Favourite Scents

Laura Chase · Jul 13, 2009

Caron's Narcisse Noir has really grown on me and is quickly becoming one of my favorites. At first, I found it came off very animalic on me, but right now, it works so well. Anyone else who loves this one? How is Narcisse Blanc? I smelled it once but can't remember what it's like...

Oh and can anyone explain to me why I have a Chanel No 5 bottle of eau de parfum that smells really bad now? I bought it about 3 years ago. Does it really go bad that fast? It smells like alcohol, all the finer notes are gone... My Chanel No 5 parfum is about just as old and still smells wonderful. I'm also starting to feel that my bottle of L'Heure Bleue eau de toilette is changing too, and it's only 10 months old. What's up with this? It's not just my body chemistry, I think they also smell differently from the bottle. Am I supposed to keep the bottles somewhere dark? They just stand on my dressing table, not exposed to direct sunlight, but still to some light.

Darhling · Jul 13, 2009

it could definitly be their age, it is hard to tell how long they stood on a shelf before you bought them!

Rhian · Jul 13, 2009

When I wear perfume at all, it tends to be by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, but I have wonderful childhood memories of my grandma's perfume - a sweet, comforting smell - and when I find out what it was, I fully intend to buy some.

My favourite scents are sweet, warm and a little spicy, and I always get positive comments when I wear Snake Oil or Snow White by BPAL (often in the "you smell good enough to eat!" vein, which I think is no bad thing

).

anabolina · Jul 13, 2009

Glow by JLO is getting to be my favorite scent right now. It's nice and light. If anyone is interested, there's a new line of generic perfumes at CVS, I can't remember what the name of the company is, but they're $11.99 and really don't have any weird smells and last a long time. I've tried those dollar store 'impressions' before and they usually have an alcohol smell, strange notes that are totally wacky, and disappear quickly even if you would have wanted the scent to stay. These are much better generics then those.

Tourbillion · Jul 14, 2009

Laura Chase said:
Caron's Narcisse Noir has really grown on me and is quickly becoming one of my favorites. At first, I found it came off very animalic on me, but right now, it works so well. Anyone else who loves this one? How is Narcisse Blanc? I smelled it once but can't remember what it's like...

Oh and can anyone explain to me why I have a Chanel No 5 bottle of eau de parfum that smells really bad now? I bought it about 3 years ago. Does it really go bad that fast? It smells like alcohol, all the finer notes are gone... My Chanel No 5 parfum is about just as old and still smells wonderful. I'm also starting to feel that my bottle of L'Heure Bleue eau de toilette is changing too, and it's only 10 months old. What's up with this? It's not just my body chemistry, I think they also smell differently from the bottle. Am I supposed to keep the bottles somewhere dark? They just stand on my dressing table, not exposed to direct sunlight, but still to some light.

Narcisse Blanc is light and fresh, different than Narcisse Noir. There is orange blossom and rose, and it has the creamy Caron undertone. I've heard it described as soapy, but it seems more powdery and sweet on me.

I don't think that 3 year old Chanel should go bad unless you live in the tropics. I have vintage Shalimar, and it smells better than my newer bottle. Is your vanity right by the heater? I have a carded sample of No.5 that is more than 5 years old and it smells fine to me. If you bought it somewhere like Ebay, or the perfume carts we have at the mall here, it could be fake.

p.s. you can send the offending Heure Bleue here.

Shirin · Jul 14, 2009

I wear Estee Lauder Pure White Linen. The first time I smelled it I immediately was reminded of my grandmother who (has passed) but I hadn't seen in about 16 years. Last Christmas that was the only thing I asked for from my husband, and that's the only thing I got...but its my very favorite gift and I really love the scent.

Lillemor · Jul 14, 2009

Shirin said:
I wear Estee Lauder Pure White Linen. The first time I smelled it I immediately was reminded of my grandmother who (has passed) but I hadn't seen in about 16 years. Last Christmas that was the only thing I asked for from my husband, and that's the only thing I got...but its my very favorite gift and I really love the scent.

I don't know if it comes in different sizes because mine was also a gift from my husband but it goes a long way. I'm actually worried about mine going bad before I can use it up.

