear it, usually on a sunny, Summer day, it always makes me feel soooooooo good. And it’s also the most complimented-about fragrance I wear – just delicious.
That’s my issue with Anais, Anais (isn’t that another Cacharel?) I have an aunt who wears it (and I’m ummmm…. older than 40)
I love Eden. I’m waiting for Ann S. to chime in on this one.
Oh yes! I like Eden too — but on rainy days. I don’t think I’ve ever worn E on a sunny day & I’ll have to correct that.
Fun subject today!
As I admitted to Amy T above, I have Fancy and will also admit to having and occasionally wearing Halle (original) and Angel (just a tiny bit, tho). I will also fess up to California and Creed Virgin Island Water which takes a beating but it’s a summer party in a bottle to me.
My son is finally wearing some nicer scents like L’Instant, Kenzo Air, and Carven Homme but I bought him Old Spice about a year ago. He was rather puzzled because I had been telling him not to wear all that “cheap #$%&” and here I was handing him a bottle that cost all of about $7. Tried to explain cheap yes but it would probably smell great on him but he wouldn’t try it. Now that the Old Spice Guy has made it a household name, hie’s wearing it and can’t believe he can buy it at the drugstore.
Yes, the Old Spice Guy has made OS hot!
Those Old Spice commercials need to win some kind of major awards! If only all commercials were that creative and entertaining.
Sadly, it seems that some TV shows aren’t even that entertaining these days.
I would have to say Tom Ford Black Orchid, Aquolina Blue Sugar, and Thierry Mugler A* Men
The Aquolinas are being mentioned a lot today.
Hmmm… my guilty pleasures used to include Pink Sugar, but it went off on me. Actually, I’m sure that my taste just changed.
I still love Pucci Vivara (and not the vintage one either) and that got one star in the Guide, too. I don’t know if Stetson counts since it was rated pretty high, but I like that too. Ooh… Sand and Sable – does that one count? I’ve like several of the Britney Spears scents, but I don’t own any of them.
I suppose that my big orientals count as guilty pleasures since they’re so reviled now – I love both Youth Dew and Obsession. I promise that I spray them both in small doses and not 80s doses.
Oh – I love Un Matin d’Orage and that one got savaged pretty good in various reviews.
Most shameful of all – I found that despite claiming not to be a bottle ‘ho, I can be suckered in to buying a scent that I’m on the fence about if it has a fabulous bottle. Which is nuts since I keep them all in a deep, dark place.
well, I love Stetson too…..and I adore it on the CEO ! He has a few things to wear (doesn’t like too much variety in fragrance) Stetson is the cheapest by far and by far my fave. 🙂
I like Youth Dew too, but only in small doses, and only in cool weather. I cannot imagine wearing it in summer. As for bottles–I keep mine out where I can see them (at least those in my current rotation), so a pretty bottle always helps. I wouldn’t refuse to buy a scent I loved just because the bottle was ugly (although I might decant it into another container), and I wouldn’t buy a scent I hated just because the bottle was nice, unless I could get it really cheap. It might make the difference, though, if I am on the fence about buying it based on smell alone.
Stetson is great – I wear it to bed when I am not sampling something new. Lady Stetson, though, not so much.
Aww! I used to love Lady Stetson! This is some weird trip down memory lane for me.
I’m always the first to admit that I have a weird thing for celeb perfumes. I think they’re funny (the tackier the bottle the better). I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I’m going to wear my Hilary Duff With Love and enjoy it. 😉
Speaking of tacky bottles, have you seen the newest Britney Spears one?
You mean the pink and blue one that looks like a cross between a patchwork quilt and a summer-camper-with-a-glue-gun gone wild?
It’s a mess.
It is like a bedazzler explosion.
Great description, Daisy!
That new Britney bottle cracked me up! I won’t pay full price for it, but it will be mine eventually. It is so hilariously tacky.
It sounds like you are building a “Tacky Bottle” collection —I bet it will be a magnificent sight! It’s funny how one overly done bottle can be tacky on its own…but get a bunch of them together and it’ll be eye catching!
I almost like it… I think it was made to appeal to people who play the online game “Bejeweled Blitz” (disclaimer: I am not one of those people).
Hahahaha! I’m one of those people. While you’re dancing with Hello Kitty, I’m Bejeweled Blitzing.
Aw man, this is how rumors get started. Disclaimer #2: I do not own Hello Kitty perfume nor any other Sanrio cartoon items. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
LOL
what’s that you said? not only do you have a secret stash of hello kitty perfume but you also like to wear it while playing Bejeweled Blitz?
LOL 😀 hmmm, that *is* shocking….
This is getting more and more interesting. Joe is WAY more cool than I even imagined! 😉
I have a guilty (dis)pleasure. I realise this isn’t strictly on-topic, but while we’re in a cheerfully confessional mood, I’ll own up to something I’m not proud of. Deep breath. Hot milky tea.
I don’t like Serge Lutens scents.
I KNOW. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. But I haven’t found a single one save Chergui that I’ve been willing to have on my skin for more than five minutes. Every second is an agonised longing to scrub. I think I’m broken. Believe me, I want to shun me, too.
Own it, baby! All you’re admitting to is that you don’t want to be a sheep, pretending to like something you don’t. Nothing wrong with that.
Miss Kitty , ever the champion .
I agree with you whoeheartedly!
oh my gosh – you may be my scent and tea twin! I’ve never found a Serge Lutens that works for me and I don’t like milky tea.
I don’t mind milky tea so much but Serge Lutens is my perfume nemesis as well. Clair de Musc is the only SL that smells good to me. So if we are shunned, we can be shunned together. (I’ll bring cookies so at least we won’t be shunned AND hungry.)
Yo! Don’t forget Fleurs d’Oranger!!!
You know what? and this is a real oversight because you know I luvs me some orange blossom—I’ve never sniffed SL Fleurs d’Oranger.
I love Le Labo Fleur d’Oranger 27 and someone told me they’re a bit similar but the SL has a “dirty” note. Which kinda puts me off, not being too hot on “dirty” scents. If a sample fell in my lap I’d try it of course…cautious but not crazy! (well, not COMPLETELY crazy!…yet)
Whenever I try the Serge OB, I think for a second, this is The One!! But 5 minutes later, I think, oh, maybe not. The LeLabo is excellent.
Wow, this is quite a club! So far, the only Lutens I really like are Gris Clair and Chergui.
Hey Chanterais…. I don’t like Guerlain, at ALL. Well, okay. Old Mits is tasty. But that’s IT. I cannot abide LHB, Apres L’Ondee, or Shalimar. I’m not big on Chamade, either. And L’Instant? L’WORST!!! :p
Oh, and Les Meteorites is okay. It’s not fb worthy, but it’s def better on me than its more venerable predecessors.
I heart Guerlain but there is plenty that doesn’t love me back!
There’s so many though that’s not a problem.
Some houses are just not ‘for you’, no biggie.
I don’t think I care for Serge either…
Hey, I won’t shame you… you like what you like. However, I am a Serge worshipper… sure, there are several I don’t like, but so many that would make me cry if they disappeared. Viva la difference!
You’re super lucky! Think of all the money you’ll save!
Good point!
I haven’t found a Serge yet, and I keep trying. I also own nothing from l’Artisan, but think I will eventually. But the Serges always get me excited up front and then fail me in the end. I finally pulled out my sample of 5 O’clock au Gengembre, which I have long though would be awesome, and it was just a generic slightly spicy “masculine” scent. Meh.
Hey, no shame! I finally found two SLs I like — Gris Clair and Iris Silver Mist — but the rest are just nasty on me. As are most of the classic Guerlains, and the PdNs, and a whole bunch of other lines that appear to be near-universally loved.
Perhaps we need a topic called “Confessions of a Perfumista”
I second that idea!
I had to drag the laptop into the bedroom because I have amassed such a large collection that I was certain I would forget a few. I have broken them down into categories, for your convenience. Department Store Embarrassing: RL Notorious, SJP Covet Pure Bloom (loooooove it!), Lanvin Rumeur, and David Yurman Edp. In the Embarrassing Drugstore Collection we have: Emeraude (both new and vintage), Jovan Musk (many things can be mixed with Jovan Musk, FYI), and a bunch of things that I can’t see because they are buried that deep in the perfume cabinet, cloaked in shame. And then there’s the accumulation of Cheap is as Cheap Does: VS Love Spell and Strawberries and Champagne, Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange and Waikiki Pikake, Avon Imari, Avon Rare Pearls, and I love too many B&B Works to mention. And finally we have the I Don’t Know Why No One Else Likes This But I Do family: Bond No 9 Broadway Nite, Bond Little Italy, Vivienne Westwood Libertine, Loulou (or as Boojum once referred to it, “Loud Loud”), Yvresse, and By Kilian Cruel Intentions.
Love your categories. I love those Cheap is as Cheap Does Pacificas. I think my Tokyo Milks might go in that category too.
I love Vivienne Westwood Libertine also!!! I had it in a sparkly shower gel and hated to finish it up (not sure they make it anymore).
Also I really Like YSL Elle for some reason, which did not get a good Turichez review either.
Miss K-I LOVE Yvresse- and loved it when it was called Champagne. It smells like yummy fruity champagne.
Great categories, Miss K.! But I think Emeraude has achieved cult status.
Not the $8 for two bottles kind you can run out and buy today! I think I’m alone in loving that one. Very, very alone.
I love your categories too, Miss Kitty! Reading them, I realized I have a lot more guilty pleasures in my collection than I’d realized!
I like Bond Little Italy in all its melted-orange-lollipop glory!
Speaking of Bond, I just now (what took me so long?) smelled Chinatown. Wow! Ummm
CHINATOWN! yummm….my favorite! Aren’t you glad you sniffed it?
Ahhh, your first experience with Chinatown! I adore it, it’s one of my very favorites, especially in fall.
That was my FIRST Bond experience, so I was spoiled early on.
LITTLE ITALY! ** cough, cough, cat pee, cough, cough**
😉
I beg your pardon?
hahahahaha I couldn’t resist !
Ugh… maybe a melted orange lollipop that a cat peed on! 😉
I like it on paper and for about 30 glorious seconds before the Eau de Cat Pee comes out to play – then it’s scrub, scrub, scrub. I do seem to be sensitive to whatever it is in citrus scents that goes bad though.
I wear both Avon Rare Pearls and Avon Imari! yesssssss.
I always get compliments on Avon Rare Pearls; people ask me what I’m wearing and I’m confounded on what to say.
Just say it in French and it will sound fabulous.
Maybe I could try that with Love’s Baby Soft. I am sure it would sound wonderful in French.
Woohoo, another Imari fan! I found a vintage bottle on eeebay last winter (the one with the fan design on top). I was so excited because I loved it when I was like, 12. It was exactly how I remembered it, but armed with my newfound fume knowledge, I was able to really appreciate the warm, musky drydown.
I like the Imari Seduction! I think it is kind of their version of Angel or something but I like the berry-ness. I also have a little bottle of Rare Pearls – nice stuff, very sweater-y.
Yvresse rocks! Love Sand and Sable too – haven’t tried Emeraude yet but I do wear Coty L’origan, which my sister calls “old lady bathroom powder”.
I did? Are you sure? I have no memory of that at all…. in fact, I rather like Lou Lou. That was one of those ubiquitous scent strips back in the day when I was fashion mag obsessed.
Perhaps it was not you? I remember someone saying that on here, and it was someone that I had sent a sample to. I just remember reading “Loud Loud” and thinking, “Oops… guess they didn’t like that one.”
Well, that’s assuming they don’t LIKE loud fragrances. Some people do! If it was me, I would have been joking. I’ve only dabbed on the tiniest bit so far, couldn’t get loud from that if I tried. 🙂
Ha! I bought a mini of LouLou edp on *bay because the bottle’s the most adorable thing on earth. I like the scent, too, but only dab a little on the occasional evening at home; otherwise it’s too overpowering a confectionery smell for me. Luca Turin likes it too– five stars in the Guide!
Yeah, I honestly can’t bring myself to wear it unless I spray it on a cotton ball and *dab.* But I think that’s just because I HOSED IT ON in high school. I even had the mini of it and would re-apply throughout the day. So my sinuses are now sort of retroactively appalled by it.
Like LouLou, love Yvresse.
Calvin Klein Eternity which got totally BLASTED by LucaTania—I believe the word “screechy” was bandied about…… but I’ve loved it since it was first released–it was my signature fragrance for years until I discovered niche. Another favorite is spendy but again LucaTania threw it on the ground and stomped it: Spiritueuse Double Vanille….
You know, I think you all are on to something — things we love that LucaTania hate ….One Star Wonders…..
Whaaaaat? They didn’t like SDV? Well they’re just wrong. So there. ***crosses arms and pouts***
Outrageous, I know! My paperback copy gives SDV 2 stars, I would’ve swore in the first book it had only one….”pointless, loud, and misconceived confection” oh and because it’s on the next page and Cynthia and Dawn mentioned it ; Spellbound (the poor dear) received only one star: ” Powerfully cloying and nauseating. Trails for miles. Frightens horses. Get worse.” hmmm, makes me want to try it….
