Scentred participated at Now Smell This and other fragrance blogs for some years, but then life took her other places...now, after 10 years or so, she's back, as Scentred2, and eager to catch up. She's hoping we'll help her get back in the game. She loves her current collection, but she'd love to find something new, unique, unexpected and beautifully put together, and she no longer knows what brands or perfumes are worth the time and effort of sampling. Can we help her get started?
Here is what we know about Scentred2:
She's a 50-something wife, mother of two young adults and caregiver for her 86 year old mom. She works full time and lives just north of Toronto.
Since the pandemic, she primarily works from home which means she can wear whatever fragrance she likes.
She is social, but also quiet, and she says her style is casual and classic yet eclectic.
She likes...woody green fragrances, chypres, aromatics, tart crisp citrus, some white florals, and iris that isn't too sweet.
She doesn't like... musk, especially sweet musks, anything sweet or overtly gourmand or that smells like candy, sweet fruity fragrances, or overtly heavy and spicy fragrances, like Yves Saint Laurent Opium.
Her current favorites include... Ormonde Jayne Woman, Ormonde Jayne Champaca, Annick Goutal Eau du Sud, Annick Goutal Mandragore, Annick Goutal Le Chèvrefeuille, Chanel Bois des Iles, Chanel 31 Rue Cambon, Chanel No. 5, Van Cleef & Arpels Bois D’Iris (also The Different Company Bois D’Iris), Hermès Un Jardin Sur le Nil, Frédéric Malle Bigarade Concentrée, Creed Love in White, Donna Karan Gold and Donna Karan Chaos, Shiseido / Serge Lutens Féminité du Bois and Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt.
What say you?
Note: top image is post_te [cropped] by fedewild at flickr; some rights reserved.
Ineke Idyllwild (2015)
D&G Light Blue Summer Vibes (2023)
Eris Green Spell (2021)
Second Eris Green Spell. All the Eris scents are well made and worth seeking to sample, but Green Spell would be a great thought.
Second on the Idyllwild…I reach for it all year long.
I will 3rd Idyllwild. I love the entire Ineke lineup (and have most of it).
Yes! Definitely 4th the Ineke Idyllwild, a beautiful surprising green and woody scent!
PdN Cap Neroli
Chanel No. 19, chance Eau Fraiche
Miss Dior
Some of the new Estee Lauder reformulations
Silences de Jacomo—don’t know if it’s discontinued.
Floral—Do Son
Jo Malone has lots of citruses and florals.
I would agree with Do Son. Also, was thinking the same thing about Jo Malone. They have several that would fit the criteria for what Scentred2 wants in a scent. This house would be a good starting point.
Second Chanel 19, especially the edp. And Do Son.
Parfum d’Empire Azemour les Oranges (chypre) and Frederic Malle Eau de Magnolia (green floral) spring immediately to mind. Also Byredo Mojave Ghost might be worth a try, along with Chanel Paris-Deauville.
These are great ones. I think Deuville would be perfect!
+1 for Azemour.
Another + for Azemour, and also adding Paris-Edimbourg.
+1 for Eau de Magnolia.
Also PdE Iskander and Diptyque Eau de Lierre.
Another vote for Azemour!
Zoologist Elephant springs to mind for woody green! It is both very woody and very green. And if you’ve been away from new releases for a while, Zoologist is a great one to check out; in my opinion they’re doing some of the most interesting work out there. I love Moth and T. Rex especially. (Fair warning, T. Rex is maybe the strongest perfume I’ve ever smelled, but that is the benefit of working at home!)
The Scottish brand Jorum would be my pick for doing the best recent work in aromatics. Your taste seems to lean toward the dry, and their fragrances are never too sweet, especially the “Progressive Botany” sample set.
Agree with Elephant, it was the first that came to my mind, and second everything about Zoologist. They have nice samples, too.
Canada’s Indiescents has a sample program, and they stock Zoologist and other newer houses (e.g. Piper and Perabo, also Canadian)
Indiescents is great! I like how they give spray samples with orders and not those tiny “dabbers” Lol Just note the prices on their website are in US dollars, not CAN.
2nd the Zoologist and Jorum brands.
Also:
Dusita Parfums is a high-quality line, and Le Sillage Blanc is green, green, green. (It reminds me of Scherrer.) La Rhapsodie Noire has a wonderful aromatic accord.
For a non-sweet Iris, you might try Naomi Goodsir Iris Cendre.
I was thinking that if she was doing a Luckyscent sample order anyway, Neela Vermeire Créations Pichola might be worth a shot.
Also, if she finds herself near a Hermes boutique, Myrrhe Églantine and Eau de Néroli Doré might be worth a sniff.
Myrrhe Eglantine is beautiful. I wish I could get that in a travel spray.
Mine is a travel spray!
Did you get it at a Hermes boutique? They don’t sell them online.
I got it on eBay.
But generally speaking, Hermes removes fragrance items from the the website when they are out of stock, and the only way to know they are back is to keep checking…so in the past when ordering discovery sets I have sometimes had to wait a long time to get the exact 4 I wanted.