Laura Chase · Jul 18, 2009

Darhling said:
it could definitly be their age, it is hard to tell how long they stood on a shelf before you bought them!

I hadn't considered this, good point!

Tourbillion said:
Narcisse Blanc is light and fresh, different than Narcisse Noir. There is orange blossom and rose, and it has the creamy Caron undertone. I've heard it described as soapy, but it seems more powdery and sweet on me.

I don't think that 3 year old Chanel should go bad unless you live in the tropics. I have vintage Shalimar, and it smells better than my newer bottle. Is your vanity right by the heater? I have a carded sample of No.5 that is more than 5 years old and it smells fine to me. If you bought it somewhere like Ebay, or the perfume carts we have at the mall here, it could be fake.

p.s. you can send the offending Heure Bleue here.

It must be my nose changing! I still love the L'Heure Bleue but it smells different to me than it did 10 months ago. The perfumes are definitely not fakes and my dresser isn't near the heater, they are probably fine, it's just my nose.

Do you know what exactly the difference is between a eau de parfum and eau de toilette?

Oh and I just ordered ten Caron pure perfume samples, the following:

Acacosia
Alpona
Bellodgia
En Avion
Farnesiana
Fleurs De Rocaille
French Cancan
N'Aimez Que Moi
Or et Noir
Poivre

I'm so excited to try them!

lolly_loisides · Jul 18, 2009

My favourite scents are both from Guerlain
Shalimar in winter, and Jicky in Summer. I love them both.

Aorta · Jul 18, 2009

Laura Chase said:
Do you know what exactly the difference is between a eau de parfum and eau de toilette?

The essential oils (or perfume oils) are higher concentrated in eau de parfum than in eau de toilette. If I remember correctly, it was 5-10% in eau de toilette and 10-20% in eau de parfum.

Oh, and please tell us about the Caron samples (I'm especially interested in Bellodgia, since I absolutely love carnations and haven't found a good perfume yet with a nice note of them in it). Where did you order the samples?

Lily Powers · Jul 19, 2009

Shirin said:
I wear Estee Lauder Pure White Linen. The first time I smelled it I immediately was reminded of my grandmother who (has passed) but I hadn't seen in about 16 years. Last Christmas that was the only thing I asked for from my husband, and that's the only thing I got...but its my very favorite gift and I really love the scent.

I used to wear that scent! Your post brings a very pleasant "scent recall."

Now I like Jo Malone's Pomegranate Noir and Nectarine Blossom & Honey - either alone or together.

One other scent I like is Stella, by Stella McCartney. I'm not really a fan of her designs, nor a fan of rose or amber, but that's exactly what's in her perfume. Just for the heck of it, I tried a drop on my wrist and oddly, it works with my chemistry. It's rather heady, so just a drop works for me.

Laura Chase · Jul 19, 2009

Aorta said:
The essential oils (or perfume oils) are higher concentrated in eau de parfum than in eau de toilette. If I remember correctly, it was 5-10% in eau de toilette and 10-20% in eau de parfum.

Oh, and please tell us about the Caron samples (I'm especially interested in Bellodgia, since I absolutely love carnations and haven't found a good perfume yet with a nice note of them in it). Where did you order the samples?

Thank you, it's nice to know the percentages, to know exactly how much more I get for my money when buying a eau de parfum instead of the often cheaper eau de toilette. lol But really the pure perfumes are almost exclusively so much better.

I will report back when I get the samles, I ordered them from The Perfumed Court, great site and they have most perfumes.

GlamourDoll · Jul 19, 2009

The perfume I have been using is vintage bottles of Lanvin "My Sin" and "Arpege" that my grandmother passed down to me. I also use Calvin Klien "Obssesion". It isn't vintage but it smells somewhat like the Lanvin I've been using.

spacegirlblues · Jul 19, 2009

Shalimar is my favorite.
I wear Guerlain's 'Colors of Love' daily, and Chanel number 5 for special events.

MissAmelina · Jul 20, 2009

GlamourDoll said:
The perfume I have been using is vintage bottles of Lanvin "My Sin" and "Arpege" that my grandmother passed down to me. I also use Calvin Klien "Obssesion". It isn't vintage but it smells somewhat like the Lanvin I've been using.