Oh yes, SDV, just wonderful, I love how it references Shalimar somewhere in the drydown!
I must admit that I have bought a few ‘blind’ because L & T gave them high praise; ummm, like Tocade, I find it a bit unwearable.
Ehh…. their noses are no better or no worse than anyone on here. They like what they like and don’t like what they don’t like. They just happened to write a popular book in which they humorously discussed their likes and dislikes, that’s all! And I’m with you and Daisy – I LOVE SDV!!
let us bow down and worship at the SDV alter together!
For as much as I disagree with the LucaTania contingent….I adore their books and just gobble up the reviews! when I try something new, I can’t wait to flip through and see what one or the other said….then when, of course, I generally disagree with superior sort of huff and say “well, *I* like it just fine!!” 🙂
The most entertaining part of reading the book is when they *really* don’t like something – SO funny!
oh I know! Their tear it up reviews are the best ones! Hilariously mean.
Me, too. I wish they were still doing updates.
I don’t like SDV either. One sniff and I almost passed out. And I LIKE to drink!
Trashing Spiritueuse? Blasphomy!! I fell in love with SDV so hard I wondered if an intravenous drip of the stuff would be possible so I could exude the gloriusness from my pores. 🙂
I also have to admit to loving Harajuku Baby as probably my fave from the bunch, as well as a huge love for Vivienne Westwood Boudoir, BS Midnight Fantasy and Avon Odyssey. Odyssey especially has this soapy clean thing going on that I just love.
My bank account wishes I didn’t like Uncle Serge, but my brain and nose just won’t comply.
Oh, I forgot about Odyssey! Now I want to track down a bottle. It’s actually what I love about the better Avons: It just smells good, plain and simple.
Odyssey is the only Avon fragrance I have a clear memory of…it was also the only one I coveted when I was a pre-teen….of course my mom was completely against all that “stinky” stuff. One of my friends who was “older” (hahaha 14 !!!! ) had a bottle—I thought she was the luckiest girl.
I said “Uncle Serge” when I was at Barney’s last week and I had no idea where that came from. It just popped out. Is that something he is commonly called on the boards and I sub-consciously picked up?
I think that’s where I picked it up. Did the SAs at Barneys know what you were talking about?
I think “Uncle Serge” is one of those perfumista terms that just become part of your vocab thru blog-osmosis…..just spend a little time talking about your perfume collection to one of your non-perfumista friends and you’ll suddenly realize how many obsession-specific words we use.
I’m not sure what the SA thought, or if she even caught what I said, but she deserves a shout-out. She really knew her stuff and after watching me sniff things for about three minutes she had me figured out and told the other SA that I didn’t like XYZ and she was spot on. I didn’t have much time and she only showed me things I loved and I left with a full bag and a sobbing credit card. I have to say that Barney’s in Dallas provided one of the best perfume shopping experiences I’ve ever had. I had two SAs to myself plus the F. Malle rep as needed and they were fabulous.
I have noticed that most people don’t know what I’m talking about most of the time when it comes to perfumes and I doubt I could enter Penhaglion’s without saying Amaranthigh. 😉
Eternity was one of the first “real” perfumes I wore on a regular basis. As a young teen I kept sneaking sprays of my Mom’s bottle (I thought it went well with the Polo buttondown shirts I liked to “borrow” from my older brother). She eventually discovered what I was doing and bought me my own bottle for Christmas.
I’ve gotten more compliments on Eternity than anything else ever! Particularly from men…..just random men in the grocery store, in the mall, at the library etc. I still love it, but like most of my perfumes it rarely gets worn….because, ummm, well …..don’t tell my hubby I said this…but I have soooo many……
Eternity used to be my signature scent, and the husband loves it above any other. Like you, I now just have too many others I have to wear these days, but sometimes I still hanker after it. I don’t think it screeches, although it’s powerful in a soft sort of way – a bit like being almost suffocated with roses, but not quite. Maybe I should rescue that bottle from the back of the wardrobe and wear it for old times’ sake ….
It is easy to over-apply Eternity. And now that my nose has had more exposure to a wider variety of fragrances I find I’m much more aware of the harshness in the opening but once it settles down it’s very nice. After talking about this yesterday I dug it out of the cabinet and had a couple spritzes….both my daughter and the CEO commented on how nice I smelled when I walked thru the living room about 20 minutes later.
Back when I used to wear Eternity every darn day —a woman where I volunteer asked what my lovely perfume was—I told her , and within a week I walked into the building and was bludgeoned with a blast of Eternity! And I just knew where it was coming from! I can’t imagine how much she had applied! That was it for Eternity and me for a while, I was afraid people would think it was ME ! —thankfully she transfered to another building soon after that ! By that time I had discovered Hermes 24 Faubourg….and NST….
I’m not sure I even know what Eternity smells like — I’ll have to take a sniff next time I wander through Macy’s (maybe this weekend).
If you like it, it MUST be good. HA! 😉
I dunno…maybe I just like “screechy” ! Ha! —hey, since I have 3 bottles, I’ll add some to your box. If you like it, I have plenty to share!
( You know how I am about back-up bottles!)
Oh—hey, I was thinking about your garden issue—are you sure you don’t have a skunk visiting at night digging little holes looking for grubs?
Thanks! Even just the teeniest vial or spray will do me.
And no, though we’ve got skunks aplenty, I know this is a cat because it leaves… um… calling cards. Citrus peel has worked temporarily at least.
Oh, *calling cards* —ok, definitely a cat. Well, at least you don’t have to worry about grubs then….citrus peel huh? I wonder why that works? Citrus peels would probably draw us in, eh?
I wore Eternity for awhile too (still have some, I think), and then Escape as well (or maybe the other way around).
Hi everyone! I’m new to posting, been lurking for a while now.
Eternity used to be my signature scent too. Now I have over 45 bottles of scent though, and I haven’t even really gotten into niche just yet!
My cheap thrills are Coty’s Ici, Halle Berry’s Pure Orchid, The Body Shop’s Neroli Jasmine, La Senza’s (Canadians’ Victoria’s Secret) Sheer Romance, B&BW’s Butterfly Flower, Elizabeth Taylor’s Black Pearls, Alyssa Ashley’s Fizzy and Yves Rocher’s Vanilla Bourbon and Ltd. Ed. Green Summer 2009.
Hey welcome! I’m glad you decided to join in the fun.
At first I thought “I have nothing I would be embarassed to admit!” but then I remembered: my philosophy fragrances. I still love Amazing Grace and Inner Grace even though I feel like I’ve outgrown them. But the most embarassing is Falling in Love. I don’t even know why I like that fruity mess… but sometimes I do.
Amazing Grace is a nice light scent and Inner Grace is just a pale white musk, very pleasant; but Falling in Love is, I admit, a hot mess of sweet fruity whatEVer. And yet I go through phases. Especially in the winter.
Now I feel shame.
But it’s a kind of glorious (graceful?) shame. Revel in it!
I do enjoy it. But I generally don’t admit to it. I don’t want the cool kids to know!
Lemon Print –
Don’t feel shame!
Smelling like vanilla and blackberries with floral musk is delicious!
I have loved Philosophy too, Falling In love, Baby Grace( grape wipies) and Pure Grace( exaggerated soap and a shampoo)
Ahahaha 🙂
You’re not alone — I like Philosophy. I’ve used almost a whole bottle of Baby Grace!
I was never a fan of the “loves” but I did like the “graces” – esp. amazing grace. It garnered way more compliments than some of the things I sport around in now.
I’ve always liked Amazing Grace, even though I have never had the scent itself. But I love the lotion and body wash.
I’m a sucker for ‘clean’ and ‘green’ scents, and I love all the philosophy perfumes, but amazing grace and falling in love are my standard “go to” perfume when I don’t know what to wear. I view them as a favoriate pair of jeans – almost always perfect. I’ve gone thru several bottles of AG!
My other guilty fav is Sarah Jessica Parker’s Dawn (the blue bottle). It smells after shower fresh to me and reminds me of that smell of clean hair that’s been almost dried and then bound up in a clip or twist. When you finally let it down hours later, that clean fresh scent is released again.
Pedestrian – perhaps… but I still love them!
You should try TDC Osmanthus and DelRae Mythique, my new favourite “clean” scents. The above mentioned SA introduced me to them and they followed me home. I’ve been wanting some more ‘summery’ perfumes and these two are fabulous – light and pretty, never overpowering or challenging in any way. Angela reviewed Mythique and said that she could wear it in a room full of babies and not be out of place. I’ve been getting the same kinds of compliments when I wear those that I did with AG. Not, “What’s that perfume?” but rather, “You smell really good – is that perfume?”
Just seconding TDC Osmanthus as best clean scent – and it works year-round, which is unusual.
Oh no Julia, more praise for Mythique!
I can’t wait to try this for myself,
I wonder if it will ring true on me also???
I’m a sillage slut so I know M won’t be that but it will be nice to see if it holds my fancy as a ‘my skin but better scent’.
We’ll see! 😉
Drop me a line and I will send you a sample. It isn’t a sillage monster by any stretch of the imagination but it is really nice and people do notice it. I’m julia 941 on MUA and at yahoo.
I have and love a few celebrity perfumes, a good deal of Escada LEs and also some from Bath and Body Works. I just love the whole Harajuku Lovers line, keep a bottle of VS Rapture around since it was what I wore when I met my hubby and have worn on significant moments since (wedding, childbirth etc.) and don’t mind sharing with strangers if they ask since the more love a frag has, hopefully the less likely it will be to disappear.
Two guilty pleasures arrived via my mail today, in fact. Miss Dior Cherie and l’Instant EdP, which I like to wear when I don’t want to think about what I’m wearing and were part of an all around fabulous swap. I also own Angel, Obsession, Pink Sugar and a very expensive but not well liked Indult Manakara. I actually like lychee as a note, and while I am passionate about perfume and there are many $100+ frags I’d love to own, I try to remind myself whenever I feel a twinge of guilt over liking a Paris Hilton or Parfums de Coeur body spray that it all gets back to what I like and what smells good. If it isn’t liked by a particular critic, then that’s one more bottle for me. 🙂
I didn’t think the Harajuku Lovers were bad at all, and I loved the packaging.
I really think that BBW has been making an effort to improve their line.
too true Absolute—I’ll never have to worry about wrestling Luca Turin for the last bottle of SDV on the shelf! Ha!
I have no shame. I wear my faves with unabashed joy, always. 🙂
I’m with you Sunnyfunny.
I love them all. Stuff I wear that gets no love or respect on here is
Prada Tendre, Pucci Vivara, Kenzo Amour, Badgley Mishka Couture and Marc Jacobs.
Soooooo many dept. store scents I have had were love for me long before I got into niche and natural perfumery even though they haven’t held my interest so much lately.
These smell really good and still get my admiration.
Ones that are mentioned on here as gulity pleasures are alot of what my teen wears,( Fancy, M by Mariah Carey, Hilary duff with Love) so I have no desire to wear what she loves.
She one the other hand………………………….
I can’t keep her outta my stuff!
It gets irritating. 😛
Have a happy weekend all!
Kenzo Amour, really? I thought a lot of us here liked that one. I don’t have any yet but keep ogling those bottles.
Tama, well yeah ,
it only got a ‘meh’ review on here, but I for one love it.
It’s frangipani blossoms and incense are
soft and wafts around for hours.
It’s so good! Especially for comfort in the wintertime.
and yes the bottles are very cool! 🙂
Yes – isn’t Kenzo Amour the one with the ‘rice steam’ accord? Love that one.
Yes RD, it is and ” thanaka wood” what ever the hell that is!
Isn’t it great? And it lasts forever on your clothes and skin.
March over there @ PP is a fangirl too 🙂
Harajuku Lovers G is one of my guilty pleasures — I always feel a little silly saying I’m wearing it, but it reminds me of the beach in a very good way, and the bottle is too cute — and also some of the VS Pink scents, particularly one called “Soft & Dreamy”! It smells kind of marshmallowy.
I forgot about Body Shop White Musk. That’s another favorite guilty pleasure for me. And thanks for hosting, Aparatchik!
How can anybody not like BS White Musk?
Very easily. LOL. A co-worker used to wear it and I used to complain (in a light-hearted way, of course. I mean, I should be the last person to complain about a fragrance someone ELSE is wearing) all day. For some reason it just doesn’t appeal to me at all.
😉 I think I’m at least partially anosmic to musks and that one seems so light to me that I can’t imagine it carrying far enough to annoy anybody. My boss is hypersomic to musk and anything above laundry detergent on my clothes and she backs away covering her nose. I wish I was exaggerating.
I agree! That stuff just plain smells GOOD!
Another G fan here – it’s so fun and summery!
I bought a set of the Harajuku scents just for the bottles alone, I keep them along with some other similar toys/figurines. In the end, there wasn’t one fragrance I could wear with any regularity, but the fact that the bottles are so sweet makes up for it! I was going to give a couple away (the ones that I REALLY didn’t like the fragrance), but I couldn’t part with them!