If you like Bois d’Isle then Cuir de Russie is also great. I like Fredrick Malle L’eau Hiver. It does not have any of the notes you do not like I think. It is different.
I think En Voyage perfumes is well worth exploring, especially Zelda, it’s a mossy green chypre with magnolia. Samples available from their website. Also Imaginary Authors is an American niche brand with a good sample program, I like several. She might like Fox in the Flowerbed or Yesterday Haze.
It’s not new, but I suggest Scherrer as a green chypre.
I take every opportunity to recommend my very cheap and successful blind buy 🙂 .
Agreed, inexpensive but smells like a million bucks.
The current version, right? Travel sprays are <$20 on FragranceNet – that is deal!
Oh, I will be taking advantage of this recommendation!
My weird thought was Byredo Pulp. Test first as there is a, erm, challenging indolic note, but it has a bright tart fruit vibe like nothing else. It makes me smile, even crack up laughing when I wear it. Your love of green and tart scents like Bigarade Concentrée made me think of it.
Zoologist has some fascinating perfumes, certainly eclectic. Macaque Yuzu is a citrus woody, incense fragrance that also has charmed me. (And Squid is my favorite, but it’s got more vanilla and ambroxan than you might want)
Have fun sampling and please report back and let us know if you find things you like!
Since Chanel No 5 is on her list, I would also say to try L’Eau as that has some more citrus in that iteration.
Although I know she mentioned she did not like musk and there is a little musk in these, thought slight in my opinion, I would still suggest trying Shalimar Millesime Iris and Frederic Malle Iris Poudre.
I thought of a classic Chanel Cristalle because it is a chypre with green, aromatic, and not sweet floral notes. For buying samples Twisted Lily and Lucky Scent online.
PdE Corsica Furiosa. A blast of green that turns to a softly golden bay note in the dry down.
Hay note*
Already having a few Chanels with those note preferences, I would suggest La Pausa (lovely iris) and for green notes, N19 is hard to match. N22 is a gorgeous floral, full of aldehydes like N5.
For tart crisp citrus, I would suggest Guerlain’s Mandarine Basilic, also a bit green with the basil.
Papillon has a stunning chypre floral, Hera, which is worth checking. Nahema by Guerlain is another beauty in that category.
For non sweet beautiful irises, Papillon Angelique, Iriss Xerjoff and L’Heure Exquise by Goutal come to mind.
In the chypre vein, and something that’s affordable but also good quality, I’d suggest Zara Leather Jardin. (Nose is Jo Malone.)
For something that’s a bit more eclectic, and has iris (but definitely not sweet), I’d suggest La Curie Ossuary. It’s more an iris & incense scent, with palo santo. I got mine when we were in Tucson, but I think you can order it in Canada through indiescents.com.
Malle Synthetic Jungle comes to mind for green notes. And Arielle Shoshana Saturday for the fun citrus.
I’m going to echo some previous suggestions and add a couple new ones.
What I immediately thought of: Chanel No. 5 L’Eau, Chanel Paris-Deauville, and Chanel Eau Premiere, plus Dame Perfumery Lime, Gardenia and Benzoin. Also Hermes Eau de Neroli Dore.
A scent twin for me! Try Azuree (like Eau du Sud, but with more heft). 2nd Synthetic Jungle (now called Synthetic Nature).
I recommend Chanel No 19 Poudre as an easier-wearing version. Second No 5 L’Eau as well.
19 poudre is great, but it has quite a bit of musk if that’s a problem.
Hello wonderful friends,
Thank you so much for these thoughtful and intriguing recommendations.
You’ve given me much to think about and explore. I feel a spreadsheet coming on, lol.
Can’t wait to get started. I will report back and let you know how this voyage of discovery goes!
Tabac Vert and Chypre Siam from Rogue
I’m also in Toronto, and you came back at a good time! If you want to test in person, a new boutique just opened this week downtown at “The Well” called “Etiket” (from Montreal) They have Jorum Studio, Ormonde Jayne, Monsillage, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Vilhelm, DS&Durga, Eris, Scents of Wood, Dusita, Zoologist and more! You already have a fabulous collection (I love Mandragore!), and so many great recommendations here! I also rec the Chanel Christalle, Guerlain AA Mandarine Basilic, Monsillage Eau de Celeri, Vilhelm Bassilico & Fellini (if you are okay with some fig?) If you haven’t gotten the chance yet, check out the full lines of Diptyque, (at Saks, Holts, & own boutiques in Yorkville/Yorkdale now!) Le Labo, you might enjoy some of their yellow florals! (Saks, own boutique). “Niche Essence” is also a good retailer with harder to find brands in north Toronto, (Bayview Village). If you are looking for more local Toronto/Canada fragrance community, I highly recommend the Facebook group “Great Canadian Fragrance Exchange” we have lots of fun there!
Thanks very much Susannetta! Etiket sounds right up my alley! I appreciate your suggestions! 🙂
Because there is a LOT of overlap between your “likes” and my own, I will suggest Memo Paris Winter Palace. Do sample first — my initial response was “rice and Raid (bug spray)” but I quickly fell in love with it. But way too much $$$ to blind buy!
Robin, I am glad to see the return of this feature!