I love love love Arpege in the wintertime....on my scarf...I can't stop smelling it when I have it on.

Aorta · Jul 20, 2009

Laura Chase said:
Thank you, it's nice to know the percentages, to know exactly how much more I get for my money when buying a eau de parfum instead of the often cheaper eau de toilette. lol But really the pure perfumes are almost exclusively so much better.

I will report back when I get the samles, I ordered them from The Perfumed Court, great site and they have most perfumes.

You're welcome

. But I have to correct myself, the percentages are the following:

- Splash Cologne (1 to 3 %)
- Eau de Cologne (3 to 5 %)
- Eau de Toilette (6 to 9 %)
- Eau de Parfum (10 to 14 %)
- (Extrait) Parfum (15 to 30 %)

Voilà!

The Perfumed Court's site looks so nice, I'm trying to resist. Sometimes, self-control is a really hard thing.

Laura Chase · Jul 20, 2009

Aorta said:
You're welcome . But I have to correct myself, the percentages are the following:

- Splash Cologne (1 to 3 %)
- Eau de Cologne (3 to 5 %)
- Eau de Toilette (6 to 9 %)
- Eau de Parfum (10 to 14 %)
- (Extrait) Parfum (15 to 30 %)

Voilà!

The Perfumed Court's site looks so nice, I'm trying to resist. Sometimes, self-control is a really hard thing.

No reason to resist, we only live once and there are so many perfumes to try!

GlamourDoll · Jul 21, 2009

OOoooh! I just love Arpege. I've always heard about it. Once my grandmother gave it to me. I finally understood what everyone was talking about.

I'm also addicted to Shalimar (Rita Hayworth), Samsara, and Mitsouko. (Jean Harlow) Which all 3 of those are also by Guerlain.

Laura Chase · Jul 28, 2009

I received my Caron samples and smelled all of them, and got quite a bit of a shock over some of them (Farnesiana, Poivre, Or et Noir). Here is a first review of a few of them.

Fleurs de Rocaille

Top: palisander, bergamot, gardenia, violet
Heart: oriss root, jasmine, narcissus, rose, carnation, lily-of-the-valley, ylang-ylang, lilac, mimosa, iris
Base: amber, sandalwood, musk, cedar

This one was really accessible and I think everyone would love it, it's a very nice floral aldehyde, it has that wonderful soapy quality like L'Heure Bleue, but the bottom notes seem warmer, and the medicinal sharpness and coldness of L'Heure is not there at all.

Farnesiana

Top: cassie, mimosa, bergamot
Heart: jasmine, lilly of the valley, violet, lilac
Base: hay, cassie, opoponax, vanilla, sandalwood, musk, heliotrope

I have never smelled a perfume like this! It's so strange because it smells like a dessert, like marzipan (there must be some bitter almond in there), but with something there to balance out the sweetness. The hay is quite present, as a very soft, comfortable base to carry the sweetness. It could become a favorite when I'm in the mood for something sweet.

Alpona

Top: lemon, grapefruit, bergamot, rose, orange
Heart: jasmine, orchid, thyme, patchouli, myrrh, cedar
Base: sandalwood, musk and oakmoss

This could have been the fresh scent I have been looking for, but sadly the fresh top notes wear off in a matter of minutes and you are left with a not so fresh heart, it turns into an oriental, almost. The citrus is still there after 10 minutes, but much less fresh, its lovely tanginess pushed to the background by some of the florals. The opening notes are amazing, though, citrusy but sort of like candied orange peels. But why do they have to be so ephemeral... It's not the fresh scent I was looking for, but it's a very wonderful one nevertheless.

saraicat · Jul 28, 2009

I love Shalimar. It's what my grandmother and sometimes my mother wear, and I think it's so wonderful. I always figured I'd start wearing it when I got a little older.

This is my new perfume, which my husband got for my birthday. It's Onyx by Sage and I love it. The notes are apparently dark coconut, oakmoss, tobacco, and vanilla nectar. The vanilla is very subtle, though. It's a really unusual scent.

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