The bottles really are cute, I love my G bottle!
I was annoyed that G was never any of the ones at Ross.
Guilty pleasures- fab topic! I would have to say California, CG Navy and Knowing. Do they still have musk by Alyssa Ashley in the US? I used to love that stuff. I too love Spellbound- sometimes I just want a big bomb of a fragrance! Also,I would totally buy an adult Love’s Baby Soft- the original is lovely,all powder and innocence and first slow dances with boys.
Must
Whoops! Must confess to having bought a bottle of Impulse spray in the heat the other day (£1 in Boots – how could I go wrong?). I chose the Musk and I was instantly in the cinema watching Dirty Dancing!
Dirty Dancing – good times!
“Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”
😉
Awww Patrick Swayze was so hot!
CG Navy was great! I had a sample of it and used it to douse myself before a dance in Jr. High. It was very smooth.
CG Navy was my first perfume, in 7th or 8th grade I think!! I should find some and revisit it.
We do have Alyssa Ashley musk in the States. I bought a bottle of the oil at CVS a couple of months ago. They also carry the spray EdT.
Tommy Girl. The first time I smelled it was on my sophomore English teacher and I had. to. have. it. Compared to the eighties holdovers that most of the adults wore, it was a bright and beautiful breath of fresh air. Then “The Guide” came out and it’s the scent everyone seems to love to hate. Makes me rather sad, because I really think it’s pooh-poohed unfairly.
I’ve owned and liked Pink Sugar and Brit-Brit’s original Fantasy. I still have bottles of RL Notorious and Badgley Mischka. It’s good to have some fun and fruity scents to punctuate all of the sober, serious chypres I tend to wear.
I wore Tommy Girl too!
It smells just like iced lemon tea to me.
Moon_Grrl I tried Costes 2 and whatta you know – it smelled exactly like Tommy Girl to my nose.
Really? I may have to get my hands on some Costes 2!
Well to me it did, I put it on my wrist and smelled…..Tommy Girl!
It was not as powerhouse of course but yes, it seemed exactly the same formula, with a hefty price tag.
I just thought of another one: Angel.
I love Angel but didn’t mention it on my list because I don’t really feel guilty about loving it 😉
Now that is one I just cannot abide……on my skin it just turns rancid.
The chocolate is too much.
I love skank but the patch choco combo just did me in.
Props to anyone that can wear it though! 🙂
I can’t wear it either, the only thing I smell is overwhelming patchouli. Patch always smells eww on my skin.
Well it is already late her, patch smells mostly eww on me.
Ohhhh I love Angel-the berry/chocolate/patch combo just works with my chemistry.
I think Angel smells great. I got my mom hooked on it… and she actually put on a tiny spritz when we were on vacation at beach (in the heat and humidity) and I never would have guessed what she was wearing… it smelled so good.
I still love & wear Tommy Girl on steamy summer days as a femme cologne. I also spray my car seats with it / in rotation with some other inexpensive smell-goods. 🙂
I really like Chloe (I mean the modern version – I’ve never tried the original.)
I’ve never seen it mentioned or reviewed here, and I guess it’s pretty linear and not very complicated or daring … but I like it anyways 😉
I like it too.
Ah, yes! Thanks. I couldn’t come up with a guilty pleasure, but if the new Chloe is a guilty pleasure, well then – guilty!
Me too!
I am a guy and I just purchased two fragrances that I love, yet touted and made for women:
1) Bare Escentuals Bare Skin fragrance; it is very clean, fresh and herbaceous.
2) D.S. & Durga Pomelo Blossom fragrance; again, it is clean, fresh and juicy…a clean juicy not synthetic or cloying.
Both of these fragrances are absolutely perfect for Spring and Summer!
Hey Cologneluvr,
You are a guy I want to smell.
TAMARA,
I must say they blend nicely with my own body musk…and there is a hint of them on a t-shirt or other shirt the day after when putting in the hamper; just snuggle into the neck or the chest!
Oooooolahlah Cologneluvr! 😉
Smelling body musk mixed with day old scents on clothes is a indeed a guilty pleasure!
Hey TAMARA,
With your guilty pleasures, I bet you smell exquisite yourself!
Hey CL,
Thank you !
🙂
I think I do too<3
I don’t pay any attention to which side of the aisle perfumes are on anymore. One of my favorite ambers (Amber Precieux) is a men’s perfume and smells just fine on me.
Thanks for the mini-review of the Durga Pomelo Blossom – I’ve been wondering about that one.
I adore Amber Precieux. I don’t know what the notes are but I get more vanilla in the drydown than I expected.
Ooh, I want Bare Skin! I tested it in Sephora once and loved it. Have you tried any of the other BE scents? I think there might be one or two new ones.
I’ve tested all three of them – and, while I didn’t buy it, the first one was by far the best. The Malibu one was just meh and the new Golden Whatever smelled very chemical to me. The first one, I probably would have bought if a. I didn’t have other similarly spicy perfumes and b. if it wasn’t so linear on me.
Of course, if you really like the opening and want it to smell the same all the way through – it would be great. In face, I wish that Cristalle Eau Verte was that linear – I love the first 5 minutes.
I’m not easily embarrassed by perfume and tend to believe you should wear whatever smells good.
However, many might not guess I own a huge bottle of Acqua di Gio — which I’ve had since pre-perfumania days. I don’t wear it often though.
I also have Azzaro Chrome, which I barely touch, though it’s got a nostalgia factor for me — reminds me of many summers spent working with European students in the 90s.
I know this has as many fans as haters, but I’ve been planning a purchase of Clinique Aromatics Elixir since last December. I really want a small bottle.
Get it dear Joe. 🙂
I used to have a miniature of Aromatics Elixir (pretty sure I got it as part of those gift with purchase goodie bags that Clinique regularly do) and I really enjoyed it. I thought it made a great ‘sweater frag’ in the winter.
Aromatics does indeed get a huge amount of hate. I’ve read some ‘reviews’ on fragrance forums that are almost offensive enough to be reported. But I go on wearing it! Mine is a mini I got on eBay. Even with international postage it cost less than a sandwich and a cup of coffee. So go for it!
I don’t know why it gets so many negative reviews – it’s a fantastic scent. Maybe because people are dousing themselves with it? I can see it being too much if that were the case.
Yes, one spritz is certainly enough for me.
It’s funny… even the (very young) Clinique SA who got me to try it warned, “It’s stinky, but guys always seem to like it.” The SA actually used the exact words, “It’s stinky.”
I purchased a small bottle at Ulta a while back and the SA said I was the first person she had seen buy that. Same with Youth Dew. I find them very similar in terms of complexity and the fact that so many people seem to hate them.
I believe JC Ellena mentioned Aromatics Elixir as one he’d always liked when asked about his favorite perfumes in an article I read. I still haven’t tried it on myself, though I’ve smelled it on others!
Chandler Burr wrote a lovely piece on Aromatics Elixir-I do love it applied sparingly, and about one hour in it’s perfection.
Joe – those guilty pleasures pale in comparison to the idea of you dancing around in Hello Kitty! 😀
Yay… I won a used set of a mini of AE and a mini of Wrappings earlier this morning. I’ll have ~3ml of each, which will be just enough to satisfy the craving.
Congrats! I still haven’t tried Wrappings.
Nor have I, and I figure there’s no harm in spending <$6 for a little bit. Love cheap thrills… I just need to control myself to keep them from adding up. Multiple unloved mini purchases end up being a bad value in the end, but I know for sure at least that I want the AE.
Hi Tama-
I have a big bottle of Wrappings, I’d be happy to make a sample for you. It is one of those big loves for me.
Unfortunately, Clinique only releases it around the holidays in a gift set-I hope they keep it around!!
Have, love and use AE bath gel. Great fragrance in that form.
I’d love a dab! Thanks!
Aromatics Elixir is one of the fragrances I got interested in because of PTG. I love it. I have to use it sparingly though, it is quite strong. Chandler Burr’s review of it I found quite helpful. I have never smelled Wrappings but it is on my to sample list.
Hi AustenFan-I’d be happy to send some Wrappings your way, you can email me at ldetrich at yahoo dot com. If there are any add’l you’d like to try, just let me know, my list is on Makeup Alley, under SFLizbeth.
I love Lilly Pulitzer’s Beachy and Squeeze, as well as Marc Jacob’s Amber, and Gloria Vanderbilt’s Gloria Body Spray 🙂 Top that! mmmwhahahahahahaha
TeeHee!
Well I if I could get a hold of Avon’s Natori I would clear a room happily with it. I never even knew what it was supposed to smell like (the notes) but it always was sooo good on me..
I was sad when they discontunued it. 🙁
OH OH OH OH OH!!! I freakin’ LOVED Natori! I got more compliments wearing that than anything else. I wish I had stocked up when Avon still carried it.
Ok, just looked, and there are several bottles for sale on evilbay. Now I really wish I’d hoarded some bottles of it– look what it goes for! I think I bought mine in a buy one for $14.99, get one free sale. 🙂
Some aren’t that pricey. What was it like? I wonder how it’s aged.
Joe-
I too wonder if it would be the same wonderful stuff it used to be,
A scorned Natori would not be pretty!
Joe in answer to your question “what was it like?’
I have no idea how to answer that.
I’ve never come across anything like it since-
it was strong, it had aldehydes I’m sure, but was still dusky.
It had spicy woody notes and also fruity musks.
Miss Kitty V, elaborate please!
Thank you NOZKOZ!
I’ve been really good, another week has passed…thumbs up, back -slap, high-fives! 🙂
I don’t feel the urge to try evilbay, I know better and YES I’m looking forward to my beloved Tauer’s , I really cannot wait.
I’m getting my $$ worth I think cause URC lasts so long and I am betting URV will also, although I don’t have scent eating skin so that helps. I hope the rose raspberry combo is as delicious as it sounds with a vanilla -tonka drydown. YUMMY.
Why are gourmand roses so addictive?
<3 T
Miss Kitty V-
whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?????????!!!!!!
Another Natori fan and you found it????????!!
I know exactly what you mean,
I would get noticed and complimented on it too!
What WAS in that damn jus anyways?
I’m ashamed to admit but I’m kinda sceeered of evilbay,
plus I hate to get outbid, outlast, OUTWIT on EB.
(cue the Survivor theme song)
Boy ooooh I want some too. 🙁
You can always look for a Buy It Now item–that way you don’t worry about getting outbid. I was a little leery of eBay as well, and I will not buy anything there I can buy in a local department store, but for vintage scents, it is a very good resource. I have purchased several vintage frags from eBay, and have not had any problems yet.
Tamara, I have to warn you that evilbay can be a bit addictive. It is definitely worth saving for your Tauers first and strengthening those discipline muscles before stepping though those fateful sign-in portals. Also worth learning how to snipe (just google “auction snipe”) to avoid unduly bidding up something that you want. Just speaking with the wisdom of hindsight, here, of course, this being confession week-end. 😉
I adore the new Natori Edp in that purple Venus of Willendorf bottle!
Does the old Natori smell anything like the new version ??
I was gonna ask YOU the same question Daisy.
Weird.
I seriously doubt that the Avon Natori and the Natori edp are the same – that would be a pretty good fast one that they pulled if it were though. That would be a heck of a mark up for a former Avon scent.
almost the same exact name…both purple bottles…but with such an extreme price difference you’d hope there’d be something good going on to account for the price.
Oh, that new Natori definitely wasn’t meant to have anything to do with the Avon product, except for the relationship with the lingerie designer with that name. I think that all got exposed on the threads when it was being launched.
No, they smell nothing alike. I would guess that the Avon version had muguet in it somewhere, but don’t see it listed. I may be confusing the freesia for something else. And yes, there’s some sort of musk and maybe sandalwood. I would say it’s sort of light and clean, without being too clean, if that makes any sense. If I bring myself to buy a bottle, I’ll share it with y’all.
Oh I loved the Amber, Violet, and Ivy splashes (those were the three in that series, right?)
That was before I was really into perfume so maybe my opinions have changed, but I really wanted them at the time.
Lovethescents!!! How the heck are you?? 😀
Sunnyfunny, I’m huuuuuuuuge! And happy 🙂
Not long now, right?…..when are you due?
End of October, but with all this lifting and running around after our toddler…..who knows!!
the heat must be killing you! Ahg! I was pregnant during one of these really unusually hot, humid summers too. Very uncomfortable! I hope you’re able to be in air conditioned places!
Beachy is great! I bought it unsniffed at Marshalls and was perfectly happy. I do wish it was warm enough to wear it. :-p
I’m embarrassed that I adore some of the Kilian’s so much. Everyone makes fun of the pretentious packaging, and I sometimes wonder if my snobbish nose has been tricked by the high price. But I love BK’s light, dry approach to extravagant notes like tuberose and oud, already own Beyond Love, and it’s only a matter of time before I succumb to Pure Oud (I hope they add it to the travel line SOON!).
