Scentility

I have been looking for a happy, uplifting perfume lately. There are different recommendations for that, but as I have discovered, it’s often a very personal matter. Although, I am not quite sure. This weekend I went to Ulta to try some fragrances and see what appeals to me. After hoping that the ubiquitous Happy will do its job, I stumbled upon Flowerbomb Nectar. Flowerbomb itself failed to impress me of late, as it seems to have really soft projection on my skin. But lo and behold, I fell in love with its flanker completely out of the blue. Riding home in the car, I kept sniffing my wrist, never getting quite enough of this nectar of the gods that all of sudden descended upon me. It was so gentle, feminine, relaxing and alluring all at once. I was looking at the snow covered fields all around me all of a sudden recalling the sweet smell of the grassy wildflower meadows in the summer and that feeling of falling in love and dreaming of that special someone, that tingling sensation of happiness. Where have I been before?

My first and only perfume love forever. I first discovered Coco Madeimoselle in my 20s. I fell in love with it at first try. If that ever happens to you, don’t care what anyone thinks and go with it, you won’t regret it. So it is the case today. It was my signature scent, and my coworkers knew me by it. My partner also loves it and knows it really suits me and smells divine on me. And it’s no surprise really, you usually resonate with things you are of the same frequency of. I love oranges, roses and the strange forest like comfort of moss, the dry airiness of vetiver and the earthy smokiness of patchouli. It could have been Channel or it could have been a niche brand no one knows about, it won’t matter to me. I would still love it. I used to always prefer the edt version, but I think since those days, the edp smells a lot like the edt used to. And no, it doesn’t have a really strong patchouli in it anymore. The only complaint I have with it now is its lasting power these days. It used to be rather powerful, but now it becomes a skin scent on me really quickly. It makes me think they have reformulated it to make it less potent than it used to be. I think they added an intense version, which did not impress me as much as the original. Then, they recently added Privee version in a frosty bottle, but that is like the new Eau de Toilette or even mist really. The selling ladies at the big department store tried to push me to buy the Privee version, but luckily I noticed it won’t last. On the bottle it said la nuit, and I was like what? Is it a nighttime version, then why is it so weak? And it is actually a bedtime version, incredibly weak and no doubt designed to soak that money right out of your wallet :)).

The One recently joined my collection. This one is very interesting to me. I think it smells unique for designer scents. I was craving an intoxicating white floral, and I definitely got it here. And much more. In order to properly fall in love with a perfume, you have to use your imagination a bit. I think it works that way with people as well. You romanticize the way it looks and what it’s about, and voila, you fall in love! It was not a love at first sight or sniff:) I didn’t like it the first time I smelled it, to be honest. At first I thought it smelled very strange, almost bitter and sweet at the same time, etc. But then, the next day a bit of magic happened and I couldn’t get enough of it! It reminded me strongly of the smell of the tiger lilies in my grandma’s garden. Bittersweet, intoxicating, waxy, slightly spicy, verging on the edge of desire and purity at the same time. Then, a bit of sensual vanilla and vetiver, pure mystery. It’s very inspiring! I would not call this perfume sweet necessarily, perhaps a touch of sweetness only. It’s elegant and sophisticated and sexy also, but so understated and tasteful. It’s not exactly for everyday, but could be a signature scent. It could be worn for night or day, cold or warm weather. Very versatile in a very classy luxurious bottle with a gold cap in a gold box. It’s mysterious and complex, and fits someone who wants to be somewhat different and stand out. What a lovely discovery! Not a safe blind buy, however. Try at the store before you buy in order not to be disappointed.

This was a semi blind memory purchase. I remember having a sample of this from back in 2002 when it first came out. Somehow this Spring it was really on my mind, and finally I found a bottle today at Kohl’s which I could not resist. So my memory must be quite a fragile thing after all- I would be a great perfume designer myself if it truly smelled how I thought I recalled it. In reality it smells wonderful, but not as I imagined alas! It’s a vintage now classic white floral perfume that was a bridal perfume back then. Now it’s discontinued but you can still find it in some stores and online for relatively low price. It did remind me of 5th Avenue perfume, but this is so much better. It doesn’t have the bitterness of 5th Avenue and lasts so much longer. I would not say it has strong projection either. I can’t say it’s appropriately bridal to my mind. It does not feel very romantic to me, instead it’s a very classy everyday scent appropriate for work and meetings with the in laws. It’s on the conservative side, but it’s still very soft and pretty. I mainly smell a mixture of lily of the valley and white lilies with a bit of sandalwood. It’s a very blended vintage smell, not at all a modern vanilla plus jasmine and florals deal. If you’re not into vintage classics, then don’t blind buy this one. Because it doesn’t have that modern sweetness of vanilla, it has an almost masculine vibe. Some expensive hotel soaps smell like this a bit. I am still testing it, so we’ll see what my final take might be. In the end, I decided to let go of it because it just ended up smelling very soapy clean and a not a touch of sweetness or lightness was present. It didn’t seem to work for me now for whatever reason, but mainly because I need more lightheartedness in my life now. If you need something not sweet and with a bit more seriousness, then go for it.

I was looking for a nice fresh green fragrance for the summer, and I found this here. It was a blind buy, but I am very happy with it currently. First of all, the bottle has a lot of character, it looks like a multifaceted green gem. It is a little twisted and wrapped up in metal on the sides. The name has a touch of mystery like a story not yet discovered, untold but taking shape in the making. I would classify the scent itself as a fresh green tea floral musk. It has just a touch of sweetness in it, and so it is not bitter fresh. It is an edt , but leaves a wonderful trail around me and I can smell it on my myself. If you want something along the lines of Chanel Eau Fresh, I would give it a try.