For the follow-up to my blog entitled, “Scent- It’s a Personal Thing”, I have interviewed some of the women that are closest to me in my friends and family and asked them the top perfumes that they currently wear and love. The list for each lady was relatively small- they all tend to have a top two or three fragrances that they are very loyal to. I started out the same way, as you know, with my Stella and Narciso, but now after reading so many fabulous blogs by all of you perfumistas out there (please see ‘blogs I follow’ on my profile page) I have been converted into a full blown perfume connoisseur!
I had so much fun interviewing these ladies and peeking into their scent wardrobes- here are my findings:
My mother, who always smells delightful, is devoted to:
-Laila: which has fruity notes on top of wild flowers and feminine lilac. She likes to wear this fragrance in the “early morning”.
-Hanae Mori Butterfly: a complex blend of flowers, fruits and woods. This is more of an “evening” scent for her.
-Yves Saint Laurent Paris: A classic with floral and woodsy notes with rose, violet and bergamot. This is her special occasion perfume.
My sister, a yoga goddess and full-time mother of two young boys loves:
-Hanae Mori Butterfly: see above (I suspect my mother and sister were shopping together when they picked up this one).
-Cartier Delice de Cartier: with notes of iced cherry, bergamot, pink pepper, violet, jasmine freesia, amber, Tonka bean, musk and sandalwood.
She says she prefers clean scents that don’t smell too strongly like perfume because she needs a scent that is “mom appropriate”, one that she affectionately told me she can "wear to Target”.
My good friend A, a fashion queen and in-demand stylist to the stars is devoted to:
Bvlgari eau de parfum: amber, sandal, musk, benzoin, vanilla, green tea, and cedar. This is her all time favorite...
Stella by Stella McCartney: (one of my favorites too) Rose, peony flower, mandarin, rose absolute and amber
K, a hip, young housewife in Orange County and mother of one is privy to:
Jo Malone Orange Blossom: Clementine leaves, morning dew, water lily. This lovely scent is reminiscent of a garden oasis.
She swears that the fact that she likes this fragrance has nothing to do with her living in Orange County.
JS, my hiking companion and fab actress most recently seen on “The Cleaner” loves to wear:
Jessica McClintock eau de parfum: with citrus notes of lemon, basil, white rose, and white jasmine- she loves this one for daytime.
St. John parfum: tangerine, marigold, freesia, white rose, night blooming jasmine, apricot, sandalwood, vanilla and amber.
Angel by Thierry Mugler: the classic oriental gourmand with notes of chocolate. She loves the chocolate...
I am fascinated by what everyday women wear and what moves them… I will continue my scent sleuthing in a part three of this post somewhere down the line where I review yet more friends, family and acquaintances about their scent wardrobes.
Hanae Mori, Yves Saint Laurent Paris, Cartier Delice de Cartier, Bvlgari, Stella by Stella McCartney and Angel by Thierry Mugler can all be found at: www.Sephora.com
Jo Malone Orange Blossom: www.jomalone.com
Laila and St. John: www.nordstrom.com
Jessica McClintock: www.jessicamcclintock.com
Modigliani image from: http://www.mystudios.com
12 comments:
Hey Daily,
I admit I do the same thing with friends and family. It helps when I am buying x-mas or b-day presents and I want to get someone a fragrance. The great part is when you get someone the right fragrance.
Hi Jena- Yes I love to find out what people like to wear- it says a lot about their personality and gives hints as to what types of things in life they love...
I love the image you chose - Modigliani is one of my favorite painters!
My mother used to wear Paris a long time ago when I was little. She only wore it for a short period of time but whenever I either smell it or see the bottle I immediately think 'Mom'. That's one of my favorite things about perfume.. How they forever get linked to people, becoming one with them, always reminding us of them. I sometimes regret not having a 'signature' scent myself and wearing a different one each day. It means my loved ones won't get to have that pleasure, of recognizing me always by my perfume, remembering me even if they sniff it in passing. But I just can't kick the habit ;)
Divina- I know what you mean about not being able to kick the habit. I used to have signature scents but with all of the amazing blogs I've been reading I can't help but want to try a new one each day... Ultimately I'll probably have a scent wardrobe of about 10 - 15 fragrances but it would be nice to have a scent that everyone associates with you.
Modigliani is one of my favorites too- especially this one, "Woman with a black tie". The eyes are always so haunting...
Hi Daily Connoisseur,
Yes going to agree I definitely note what people wear. It's really interesting and I also don't want to wear the same as them if we're going out!
Rose- that is such a good point that I never thought about before. Even though scent is a little different on everyone due to skin chemistry, I wouldn't want to be out wearing the same perfume as one of my friends. I would probably resort to a niche fragrance that is more rare...
When I "came out" with my perfume craze to a good friend, she immediately sent me a list of the scents that had been "hers" in the past, and asked what they revealed of her! :)
Funny, how even so-called "everyday" scent wearers are aware of a connection between scent and self...
Have fun with the rest of your interviews!
Scentscelf- I love that idea- it would really take it a step further to say what the scent reveals about the wearer. I am so new to the world of perfume, however, that I don't think I'm qualified to make that assessment. Would love to read a posting like that from you seasoned perfumistas one day...
I actually took a quiz on the Guerlain website today to find my perfect scent. Rose posted it on her blog. While we weren't sure the quiz was entirely accurate- it was definitely fun.
What a lovely, cosy corner you have here.
I came through a search and I like your interviewing women of your everyday surroundings about their perfumes. You can see how the milieu (or their aspirations) has something to do with their choices.
Thank you for the pleasant reading!
Perfumeshrine-
Thank you very much for your kind words. I'm new to the world of perfume connoisseurship and am delighted to come across your blog as well!
I've been reading so many blogs about women who love to wear and review perfume, I became instantly curious about the women that I know in my life, and what they wear.
One thing I discovered is when I asked to interview them on the subject, most of them got a sparkle in their eye and were very excited to talk about the it- which proves to me that perfume moves women, whether they wear one signature scent or have a scent of the day.
Have just visited your site and can't wait to get stuck in to reading your posts on Shalimar as I just ordered a sample of it...
I know that is post is almost 5 years old, but I just found your blog after reading your book and I am working my way from the beginning. I love Eugenie, by Rance. It smells divine and when I wear it, people just always tell me that I smell wonderful. When this happens, you just want to keep wearing it. My other favorite is Fragonard, by Fragonard. I love it mostly, because I can smell it all day it has a very unique fragrance. I wear it more in the fall/winter as it is heady. Love your blog and your book!
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