In contrast, a CHEAP guilty pleasure is Basile. This used to be advertised in Architectural Digest in the 1980-90s, and the bottle even has plastic eighties-deco shoulder pads, LOL. Now it’s showing up on ebay (as “Italian Designer Perfume”) for less than two dollars (plus shipping). Basile a classic spicy oriental, somewhere on the axis between Youth Dew and Karl Lagerfeld’s KL, very smooth and luxurious – and another one I only dare to wear at home.
Shoulder pads! I love it.
I always like a good spicy oriental scent, so for two bucks and a bottle with shoulder pads, I think I’ll go over to e*bay and check it out.
Hey! I remember the ads and the bottle, but never have tried it. Thanks for the briefing. I loved KL in the day. Scared to go back “there”, in case it has changed…
I know what you mean. Often vintage works out, but not always.
Last year, a non-perfumista friend of mine mentioned having loved KL long ago and wishing it were still around. I found a mini of the parfum on *bay and gave it to her for Christmas– she said it still smells as she remembered and she still loves it!
Don’t be embarrassed by the Kilians! I tend to not smell them, because they are so expensive, but I will own Back to Black someday, and will try the others as I get brave. They smell great, I think we just get ticked off at the price tag for what is really just the bottle. That’s why we get travel spray refills. Heh.
Sigh – Back to Black is also VERY tempting.
Nozkoz ,
Not to thwart your plans to get BTB because it is really good but I’m telling you, please try Keiko Mecheri’s Loukham Parfum du Soir, the one in the little dark bottle. When I smelled it I went “Oh my!!! It smells just like Back to Black!” Hmmmmmm, maybe I can buy that instead then. Then I tried a side to side and yup, of course maybe a lil’ more cherry tobacco in BTB although I’m serious, it’s that similar to me, but of course thats only IMHO.
But to save some $$ why not?
Unless your sold on the bottle too.
Just puttin’ it out there 😉
Thanks for the tip, Tamara – I’ll sample that Keiko before I take a lemming leap off the BK cliff!
Ooh… I’m going to try that Keiko for sure now. I got sucked in to the Kilians by B2B, too and bought the travel refills. My favorite part is the cherry tobacco though – so I might still like B2B more, but it never hurts to have a cheaper alternative.
unless you’re lemming the fancy presentation — the refill bottles are a much better value. And there’s the added benefit that perfume is well protected from the vagaries of time and light exposure in those aluminum cans!
plus if you sign up with Saks online they’ll send you a 10% off your next purchase coupon. Every little bit helps , especially when you’re talking by Kilian!
Wow NozKoz, IF you take the leap,
Daisy’s waving at you from the ground! 🙂
Aha , no really smell KM and lemme know – I’m curious now if I’m the only one that smells it’s similarity.
But Daisy has a point , I would get the travel refills for sure if I was going to get BTB.
waving, smiling…cheering even. I’m a big believer in calculating the presentation with the best price per ml and just splitting off the extra amount if necessary….I appreciate pretty bottles, but very seldom can a pretty bottle convince me to pay any more than absolutely necessary.
Ha, ha – you’re right, Tamara – I think I see Daisy and her daughter running back and forth with one of those nets like firemen used to have for people jumping off buildings in the Charlie Chaplin or Keystone Cops movies. 🙂
I received a bottle of B2B for Chanukah which is very pretty and I love the little box, but really, it isn’t worth it. I also have the collection of travel sizes that comes with only ONE sprayer for all the bottles which just offends me. The travel sets and the aluminium refill bottles are the way to go.
Tama – I just sent you an email.
I agree, I didn’t take the Kilians seriously for awhile because both presentation and advertising were so pretentious, but I’ve tried them on now and then at Saks and so far succumbed to buying two of them, which I love: Cruel Intentions and A Taste of Heaven. The SA at Saks gave me a lot of nice-sized sample bottles and now I’m hooked, of all things, on the one with rum (rum?) in it, Straight to Heaven, and I see some of that in my future. Alas!
Taste of Heaven is also wonderful! If I didn’t already have Nicolai pour Homme, which is a similar lavender, I think, I’d be lemming that one, too. BK does have HUGE samples – their exploration set is a good deal. I’ll be in seventh heaven if they ever do an exploration set of the oud series.
I like Gaultier’s Madame. (Typically I like things like leather, black tea, pepper, etc)
I don’t own it, but I wouldn’t mind having a mini bottle.
Have you read Robin’s review of Madame?
MaDame makes me giggle – what more do you need? I like it.
Jean Nate’ splash. Love’s Lemon. Tova (original, not reformulated). And, the # 1 fragrance I keep but would never admit to still wearing on occasion: Sweet Honesty by Avon. There are more skeletons in my frag closet but that’s all I’m fessin up to today!
Great guilty pleasures! And classics, too. Who doesn’t remember having Jean Nate or Sweet Honesty around at some point?
I loved loved loved Tova Nights! Does she even still make that one? Why did I purge out my perfumes before I found NST and would have learned to give them a minute if I thought they had turned?
I just bought a bottle of Avons new Aromadisiac…nice!
VS Secret 55 was my fav for a long long time…
Do tell about Aromadisiac. My coworker who sells Avon says it smells great, but I’ve never tried it.
Currently, I don’t think I have anything I would be ashamed to admit owning. I sure had plenty of terrible stuff when I was younger (Samba and Exclamation, anyone?) and still have a bottle of Light Blue from my pre-perfumista days. Others that may be seen as not-so-sophisticated are Ed Hardy Love & Luck (one of my absolute favorites!), J Lo Deseo, CSP Vanille Coco, and various BBW body sprays.
Exclamation – I’d forgotten about that one. I had a bottle at one time – who could forget that bottle!
i must plead guilty to (unexpectedly) loving marc jacobs’ “lola”! i received it from someone who traveled abroad and the first time i tried it i thought “weird, undefined synthetic shampooey mess”! but a couple of days later i decided to give it another try (as i was stuck with it) and i was surprised to find i liked it just a bit more…then, the third time was the charm: “lola” on my skin is a warm, creamy, spicy pear with a musky vanilla drydown that lasts all day! and i don’t know why – my usual style isn’t “fruity oriental” – but it makes me happy and i find myself wearing it frequently in these cold winter days (i’m in argentina)…it’s a comfort scent, in a way, and i never would have given it a second chance if i had just tried it once at a perfume shop! and i have to add i don’t even like the (slightly inconvenient) flacon much because, having a feisty siamese cat at home, the big, colorful flower stopper makes it a prospective target/toy, so i have to keep it in the box…oh, well! 🙂
loved reading everyone’s fragrant guilty pleasures!
We have a saying in our house: Everything is a cat toy. Even perfume bottles. I haven’t tried Lola, but you make me want to. Lola sounds like a fun comfort scent.
I have cats as well, and I am convinced that in a cat’s mind, objects fall into the following categories: (1) things to eat; (2) things to sleep on; (3) things to play with; (4) things to chew on; and (5) things that have no reason to exist.
My cats main category is “things that can be knocked off the shelf with one paw swipe so I can watch them fall”.
The Cat’s Rule of Interior Decoration: Everything belongs on the floor.
Exactly! lol
Tama, this is hilarious. Just as I was reading this my cat was knocking a bunch of candles, some coasters, and a phone off the coffee table. My niece and nephew were laughing about it, and I had to read them what you wrote. 🙂
A favorite category of my two cats is ‘Things to scratch’. And they don’t discriminate between upholstered furniture and the tops of solid wood furniture!
You forgot the important category of ‘things I need to pee on’. I have on who is particularly fond of that category.
While I’m here I may as well say I love Allure, ‘grim floral’ it may be, but I still love it. It was my first grown-up perfume, so that probably makes me incapable of making a balanced assessment.
Oh, my cats have this category also, unfortunately! The funniest thing was one time when I was trying a sample decant of Musc Ravageur, and spilled some. One cat almost immediately came over to pee on that very spot–it obviously had some kind of potent stuff in it!
I had a sample of Allure that I really loved, as well.
50_Roses,
Does “People to ignore” fall under category number 5?? My Smokey is a pro in ignoring people, and rearranging items on desk/dresser tops….
don’t forget the “things I must insistently and loudly demand, only to subsequently reject” catagory…..my cats put a lot of effort into this one.
My cats include the entire universe in “Things to Shed on.” There are two major subcategories: light-colored things for Korrigan the tortie and Dion the tabby to shed on and dark-colored things for Nikki the Siamese mix and Mitsouko the mostly-white Maine coon to shed on.
Skin Musk.
I used to wear this all the time from my very early teens on up to my twenties. As I got older, I found more interesting things to wear, of course, but I had trouble letting Skin Musk go. Kind of like the scent equivalent to a baby blanket, I guess. The adult version? EL Sensuous. After I started wearing Sensuous, I realized it gave me the same sort of feeling that Skin Musk did, one of security.
Today I tried a whole slew of Guerlain, and so far, the clear winner has been Attrape Coeur. It reminds me of something I’ve smelled before, but I can’t put my finger on it.
Others tried and enjoyed: Mahora, Apres L’Ondree, Samsara (my first time!), Jicky (not what I was expecting, but good). Revisited: L’Heure Bleue (used to wear frequently in my early 20s), and the one that did NOT make the grade was Mitsouko.
I have so much catching up to do scent-wise, so it was nice to finally get to some of these Guerlains.
“Equivalent to a baby blanket” is a great description.
Attrape Coeur is winning me over, as well. It’s lovely.
So what is the story on Attrape-Coeur? I keep reading that it has been discontinued, but NM had it in stock when I was there two months ago and the SA insisted it was still in production. I had read reviews of it, but had never actually encountered it anywhere. I tested it, fell in love immediately, and bought a bottle on the spot. I was afraid that it might actually be the last bottle available in North America and that if I didn’t buy it right then I would be sorry. It is lovely, and I do not think I will regret the purchase.
Well, I hope someone knows, because the SA at NM made a sample of it. If it’s going away, I need to know!
Darnitalltohell! I was *just* thinking Attrape Coeur could be FB worthy, now the panic sets in to buy a bottle while I can. If a fragrance is discontinued that I like, it’s sad, but if my little sample vial is dwindling down and I haven’t even had a chance to try a FB before it disappears, then it just fills me with sadness and disgust.
The Guerlain counter manager for BG in NYC told me that Attrape Coeur is no longer in production. So If you want some and you see it somewhere—very seriously consider latching on to it with both hands and make a dash for the register.
Daisy,
W t F !
Say it ain’t so……………………:(
The SA at your NM made up a sample for you?! The SA at my NM wouldn’t give me samples of anything–and this was after I had already paid for my bottle of A-C ($225 + tax). You would think that a $200+ purchase would entitle a perfumista to a sample or two.
The SA had made a couple of samples up and I wound up with them somehow. I did buy Apres l’Ondee.
I might add, if it is any help to anyone looking for some Attrape-Coeur, that I bought mine at the Neiman Marcus in the Houston Galleria. That was on May 31, and I have no idea if they still have any more of it–for all I know, I may have gotten the very last bottle. If you are in the Houston area, however, you many want to check it out.
Hi, 50 Roses, I’m in Houston too! Just wanted to say hello.
Oh gosh A/C, a desert island frag…to me its not a million miles from Mitsouko, but done with a sort of rosy violet feel or something. I find it also reminiscent of 31 Rue Cambon. If I ever get through my 125mls of A/C and couldn’t find it again, I could probably still the pain with 31, or maybe the Enlevenment one from MDCI.
This reminds me of another guilty pleasure, sample binge-ing!!
I’ve had several “sample binges” lately (nicely put, btw). I’m just not wise enough to know when I’ve reached my legal limit.
yeah, well….the BANK will let you know……uh-oh!
I’m actually more worried about my nose going into overdrive! How will I know if the building is burning??
Oh, yeah.
*sizzle*
Creed Love in White, which LT describes this way:
“If this were a shampoo offered with your first shower after sleeping rough for two months in Nouakchott, you’d opt to keep the lice.”
Many Basenotes and Posse posters aren’t much more charitable.
But I’ve learned to enjoy wearing it despite it’s ugly duckling status. I wear it to bed and revel in it’s lack of popularity 😉
LT really “calls ’em as they sees ’em” don’t they?
Love in White gets a good amount of love on MUA. I often see it recommended there.
I adore Love in White! Where it proud and loud!
Let’s see. I have an incredible, and I mean incredible, Bath and Body works catalog. My favorites include Brown Sugar and Fig, Butterfly Flower, Rainkissed Leaves, PS I Love You and pretty much the whole aromatherapy line. I swear to God, though, I think PSILY was one of the best releases of 2009.
A few Avons, including Rare Pearls and Imari. And I have one of their Mark fragrances too… Pink Hollywood or something? It’s a crazy fruity floral, but it reminds of significant times in my life.
Gucci Flora I see everywhere generally reviled, but I happen to love it.
I don’t even know if this is ‘guilty,’ exactly, but I love Oscar by Oscar de la Renta. It was my first ‘adult’ perfume and my signature fragrance for many years. I was the only high schooler wearing it, I bet! I dated a guy once who told me his grandmother wore it. Although I recently sprayed it in store and it smells different than my beloved bottle at home. I don’t know if mine is spoiled and I just like it spoiled, or if they’ve reformulated. It seems lighter, more citrusy.
I’m crazy about some of the obscure Estee Lauders – I know Private Collection and a few others get mad perfumista love, and I do love PC, but I also like Tuscany Per Donna.
I also looooooove Harajuku Lovers Baby, which many thought was the worst of the bunch. I like smelling like baby powder – a total comfort scent. The HL line seems to be a common guilty pleasure.
Let’s see what else. I have a bottle of the new Jessica Simpson Fancy Nights, and I really like it. I can’t wait to see the review.
I’m also kind of obsessed with Dolce and Gabbana The One. I at least have the taste to revile Rose the One, but I really like the original.
Oh and here’s the kicker: My favorite Juicy Couture scent is Couture Couture. I am insane about it. It just might be my next perfume purchase. It dries down so amazingly on me. I don’t know if it’s my body chemistry, but it smells smokey on me. REALLY. Like smokey grapes. It is soooooo good. Can’t wait for their new one this fall. Had the chance to smell it at Macy’s fragrance training and thought it was great.
Smokey grapes? Now there’s something I’ve never smelled! 😉
Thank you for joining me in the BBW/Avon love.
mmmmm….Tuscany per Donna is lovely! I have a bottle somewhere, way in the back….it must be about 15 years old, I fear the topnotes may be a bit compromised by now but the dry down is great!
I like several of the scented oils by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, especially the ones based on Neil Gaiman’s stuff. The “Good Omens” series is my favourite and I highly recommend the book, too. I highly recommend anything by Neil Gaiman and, as I have come to terms with my inner comic book geek, I am not even going to say anything defensive like “they’re GRAPHIC NOVELS!!
I love Gaiman, even though I have only read a couple of the novel novels. He is so imaginative. I need to do a BPAL sample order soon – it’s so hard to pick, though.
Julia, I love Neil Gaiman and graphic novels! Have been planning to try BPAL, too.
I’ve only tried a few BPALs from the Alice in Wonderland series. If oils worked for me, they’d be nice… but they don’t.
Oh, please– I have a subscription box at my local comic book store! There is no shame here! You’re among family! (Even if it is just the two of us…)
lol – I finally went to pick up my stash at the comic store the other day and left $100 poorer. It’s definitely less painful when I don’t wait a month or so before picking up my stuff.
Sometimes I’m not sure which is going to send me to the poorhouse first – my comic addiction or my ‘fume mania.
I love Neil Gaiman – Good Omens is awesome; I like to read it at least once a year.
Cynthia, I once waited six months to pick up my comics. I think I even got an email from the store. I bought them a big box of Moonstuck chocolates this year, with a card that said, “From your worst… customer… EVER!”
Heh, heh. I need to go pick up the stuff in my box and I’m afraid it will equal that bottle of Cuir de Russie I want so badly. My friend warned me to “stay off the ink” but I didn’t listen.
I have tons of BPAL “imps” if you want to try a few. I’m julia941 at yahoo and on MUA.
“Stay off the ink!”– what a hoot. As effective as telling one of us to “stay off the ‘fumes!”
My only saving grace is that I don’t buy variant covers – I just pick my favorite cover and buy one copy. There’s a guy at my shop that collects the same books I do, but with variants, and his total is always 2 – 3 times higher than mine.
I’m not subscribing to anything right now but I have succumbed to the lure of a variant cover a few times.
CynthiaW-Have you heard of the comic “I feel sick”? I never got into comics until a friend gifted me a few years back…..
I still love my Amazing Grace. It was my signature scent for quite awhile and I still wear it when I need something easy and inoffensive. Despite the bashing it get on the boards I love my David Yurman and hoard the last of my decant (because I’d be embarrassed to be seen buying a bottle). I haunt eBay looking for a bottle of Avon Come Summer that looks like it’s been stored properly. Bought the reissue years ago but it didn’t smell the same. Biggest guilty pleasure? Nina in the super cute red apple bottle!! Too cute, too young, too sweet but I have the lotion and the bath gel too!
Another embarrassing admission? I am apparently incapable of hitting “return” when posting from my phone!
It is a very cute bottle, isn’t it?
Ah, guilty pleasures. Most of the frags I like are guilty pleasures.
*Benefit Maybe Baby
*D&G Light Blue
*Narciso Rodriguez for Her
*Monyette Paris, to name a few. I DON’T wear Ralph Lauren Romance anymore, the shame was just too great. *whimpers* But I’ve found lots of lovely, chic frags to replace it.
I’ve never smelled Monyette Paris but it seems to get a lot of love over on MUA so at least you’re not alone!
I wouldn’t consider Monyette Paris as a guilty pleasure at all – I have always heard of it as a “cult favorite”! I love pretty much anything tropical, so that one is a winner for me.
RL Romance is still so good, everytime I smell it I remember my 20’s, it made me feel grown up.
Nothing to be ashamed about really!
Your tastes have just evolved and changed.
L’Interdit – the 2002 iteration that has been universally reviled. This really is low isn’t it? Loving a reformulated classic.
Of course I understand the horror of seeing a long-term classic fragrance messed with. But I’ve never smelled the 1957 or the 2007 versions and to me 2002 L’Interdit is carefree, airy and elegant. A white cotton shirt fragrance, but with enough in the base to give it structure and interest. (Yes, I get the ‘shampoo’ effect, thanks.)
And I LIKE the fact that it came out in a bottle styled after the 1957 version. The 2007 bottle is one of those nasty, cold frosted bottles Givenchy used for its ‘Mythiques’ series that does no service to any of its classics.
Anyway, I am resolved that seeking out the 1957 and 2007 edition would spoil my fun. Seeing as the 2002 gets so much hate, it will be own private L’Interdit – ‘forbidden’ – fragrance!
Okay, I’m done.
Adding: sorry for the rant!
Perhaps my attitude to L’Interdit would hold up better if I actually DID seek out the vintage and the 2007, for a comparison. But that would be to admit that I am a total perfume nerd … !
I feel that way about Vent Vert. It seems that no one likes the current version except me. And perhaps I wouldn’t like it either if I had known the original version, but I don’t. So I’ve decided to be pleased with the current version and no try the vintage.
That’s funny, I have the new VV but didn’t care for it and put it away. I’ll get it out for another sniff. My daughter likes it – odd for a 7 year-old!
She is especially fond of noting that the bottle looks like its got celery growing out the top.
I should try the current Vent Vert for kicks, but Iove the vintage. The cap of Cabotine looks like it’s a cousin of the VV cap.
Some of these reformulations are really just new perfumes, another example being Chloe. While the companies should be ashamed of such false advertising, there’s no shame in considering the new scent in its own right.
Exactly! I’ve said that all along about the newest version of Mitsouko – it’s fine, better than fine really, but it should have been renamed and have stood on its own merit. Guerlain did the scent a great disservice by forcing the scent to be compared to the original.
Yes, it was rather naughty of Givenchy to call the 2002 iteration ‘L’Interdit’. Many people have said that it is just not the same perfume.
Let’s see–Love’s Baby Soft–I already mentioned this above. I would never wear it out in public anymore–let’s face it, it smells way too young for a 40+ woman–but sometimes I privately enjoy a little of its soft, powdery, comfort.
Coty Wild Musk–I don’t know if I have seen anyone mention Wild Musk here, but I really like it. I may be slightly anosmic to musks, as I don’t find them overwhelming as some seem to. To me they are just soft, warm, and comforting.
Myrurgia Maja–this is one of my go-to scents when I don’t know what to wear. It is certainly not a Grand Perfume or an olfactory masterpiece–it just smells good.
Alexandra–I don’t know if this is exactly a guilty pleasure, but I don’t think I have ever seen it mentioned here one way or another. It is actually one of the few perfumes on which I have received a compliment from someone other than my husband. One of my male coworkers asked me what perfume I was wearing–he wanted to know the name so he could buy it for his wife. I don’t see it in the department stores anymore. The only place I know to get it is online.
Love’s Baby Soft just has so many good memories for me that it’s a pleasure to wear it now and then. But like you, I wear it in private.
I like JM Tuberose which was given a pithy put down on another blog recently. Also love EL Azuree which I gather is not everyone’s cup of tea. And my Arpege which I also love is non vintage, vintage being somewhat hard to get here. Ah well. Vive la difference!
I just tried EL Azuree for the first time last night and loved it!
It reminds me of a gentler Bandit, much more wearable but still has a bite, instead of a total throwdown. 🙂
Glad you liked the Azuree T! I really like it too.
Yes thank you sweet pea<3
Heh, I suppose my guiltiest pleasure is still a smear of headshop patchouli oil! Its so rich and multi-faceted, with its camphor/compost sort of thing happening. I have no bad associations at all with it. I wonder at some patchouli frags where its sort of cleaned up and smells almost synthetic.
I was surprised in having a sniff-off between Borneo and Coromandel recently, in really loving the Chanel because it had the earthy funky hippy hit instead of the smothered sort of feel that B had. I expected it to be the other way around…
mmmmmmm Coromandel…….
I love true patchouli! I pull a bit out now and again.
Heheheheheee – I have seriously thought about adding some patchouli essential oil to my decant of Coromandel.
That could be a disaster! I would just layer it on skin.
Coromandel was love at first sniff for me!! I’m glad it comes in a vat because I need that much. If I lived in Barbie’s dream house I would install a bottle of it as a shower. The other bathrooms will have hot and cold running Bois des Iles and Cuir de Russie.
If I had more sunny windowsills unoccupied by cats I’d have a patchouli plant.
Britney Spears’ Curious. it’s light and pretty… not exactly masculine, but I enjoy it! Apart from that, some of my favourites have already been mentioned here as guilty pleasures, but I wear them with pride! 🙂
The best way to wear them!
Well, my one-star favorite is LeLabo Rose 31 (“no rose”) but I would hardly call that a “guilty” pleasure.
However, Britney’s Midnight Fantasy is definitely one I turn to often, plus Vanilla Fields, some Avons, and a couple of things off HSN – Caribbean Vanilla Mango and CV Coffee. I also have a pretty long history with Givenchy and wear Organza, Ange ou Demon, Organza Indecence, and Amarige. Ange ou Demon is a one-star, and probably deservedly so – it smells like they dumped all their leftovers into one vat and called it a day. But since eveyrthing that they make smells good on me (except for the Irresistables), it works.
Hey T,
I happened upon a 5ml Organza Parfum at a junk shop for a few bucks a few months back. Email me if you want me to send it your way!
xxoo
ooo – will do!
Organza Indecence is delicious, guilty or not, it is a real pleasure for sure.
Wow, what a great topic! Looks like I’m a bit late to jump in here, so my picks will probably be repeats of some already listed, but here goes…Love’s Baby Soft for sure (although it did win “best inexpensive/drugstore fragrance” several years running in the Allure reader’s poll, so it must still have a lot of fans!), Avon’s Soft Musk (in my opinion, a remarkably sophisticated, quality musk for $9.99!), good ol’ patchouli oil from the hippie store in my neighborhood (despite its association with unwashed Grateful Dead fans and the like, a few small drops of patchouli oil = warm, comforting, earthy deliciousness to me. The Spiritual Sky brand makes a really good one). I’m going to also say Poison, even though it’s by Dior and I think it’s a fabulous fragrance – but sometimes I think I’m the only person left in the world who feels that way! It just seems so universally reviled these days…maybe just because people wore so damned much in the 80’s, But since I was too young in the 80’s to have any bad associations with it, I think it’s amazing…a little Poison on a cold winter night seems glamorous, decadent and mysterious to me. (Too bad you can only find the EDT these days – I had a small vial of the “Esprit de Parfum” once and it was even better!) Oh, definitely Tabu, Jean Nate, and Florida Water…though these seem sort of more respected in their way. It’s more just that they have such a cheap price tag…but people seem to see them as “cheap and chic classics”, I think. Hmmm…there are more, but I guess that’s enough for now. Such fun reading everyone’s responses! 🙂
Oh, two more I have to mention…neither one is actually made anymore, so I don’t know if they count, but….Avon used to make a fragrance called Willow, that I remember my aunt having when I was about 10 years old, and Victoria’s Secret had a scent called Tranquil Breezes that was part of their “Garden” collection. Both smelled like fresh spring air in a bottle, in the best possible sense, not at all like so many generically “fresh” fragrances today. Occasionally I see Tranquil Breezes on Ebay to the tune of about $200 a bottle (oh that I had kept all those bottles that I paid around $15 for when I was in high school! When I think of what they’d go for now, my head spins with visions of all the Guerlain pure parfums I could buy! Isn’t it amazing how instantly in-demand something becomes once it’s discontinued? But I’m getting off-topic…) Willow I *never” see, and I’ve looked high and low. Well, once I did find a website with one bottle of body lotion that looked like it was probably quite rancid. Ah, memories….
Tranquil Breezes? I remember that one. $200 a bottle???
Oh, I had many bottles of Tranquil Breezes back in high school myself, as well as pretty much every other VS lotion. That was probably my favorite at that time – Sparkling Cassis was good as well.
Thanks for mentioning Poison – you make it sound yummy. I do have bad 80s associations with it but perfumista consensus seems to be that it is a good fragrance so I will give it another try. I wonder if all those daring women who wore it in the 80s (or they seemed daring to me, anyhow) are still wearing it? What do you move on to after Poison?
I remember Soft Musk too. It was too, well, musky for me, but looking back, it was a good fragrance.
I was a Poison girl in the 80’s. I fell absolutely in love with it from a scent strip in a magazine (!) and bought it. I had to get it by mail order because it was exclusive to Bloomingdales at that time and the nearest Bloomies was about 100 miles away. The funniest part was when they sent me a postcard to let me know that my order was on the way and my roommate’s boyfriend saw it–he asked her, with great concern, “Did you know your roommate ordered some POISON?” She had to explain that it was a perfume!
I loved Poison, and it was practically my signature scent for several years, but I stopped wearing it sometime in the early 90’s. Recently, I sprayed a little on my wrist to see if I still liked it–I do not!. I do not know if my bottle has turned or if it is just me, but it is too sweet, too cloying, too strong, and definitely not something I want to wear. I will keep the bottle, for nostalgia’s sake, but will probably never wear it again. To give you an idea of what my current tastes are, my recent acquisitions include Attrape-Coeur, Aimez-Moi, Bois de Violette, Ormonde Woman, and vintage bottles of Chanel no. 5 extrait and Arpege.
Ha! I remember how funny it was that some people took the name of the perfume so literally! I remember Poison as a young woman’s fragrance. I wonder if it is popular with young women now?
I envy you that vintage Arpege …
Annemarie, there is always vintage Arpege on ebay – I guess because it was so popular back in the day (“Promise her anything but give her Arpege”). Consequently, and it’s one of the most reasonably priced vintage scents. It CAN be yours!
Yes, I think I only paid $25 for a 2.5 oz. EdT spray. There was some evaporation, but it smells wonderful. I also have some vintage extrait that belonged to my grandmother. Arpege was very popular back in the days when most women saved their fine fragrance for special occasions. As a result, almost every woman had a bottle of Chanel no. 5 or Arpege or whatever, but very often the bottles didn’t get used much.
Thanks for the comments about vinatge Arpege. I did do an ebay search and there does seem to be plenty of choice.
I have entirely too many BBW sprays. Anytime I walk past my local store I feel the lure like a cat when it catches the whiff of a can of sardines opening. Everytime there is a launch of a new scent I have to have it. Sickness I tell you.
I finally purged some of my BBW collection, but I still have quite a few. I had the cat/sardine reaction to them for a long time but it has somewhat abated. I still love Black Raspberry Vanilla, Coco Cabana, Water Blossom Ivy, and Peony. Coco Cabana smells so completely phony, and I have so many better beach scents, but I can’t let it go.
Ooh – I acquired another guilty pleasure today – MJ Fig Splash – 20 bucks from Marshall’s. This is the second MJ splash I’ve found @ Marshall’s – I recently got the Gardenia there. They both appear to have the same base, but I did detect a tiny little bit of fig – jast as the other one has a tiny little bit of a gardenia note.
I wouldn’t mind a bottle of that in the refrigerator right about now. It would be great to splash it on after being out in the sun.
Those splashes all *sound* so good, and I’m curious but skittish about smelling others. The one I bought a decant of (for next to nothing), Pear, is nice for about two minutes (literally) then devolves into a super-cheap smelling musk that lasts forever and practically nauseates me.
Well, I don’t love them, that’s for sure, and they do smell rather generic – they don’t bring out a strong reaction in me either way. They’re light & simple and that seems to work in the scorching heat we’ve had a lot of this summer. And I love the big honking bottles and the pretty little labels. And my obsession, err hobby, prevents me from walking away from a perfume bargain! Oy.
Ok, I’ve got two more I was too embarrassed to list before but after reading everyone’s lists, oh what the hell . . .
Mackie by Bob Mackie
Jovan Sex Appeal for Men
Don’t you feel better for having confessed that? 😉
I just remembered one more for me: Mark Lemon Sugar. I think it’s all of $9.99 a bottle and is exactly what it sounds like. And it’s target market is teens (I was last a teen in the 70s!).
Yeah I think the Sex Appeal for Men was about $7.99 for 3 oz. But it smells like gingerbread, woods and musk on me and the packaging is hilarious.
hmmm, note to self: must get a sniff of sex appeal, pronto!
Do! I used to buy this stuff for my dad all the time. Smells divine. Tried to wear it myself but a touch too masculine. (This sounds more creepy and Electra-ish than I intended.)
I actually bought that Jovan for The CEO some years ago because *I* liked the smell of it. It’s all used up now…
LOVE Mackie by Bob Mackie. It’s dirt cheap on the ‘bay’ right now, too, as it’s recently been disconned. But then I have an addiction to those big ’80s scents (more on that below).
Guilty Pleasures: Benefit Maybe Baby- hehe- Love it! Also have been known to like and wear Escada Island Kiss, Paco Rabanne Ultraviolet (1 star from LT) and I am a fan of the perfumista reviled Hermes Jardin Apres La Mousson…
I can relate to the lack of love for Serge! I do LOVE Chene and appreciate many others but over all they are not for me.
Yeah. I myself am a two-Serger: Clair de Musc and Feminite du Bois work great for me, the rest of the line not at all.
Yes! Here I was, thinking I didn’t have anything to confess – but I looove Paco Rabanne Ultraviolet. It’s so loud and can easily give me (and people around me, mind you) a headache if I don’t a) spritz carefully and b) walk into the mist, but I have had 3 close friends buy it for themselves because it just smells yummy. And a bit strange. I love reading everyone’s comments in this poll, it makes me want to run down to the drugstore and test out all the celebrity fragrances I can get my hands on!
And count me in with the anti-Serge crowd. I like Fleurs d’Oranger and Filles en aguilles good enough, but this line just doesn’t seem to work it’s magic on me.
My perfume pleasures are becoming many. But a guilty one? Hmmm, now for that, I would say SL’s Clair du Musc. All his scents have a certain glorious disregard for convention. I must say that this one is perfect for times when confidence is low and I need the boost, such as business meetings when I need to be at the top of my game. I go through the whole meeting with a “secret” smile on my face. I feel good and the rest of the members seem to pick up on the vibe as well, and they are happier too……….But then again, it could all just be my imagination. 😉
A “glorious disregard for convention” – very true, and I love him for it, even if they don’t work for me. Have any of your co-workers ever asked you what you’re wearing?
I confess to wearing it very lightly as I don’t want to offend. I, myself, am prone to explosive sneezes around some perfumes and people kindly (without my saying a word) tone it down.
As regards the meetings, if we are in a closed room, the unwritten rule is to not wear scent, or to be very judicious in it’s application. So having said all that, let me actually answer your question.
When I wear this one, no they don’t, but as they come closer, there is a little curiosity/confusion that momentarily crosses their faces. It is quite odd, almost as if they are “cooled”, a little, by it. A couple closer teammates seem as if they want to ask at times (strangers just wouldn’t), but always the more pressing “work” drops from on high. We do not meet regularly and as such, getting the necessary details taken care of always takes priority since we may not see each other for a couple of weeks.
I know it sounds as if I am out of my mind, but this seems to happen regularly, and the “guilt” for me is that I feel as if I am almost manipulating them in a way. If it helps with creating an environment more conducive to solving issues and focusing on getting a plan created, implemented and completed, then I am all for it.
Guess that is just way more info than you really wanted. Sorry!
There seems to be a lot of research into the effect of scent on mood and productivity, so this is perfectly plausible. As long as you use your perfume powers for GOOD rather than EVIL, there is no need for guilt! 🙂
Always GOOD, never EVIL. Not my nature! 🙂
I’ll have to catch up on this one later… hate when I miss lazy poll days. 🙁 Off the top of my head (and some of these I haven’t smelled in years, so no idea if I’d still like them…but think I would): Eau d’Issey, Polo Sport, Cool Water Woman, Jovan Whisper of Musk, and Jean Nate Fresh Musk (wish I could find that one again!). The ultimate guilty pleasure, though, is a mini of the original Calvin by Calvin Klein (black bottle), which I bought just to sniff at now and again. Love, LOVE that stuff.
Oh, and you can add me to those who don’t do Guerlain OR Serge. I like Chergui and 5:00 au gingembre… but the rest I’ve tried have been sweet gooey messes on me.
Unfortunately, Chergui makes me sneeze, lots! But I like much of the rest.
I think maybe this poll was my idea, so I guess I really can’t get away without adding my own confession. The thing is, I believe that reading perfume blogs has opened my mind regarding perfume, and made it possible for me to enjoy perfumes that at one time I would have rejected out of snobbery (I come from a very arty/snobby family). So it’s kind of a reverse story from most people. When I was in high school and college, I only wore very sophisticated chypres, like Ma Griffe, and Cabochard. And while I still love some very elegant fragrances, I also have this little collection of decants I keep by my bed for wearing to sleep that is very sweet candy/cupcake oriented, including SL Un Bois Vanile, KM Loukhoum, Rochas Tocade, some almondy thing that Daisy gave me (thanks!), etc. I love Chinatown, too, but am embarrassed to admit it. So there! Who knows, maybe when I finish evolving, I’ll buy some Pink Sugar!
S.E.,
Wearing something sweet to bed is real indulgence, thta’s why I smother myself sometimes with organic cocoa butter.
It smells chocolately, sweet but subtle, like a dang Hershey bar.
(RIP Hershey’s your just a imposter chocolate now!)
And wearing thee ultimate powder puff before bed,
K.A. fits the bill!
Like how you feel when you sneak McDonald’s cause it’s so good but makes you feel so bad afterwards.
😛
Oh wait maybe that’s just me………………………
LOL —you’re welcome Suddenly! I’m wracking my brain trying to recall which of my almondy things I might have sent—I’m not the cookie queen for nuthin!
I have a collection of bedtime sweeties too, including a mini of YSL Elle. Can’t really imaging wearing that one to work!
I had a sample vial of SL Rahat Loukoum, and it was PERFECT for nighttime and, er, yoga classes……..
Thanks for the great poll idea, SI! This has been a lot of fun and so cathartic, as well! 😉
Tsk, tsk, all these people confessing to the “guilty secret” of various fine French perfumes don’t know how to confess the real dirt. I’m with the posters who confessed to Tabu or Mariah Carey’s. Get something zesty to confess. I’ll own up to a horrible guilty fascination to Jessican Simpson’s “Fancy Love”. It smells just like one of those commercial bakery white cakes, the ones with artificial lemon frosting. You don’t need to eat, just sniff, for all the sweet you could want. And Euphoria’s another: it’s metallic, it’s masculine, it’s not “me”; still, I’m going through a bottle of it.
DannyGirl,
I agree with you on EuWHORia, that is just a whole lot of s*%$ going on and it’s wonderful, loud and sexy.
Never in my life got more compliments .
It’s pomegranate and persimmon with lotus blossom, amber, champaca flower and black violets and orchids drenched in cream!!! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! 🙂
Do you just LUUUUURVE the sensual body oil that comes in the that silver cylinder thingy that fits in a purse?
That’s even better!
Ooh, I forgot about Euphoria – I love that stuff. Or at least I used to – I should give it another sniff and see if I still want a bottle. I could never bring myself to spend the money back when I coveted it because I already had two bottle of perfume – now that I’m a raging perfume-aholic, Euphoria fits in the “practically free” category. Along with my other guilty desire – Estee Lauder Pure White Linen. I already own Pure White Linen Breeze, but I really, really want the PWL in the edt.
I just thought of one more- Givenchy Hot Couture. That was one of my 90s obsessions for like, two minutes, but those two minutes were filled with crazy, dirty love.
All guilty pleasure perfumes should have a good pun in their names!
Same here. Many Guerlains and SLs are like some men – sound perfect on paper but in real life the chemistry is not quite there.
The only exception so far is SL Bois de Violette. That one could well convince me to go beyond the occasional flirting with a sample and commit to a FB 😀
Argh, I posted this in the wrong place, it was meant to be a response to one of the earlier posts about not loving Guerlain and Lutens. Oh, well, never mind!
Oh, another one: I love Missoni, the one in orange stripey knit that has chocolate and melon notes. It isn’t me at all – it’s designed for someone young and Italian, like the Missoni daughter who promoted it – but I still had to have it.
That Missoni is nice!
Very late to the party here! And I’ve only barely skimmed the comments, so forgive me! First, I don’t feel guilty about any fragrance I wear. Perhaps it’s because I have confidence in my own taste OR conversely that I frankly just don’t give a dam darling what people think! Haha! That said, I know tons of people hate Un Jardin Apres La Mousson, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE and is my SOTD actually. And I still adore TBS White Musk. Philosophy’s Amazing Grace is the perfect post-swim-at-the-gym-drive-home fragrance.
Oh and regarding THE GUIDE: phewy, I disagree with them often and I’m so glad I don’t *need* them to justify my nose. For example, I think Angelique Noire is delicious and so is OJ Orris Noir, for that matter. And when it comes to JCE, need I say more? JCE is a master and they refuse to rate any of his work higher than 4 stars out of principle. Ha!
But perhaps my biggest guilty pleasure is wearing men’s fragrances – or more precisely, smelling like a man. It’s sexy to me or something. I wear traditionally men’s or masculine perfumes *at least* half the time. Nothing gets me going like some good old fashioned Chanel Pour Monsieur or some Bel Ami. I guess I like mixing gender presentations. Keeps people guessing. 😉
I am with you on wearing masculine fragrances! Jovan Sex Appeal for Men, Givenchy Gentleman, YSL M7, Jaipur Homme, Habit Rouge, Old Spice, Stetson, L’Occitane Eau de Baux. Well, you get the picture.
Ohhh I still need to get some Old Spice! I haven’t smelled that in years.
I’m pretty sure that I’m right in remembering that Old Spice was originally marketed as a woman’s scent.
Early American Old Spice was introduced as a women’s fragrance in 1937. The men’s version came along in 1938. I don’t know if they were ever sold simultaneously or if the women’s was just tweaked and rebranded as a men’s product.
I’m obsessed with Old Spice, for myself. My husband came in wearing it this morning and for a minute I wondered why he was wearing one of my perfumes.
mmmmm…..YSL M7 is probably my most favorite-est men’s fragrance!
And I really need to get my paws on some Old Spice.
Oh, yes, I think you gave me a sample of that and I have been swooning ever since. Lovely stuff.
GASP! they only gave Angelique Noire 2 stars?! Can’t believe I never looked that one up in the book! “bitter floral”?? I don’t get any bitter notes at all in AN….oh wait….I momentarily forgot : I LIKE it, that explains everything!
I often disagree with Lucatania but it’s the most entertaining read, and it’s fun to bounce your taste off theirs to see what happens. I’m often amused that they tend to give Uncle Serge quite poor, but lots of stars to fragrances from Estee Lauder, and to Aromatics Elixir … SJP’s Lovely … Tocade … fragrances that I can actually afford to buy without committing myself to a month-long diet of lentils and turnips. I like the fact that you can leave your fragrance snobbery at the door when you pick up their book. (But is Amarige REALLY as bad as they make out?)
The Guide is a huge source of humor and entertainment! I was cackling over an entry today….my daughter came in and started reading over my shoulder …the next thing you know, she’s sitting on the floor leaning up against the perfume cabinet reading and laughing and then reading entries out loud to me…..we were both cracking up! LT has got to be the King of the Perfume Analogy.
Well… and which entry was making you cackle so?
Since Amarige has been mentioned today several times, I love that they write that those who love it should enjoy it by themselves at home… with the windows taped shut. I’ve still never tried Amarige (except for the harvest mimosa version, which is lovely and probably bears no resemblance to the original at all).
His descriptions of the Angel flankers ‘like trying to cover an eighteen-wheeler with a purple handkerchief’, ‘left behind like floral road kill’, ‘leaves the air roiling behind you for hours’ just never fail to crack me up!
And being a closet fan of heavy machinery, I just love his droll references to aircraft and cars peppering the descriptions….
“Keeps people guessing” – your approach to perfume is as interesting as your gravatars, Mitty!
My tastes coincide with The Guides to a larger extent, luckily, I think, and I’m grateful to it not only for being such a great read, but also because it enabled me to explore perfume more strategically. I was wasting money on things that weren’t really worth it because I hadn’t tried some of the greats. And I always think it’s worth learning from people who have committed much time and thought to a topic and are willing to share their perspectives honestly. But it’s clear to me from following NST and other blogs that tastes vary greatly – no guide could work for everyone!
I am thankful for The Guide for introducing me to niche fragrance and NST. When I started reading it, I was stunned by the huge variety of available scents that I had never even heard of.
As for my tastes vs. the reviews/ratings in The Guide, it is hit or miss. Sometimes I totally agree with them, sometimes not. I have hated some scents that got high ratings (Angel, Iris Silver Mist). On the other hand, I thought Light Blue (1 star) was quite pleasant–nothing terribly original or striking, but certainly not objectionable in the least. On the whole, I tend to find that I am in better agreement with them in regard to masculine fragrances than with the feminines.
Oh dear. Perhaps my comments read a bit strong. I love reading The Guide. It’s definitely my beside-the-bed-bible (I apologize in advance if that offends any one who keeps the *real* Book in the bedside table). I do laugh hysterically at some of the entries – LT especially has a way with words and conjuring images! I, too, have the greatest respect for their work – and for anyone who devotes significant time and sustained focus to any topic, especially one that involves the senses! (I’m an academic studying what most people would consider lofty and esoteric subjects, after all!)
I merely meant to say that I’m thankful that I don’t *need* their approval to love something, that I trust my own nose, my own taste. The Guide has led me, on numerous occasions, to try something I’d never heard of before or that I’d previously written off. Does the tone of text (a bit snobbish in places) get to me sometimes? Yes. But I’m just a critical reader. Does it bother me that they consistently criticize the field-changing work of certain perfumers that I love (JCE, ahem) because they are not fans of a particular “modern” style? Absolutely.
But the book is a classic that I would never be without. In fact, when I moved two months ago, it got packed up in the wrong book box and for two weeks I was without it. During that time I must have complained daily that I “still can’t find Perfumes the Guide and I want it NOW.” LOL 😉
As a side note, LT seems to like Apres La Mousson the best of the Jardins and it’s my favorite too, so there are areas in which we agree. Also I love to re-read his 31RC and Sycomore reviews!
I feel similarly – when the PTG authors rate something that I love highly, they’re geniuses. But when they hate something I love, or I hate something they love (that’s the more common version, actually), they’re nuts.
Worth reading, & rereading, in any case.
Oh, I love the book, and I like to keep it where it is handy and open to a random page to reread some reviews. The bad reviews are hilarious, even when I disagree with them. I do not “need” their approval to like or dislike something–it is just that if their views and mine were more consistently similar–or dissimilar–it would make it easier to decide what to seek out and sniff. It would be nice to have a useful filter, since I do not live very near any really good perfume shopping (it is about an hour’s drive for me), and most of my testing is in the form of purchased samples, which can add up quickly. I do not mind the expense when I end up liking a scent, but it seems terribly wasteful when I hate one of them.
Oh, I know! I’m in the boonies too, and I rely on samples. It’s good to have some sort of guidelines.
Boy, they hate peony scents… and I tend to love them. Oh well.
I confess that I rather like B&BW’s Wild Honeysuckle (I have the old bottle before they redesigned everything). And wait…here’s the bad part. I like the Body Spray more than the EDT. I know it contains an ungodly amount of alcohol, and very little actual fragrance, but it’s so refreshing!
Which reminds me that I have a bottle of that around here somewhere – I the body spray better, too.
This is such a fun topic to think about-
I don’t own one but I do enjoy Anna Sui’s Secret Wish.
Plus I always hesitate over a bottle of L’Eau d’Issey everytime I go to any of the department stores.
Oh, you need to own a guilty pleasure, so grab that Issey the next time you see it! 😉
Well said mjr!
you smell dashing!
why, thank you! 😉
I have a different kind of guilt — some days I just have to reek. I know it’s wrong & anti-social, but I will wear Samsara or LouLou or Fracas or Badgley Mischka or lavish sprays of Bandit. And, like a true born criminal, I do not skulk in the shadows. I go shopping or to work in this overperfumed state. And, I’m very, very happy (and just a smidgy bit guilty). Never Angel, though. Not my bag. 🙂
My sistah! Some days it is the guiltiest pleasure of all to gratuitously over-apply and swan about in a force-field-like cloud !! I know when my force field cloud has reached maximum effectiveness when my daughter calls down the stairs , ” I CAN SMELL YOU!” ahhhh, just right 🙂
LOL!!!! That is classic. I love it. I am fortunate/unfortunate (not sure which) enough not to have anyone at home who is brave enough to tell me when I’ve over done it. I have had to open the car window on occasion when things get really overpowering.
I have spent many a winter morning driving to work with the windows down to try and calm my sillage down a bit – it’s the only time that I’m grateful that it takes me 45 minutes to get to work.
Ha, ha – some days I just HAVE to have a protective patchouli force-field of PG Coze! 😉
Yes! the swanning about is definitely part of this — and I’d like to get some jewel-encrusted pumps, like the court of Louis XIV, for the full swan effect.
Love it! I also like to to drench myself in perfume purely for my own pleasure and sometimes I like to re-apply something every hour or two just to smell the topnotes again. That’s part of the reason I like full bottles so much – when I only have a decant of something I can’t really spray with abandon.
I salute you. I say that as long as you’re not forcing other people into being locked in confined spaces with you for a long period of time, go for it. I was at an outdoor festival today and an older lady had a veritable cloud around her of delicious sillage — outdoors! I thought it might be Mitsouko, and I almost asked her, but chickened out.
awww, don’t chicken out! She probably would have been thrilled to be complimented on her delicious sillage.
Or Miel de Bois in the hot sun!!!!!
Hey, people have been posting either here or elsewhere about enjoying Miel de Bois in the summer. I’m curious to try it… when and if our temperature ever climbs above 70F here on the *#@$#&!! California coast!!!!
love miele de bois in the sun/heat!!!
I love it, let’s take over the world with our sillage.
No one mentioned Amoureuse!
That one about gives me a sillage seizure but it’s great stuff.
I feel like a privilaged diva struutin’ in the city when I wear it even though I’m out here in the moo country.
Also I woke in my faint cloud of whire rose puffs of Loukhoum Eau Poudree and ALL I craved was a liberal dose of Dzing!
I’m very, very late to that scene cool kids but I love Dzing!
I want a giant FB to douse myself in it.
I love Amoureuse, but it’s definitely a dabber and not a sprayer on me – much like Debut, it’s easy to go overboard.
I confess to owning a bottle of Aquolina Pink Sugar …… but only because I won’t pay $200 plus for Profumum’s Aqua E Zucchero which is sumptuous!
There ya go! Money saved.
Here it goes – Montale Mango Manga. Yup, I paid Montale prices for what is essentially a BBW scent. And you know what? I’d do it again!!
I’m curious – have you ever done an arm-by-arm comparison with the BBW Mango?
No! Guess what I’m going to do today! Nozknoz: The name is part of the fun!
Mango Manga is such a wonderful name, too! I guess I should confess to being unduly influenced by the names, especially in sampling. It’s really hard for me to get interested in niche scents that just have numbers instead of names, and I’m not sure I could buy an FB of anything with a name that I hated.
I am always hesitant to try something with a really embarrassing or silly name. I mean, what if someone asks me what I am wearing?
“Do you like it? Yes, it’s French for ‘Hotel Slut’…”
Yeah, I love me some Etat Libre scents, but what can you do? I guess it’s always possible to just stammer and say, “Oh, it was a gift from France, I can hardly remember much less pronounce the name.”
I did have to write down “L’Eau de Tarocco” for a bus driver recently because just trying to shrug off the question by saying “Diptyque” was almost comical.
Hah! 🙂
Ha! Ha! French for Hotel Slut! You’re too funny Joe!
My guilty pleasure is Jessica McClintock’s original scent. It is perfect for work, very subtle yet long lasting… It’s more creamy white floral on me than up-front lily of the valley.
Oooohh! I forgot all about that one. I used to love it dearly!
FO-and you can get it for a song on discounters, I think my last bottle was a 3.4 for 24 dollars. Super inexpensive for what you get!
My other lily of the valley love is Diorissimo, but it stays all of three hours on me. Just no staying power at all.
Thanks for the info and the reminder. I thnk I might just go and get some, for old times sake! Mmmmmm.
I have an Exclamation body spray, but I never wear it cuz I’m afraid people are gonna get mad at me!
You can always wear it in private!
yeah I think I’ll start wearing it to bed.
L’Artisan’s Al Oudh. Over at Basenotes, whenever someone asks about it in the forums, a bunch of guys come on and are like, Oud??!?? bwa-hahahahahahhahahaha! End discussion.
Anyway, I really love it and have bought a full bottle of it.
Good thing I don’t know you in real life, or I’d be following you around all day, sniffing :). Al Oudh is one of my favorites, I don’t think I could get my husband to wear it, though. I’ll have to be satisfied wearing it myself.
Thanks!! It really is sexy. I’m sorry your husband wouldn’t wear it, but I’m glad that you are able to!!
Mocking a Duchaufour?! Sacrilege! Glad to hear that you were undeterred, by those Phillistines, Furriner!
Thank you!!
Al Oudh is awesome! I bet you smell great!
Great topic! I have a couple…
1. “Hello, my name is Haunani and I sometimes wear aquatics.”
2. I think the Gres Cabaret bottle is cool.
Back in the mid-60s, we had a set of vases that looked just like the bottle.
Hmmmmm – guilty pleasure? I sometimes douse myself in EL Sensuous when I am passing a department store. It’s something I would never buy, and I consider it to be a ‘simple’ scent. It has no development on my skin and it is a quite ordinary smell. I really enjoy wearing it!
I also, for some bizarre reason, consider tuberose to be a guilty pleasure note! Fracas, Tuberose Gardenia and Criminelle are my faves. I wore Fracas the other day, while I was moving house! I was in yoga pants and a t-shirt, rather sweaty and dusty, and it seemed so incongruous! It was really, really pleasurable!
Those tuberose scents really fit in my Big and Bold guilty pleasure category. Love ’em.
I love light blue for men by dolce and gabbana it smells terrible at first but for some reason i really like the scent it was the first cologne i ever bought when i was 18 so maybe its more a memories thing than a good cologne thing.
Scents are wonderful at bringing back memories.
Ok, I have to admit I LOVE M By Mariah Carey! EVERYTHING about this fragrance should NOT work, Toasted Marshmallow accord…??? SAY WHAT? and Oceanic notes? REALLY? but i love the way it smells and it has a balanced and actually rather sophisticated dry down. I was not only greatly surprised that the juice worked, i was downright SHOCKED, SCANDALIZED, STUNNED! so there’s my wicked confession!
Welcome to the ‘M’ club! Even though I don’t wear it often, I’m happy to have it in my collection. The tacky purple butterfly bottle completes the guilty pleasure experience.
Here goes: Casswell-Massey Musk Oil, original Lagerfeld, Bakir, Body Shop Patchouli, Tuxedo, Auric Blends Sandalwood, Old Spice. But right now, it’s just toooo hot for anything but — 4711!
Joining you in the Bakir love, and reminding myself to try the Body Shop Patchouli.
Bigelow Lemon EDT. Body Shop Vanilla Oil. Body Shop White Musk. Gap Heaven, Dream, Grass, and Om. Sun’s Eye Lodestone Perfume Oil. Sun’s Eye Orange Vanilla Oil. Sun’s Eye Hematite Perfume Oil. I actually prefer a lot of these for vague, every day use….I can’t justify using my favorites like Amouage Epic to go to the Post Office (I’m a stay at home mom).
Good point, and I remember carmencanada noting that she doesn’t wear her vintage perfumes every day because they require too much attention.
Oh, also, Light Blue. Finally, I own deodorants in Pink Sugar and Angel. I love Pink Sugar and I justify wearing it by thinking ‘It’s DEODORANT. It’s HYGIENE!’ Same with the Angel 🙂
**writes down brilliant new excuse for future reference** Thank you!
Hahaha!! I love the idea of Pink Sugar deodorant!
lol – I used to have the Pink Sugar hair fragrance, too, but I gave it away when I decided that I didn’t like the frag enough to wear it anywhere out of the house – and the CEO hates it, so that leaves out wearing it to bed.
Now this one is REALLY embarrassing and so I will have to admit it and then run and hide my red face in shame: I happen to love Liz Taylor’s Black Pearl. So far I’ve seen people admit to liking things by Mariah, Britney, and others, but no one has fessed up to a single Liz fragrance, and I thought she should not be left out of a poll like this one!
It’s a nice name. Never even heard of it before.
Yes, we can’t forget Liz! I always liked that she was famous for her jewels (and her acting and her many husbands, of course) so they used that in naming her perfumes.
I used to wear Diamonds and Emerald by Ms. Taylor and I loved it. I am trying to find the Violet one here in T.O.
Oh I ‘fessed up earlier that I too love Black Pearls by Liz Taylor. Bought a 50 ml on clearance for $8 because it was opened! Subtle musky floral, it’s sexy!
Oh, Hurray! I’m not all alone! Sorry I had not noticed. Yes, it’s rather nice!
I forgot Gucci EdP. It doesn’t like me, in the beginning it smells great, also after an hour, but after a few hours it smells like cat pee on my skin. I will give it away.
The dreaded “cat pee” smell – hope it works out better on the person you give it to!
I am a member of the Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy fan club. There I said it. I fought for a while against liking it and fought even harder against buying it. But both I did, even purchased gift set so I could get the shower gel and lotion. It’s a pink carmelized party and on a Saturday afternoon around my home, it makes me happy. I also own Calvin Klein Euphoria EDT, but can only wear it when I travel. This was very cathartic 🙂
We’re all about catharsis this weekend!
Does anyone remember Charlie? It was THE thing to wear when I was at school. You can find it at cheap chemist shops sometimes, I haven’t brought myself to buy a bottle, but I do still rather like it…
Yes, I also had a bottle.
Charlie, yes I remember that. In fact, I saw it at the drugstore last week. Haven’t smelled it in years though.
Whoops! My first comment nesting fail of the weekend. This was meant for George Sand Devotee.
I don’t know how “guilty” I feel about this, but some things have surprised me outright as I’ve gotten more into serious fragrance shopping/reviews/understanding:
1. Nothing Chanel makes I enjoy wearing. The men’s line seems like they feel that subtlety for it’s own sake is proof of quality – I can’t picture what situation I’d be in where using Chanel would be memorable..
2. Polo Green is amazing – I never knew about it in high school or college like that rap goes, but it’s a monster fragrance. Every time I smell it I feel like I’ve been airlifted to the densest, mossiest part of the most ancient forest. Awesome, awesome scent. Ditto for Modern Reserve, only not as big.
3. I really enjoy Calvin Klein’s line – not as much as say, Bvlgari Aqva, but Eternity, Eternity Summer, Aqua, Free and CK One I like wearing. They’re fresh, clean, uplifting fragrances that are very versatile and delicious to my nose.
Wonderful description of Polo Green – makes me want to run right into that forest.
OK, my guilty pleasure that gets no love: Clinique Simply. I think this was a great scent–warm, vaguely sweet, dries down to a skin scent. Perfect in winter months. I’ve never gotten a hug while wearing simply when someone didn’t tell me I smelled great. (You won’t smell it across the room, but that’s okay with me.)
But alas, it has been discontinued, and everyone loves to rank on it. I’m guessing because it’s a Clinique smell. I swear if a different house issued it, it would be a board favorite. Will continue to buy from etailers and stock up on safety bottles.
I had never heard of this, so I googled. Many descriptions of it being “milky.” Sounds like a good comfort scent. I love Clinque Wrappings, but it’s only available at the holidays.
Never tried wrapping.
I know it says milky and soy milk. I’m not sure I get a milk scent per se– my nose isn’t always the best with notes…especially something as quirky as soy milk, but I have to recommend it. Milk makes it sound gourmand, which at least on me, it’s not. The scent is more feeling to me that a specific medly of notes: it’s more just like your favorite sweater, that melts to a skin scent.
Sorry I can’t do better. But I highly suggest swapping for a sample to see if it would work for you!
No one has said anything at all but a definate fo show no -holds barred guilty pleasure of mine is the weekends that I read and reply on the lazy threads. I love it<3<3
And I love talking to each and every one of you smelly friendly perfume peeps out there, it always fun, informative and awesome to obsess and gab about our common passion.
MadMen is also another guilty pleasure<3
New episode tonight!
Can I get an amen??
Will Don continue to pay to get b-slapped?
(He wouldn't have to pay me one penny!) 😛
Will Bett's hairdid hold through the rest of the 60's?
Will my lovely amazon woman Joan get some airtime ?
I'm tuning in to find out
and wearing Cuir de Lancome while doing so.
Goodnight everyone 😀
And we love talking to you too, dear. 😀
Enjoy your show….
Yikes — am I the only one whose guilty pleasure is…Aqua Velva? My dad used to wear it and one day, feeling nostalgic, I bought a bottle for my hubby. He looked at me like, “You’re kidding, right?” But now every so often I splash some on myself…and, yeah, I like it!
My father was also a fan of Aqua Velva – I can’t remember now what it smelled like, but I remember the jingle: “There’s something about an Aqua Velva man.”
I am totally outting my significant others choice in apres bath fragrances, that he loves.
He has a strange need to smell like Pink Sugar. WHY OH WHY. Then he wonders why I won’t go near him.
Or his other choice Brut. Yes, Brut. The scent that many a teenager boy in the good old eighties bathed in if they couldn’t afford RL Polo.
Two things I do not want to smell before I go to sleep. Yuck!
LOL!
My dear, it’s time for gifting! Happy birthday–here’s a scent! Merry Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Festivus–here’s a scent! Valentine’s day–here’s a scent.
The way to create change is to have it sitting on the bureau!
Hahahaaha! 😀 Where did the Pink Sugar come from? Was it yours at one time? Hey… if he likes to scent himself before bed, sounds like you potentially have a budding partner in perfume crime on your hands.
The funny thing is he has lots of fragrances. Many I have purchased for him ie. Azzaro Lavender which I LOVE. Intimately Beckham, again another scent that smells good on him. I love the aquatic masculine scents but they do not last on him. He tends to like the leave my scent behind fragrances. I must say he is the one who started me buying more fragrances.
I enjoy BBW Sweet Vanilla Sugar body splash. Surely that’s more heinous than Pink Sugar in the ‘sweet guilt’ category.
Really like Old Spice and Degree Sport deodorants on dudes… conditioned into that by my first serious boyfriend, I think. Also, once I told a friend he smelled amazing and he said he was wearing Axe. That’s quite a low!
I love Old Spice 🙂
well, i don’t have any specific guilty pleasures…all my gazillion frags are pleasures without guilt at all…the guilt creeps in at the AMOUNT that I have…
Yeah, me too.
In theory, I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. In reality, it’s tough (as a guy) to admit that I’m wearing Angel when someone inquires about my sillage. But I care less and less by the day. Angel is fabulous, makes my heart dance, and does things to my state of mind that frankly make me more pleasant to be around on those days when I’m just Not In The Mood. I defend my taste by pointing out Angel’s MUSKY PATCHOULI BASE, which almost makes it UNISEX, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Then I stalk off diva-style in a cloud of cotton candy and caramel.
Shut up.
Woohoo! YEAH! you tell ’em!
I say waft whatever you want!
Life’s too short to worry about dusting and what strangers think of your fragrance!
Hahahaha! Great comment!
Think how I feel when I wear Black Orchid or Carnal Flower or FEMINITÉ du Bois…. always hoping that no stranger asks. Still, could be worse (Mariah Carey Lollipop Bling, Paris Hilton Heiress…).
I love my perfumes and will admit to what I’m wearing.
though I’ve gone off Calvin Klein Crave :/
my Mum hates Alien, so if I want to wear it I have to wait while I get out of the house when I’m going anywhere to spray it lol
but whenever I’m with my family and wearing flowerbomb, they always say how nice it is, everytime.
I also want Prada Infusion d’homme to wear to sleep.
the 750ml bottle, bargain lol
C’mon, what are you going to do with 750 ml?
I am addicted to those big ’80s sillage monsters. I don’t care that they are out of style, or that I may clear the occasional elevator (who doesn’t like having the elevator to themselves? 🙂 ). I proudly wear my Giorgio Red, Mackie by Bob Mackie, Amarige, Opium, Organza, etc. And…..the biggest monster of them all….Animale! (hangs head with shame, but with absolutely no remorse…call me the Lindsay Lohan of perfumistas)
I’ve always adored Love’s Musky Jasmin. It takes me straight back to college days, bless it’s uncomplex little heart. Like many of you above, I also liked Avon’s Natori and Imari, and also their Rare Gold.
I wear Armani Code which smells amazing on me — even the burnt plastic opening notes — and garners me more compliments than anything else I own, oddly enough. Secret Obsession is another one that works for me, but gets little love.
LOL at “the Lindsay Lohan of perfumistas”! Excellent.
there’s no shame in that list, girl! rock it
Off topic; there was an interview with J.C.Elléna in my Dutch paper Saturday the 24th. ( NRC Handelsblad). Part of the paper is available in Dutch and English, this part only in Dutch.
Nothing in it that he hasn’t said elsewhere, but I was quite surprised to see it. Perfume is rarely mentioned outside of “glamour magazines” in Holland.
How fun!! Was it about Claire des Merveilles?
Not about Merveilles at all. It was in a series about the senses. JCE obviously talking about smell. About his youth as a simple worker in the fragrance factories in Grasse. About the fact that smell can form a bridge between talking to someone and actually touching that person. How it is strongly linked to association. That he was taught by his father to smell his food before eating it. His children and grandchildren now do the same.
How he enjoys working in the South of France, far away from managers and all the rest of it. It was a nice read. He comes across really well in interviews, very consistent. He is also very good looking. Not that it matters.
Oh, that does sound very nice. And yes, he’s a fine looking man!
a little late to this post……but my 2 guilty pleasures are VS love spell and Downy April Fresh! love spell smells like junior high and gummy bears…gross/delicious? whatever, i can’t help myself!
I like the smell of Downy too 🙂
I love the victoria’s secret heavenly flanker heavenly kiss. It’s all berries and marshmallow, people love it on me. I smell like strawberry shortcake. it was a limited fragrance tho- but i still have my bottle for days when i feel like smelling like a dessert