Before this week’s post begins be sure to check out my latest video titled At Home Manicure where I show you a tutorial on how I give myself a manicure at home and share with you my new favorite neutral shade of nail polish, Diego Dalla Palma's French Pink No. 16. To see the video click here, look in the sidebar of this blog or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur
And now for this week's post...
As many of you know lately I have gone on the search for a new signature scent. I have worn Stella by Stella McCartney for a good part of the last decade and felt it was time for a change. I’m not sure what I expected to encounter on the hunt for my new signature perfume… some good fragrances, some bad fragrances… an adventure perhaps? Well, yes I have encountered all three but I also have encountered something a little unexpected…
I have found that I like some of the perfumes on my hunt so much that I am beginning to wonder if I can choose and be faithful to just one! I know many of you readers have expressed the same issue. Of course I didn’t just use Stella for the past decade, I also used a few other fragrances for certain occasions but I mainly used Stella… it would be very accurate to have called it my signature scent.
But I am starting to wonder if perhaps I should have a capsule perfume collection to go with my capsule clothing and makeup collection…
I have received large sample sizes of most of the perfumes I’ve reviewed enabling me to wear them much more than once. When I recently attended a baby shower I had a strong desire to wear Jo Malone’s Grapefruit as I felt the occasion called for something fresh, vibrant and crisp.
When going out to dinner with my husband recently I wore Bvlgari’s Rose Essentielle because I wanted something heady and romantic.
And last night just to wander around the house I had a strong desire to wear Love, Chloé because I longed for a powdery, ladylike fragrance.
This is quite a conundrum because, you see, I had it in my mind (firmly in my mind) that I wanted to have a signature scent. I wanted my daughter 20 years from now to smell a Bulgarian rose and think “Ahhh that smells like Mommy’s perfume- Rose Essentielle!” Wouldn’t that be nice?
And also because that’s what this entire series is on… finding my signature scent! I suppose I could always change the title to The Search for my New Capsule Perfume Collection- but it doesn’t quite have the same ring…
And to complicate matters further I came across the most amazing niche perfume boutique in Venice last week called Strange Invisible Perfumes and feasted my eyes (and nose) on a whole slew of their organic, botanical perfumes that were just totally desirable to me (reviews forthcoming)…
I do suppose this is a high quality problem… but all the same I am going to go meditate on the subject for a while.
I would love to know… can you relate to my perfumed conundrum?
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I've never been able to confine myself to a single, signature scent. I rotate between about 3-4 regularly, depending on the occasion and my mood.
ReplyDeleteI love both Angel and Chanel #5!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Karena
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Like Pseu, I can't restrict myself to only one fragrance, and wear about 4-5 at various times, for various moods. Much like clothing in that you wouldn't want to wear the very same outfit every day. To your comment regarding your daughter, I can share this: my 16-year old this winter commented that a sweater I passed on to her smelled just like me. When I asked if it smelled like any particular perfume I wear, she said, no, it just smells like I do, unlike anyone else she knows. And that's a memory she'll have forever, too.
ReplyDeleteRight now, in my perfume capsule, I have Ventura and Laguna Beach Body Sprays from Hollister, L'Occitane's Summer Verbena, Philosophy's Pure Grace, Chanel's Coco and Coco Mademoiselle, and Dior's Dolce Vita (which is becoming ever so increasingly difficult to find in the states). I am desiring right now Nicole Miller's fragrance.
ReplyDeleteCould never be a "one note"! However, my kids tell me that Coco Mademoiselle is the "mommy" scent:)
Oh I most certainly can relate to this conundrum! Rather than adopting one scent only, I suggest building a scent wardrobe (compact and select of course!)that has rose as its central motif. Fortunately, there are so many expressions of rose in perfumery, and rose notes can be sweet, powdery, greenish, tea-scented, sharp, full-bodied or delicately subtle. This way rose can be your signature, but with many expression to suit time, mood and place (also the vagaries of scent discontinuation!) Scents such as Jo Malone's Grapefruit can be welcome holidays from your rosy scents, but will not detract from your central overall theme. If this appeals, you can use the rose theme if you wish for other items such as stationery, decor, jewellery and floral arrangements (well, obviously, MJ!)
ReplyDeleteI am always on the search for the perfect scent and have yet to find one for me.
ReplyDeleteLately I have been researching natural,organic perfumes as well as making my own concoctions. I'm trying to stay away from synthetics. They don't always have a long staying power but they are very nice and unique.:)
Bonjour, Jennifer.
ReplyDeleteWhen younger I would experiment, however always graviatated to the tall, dark, sophisticated, grown-up scent of #5. It sat on my Mother's vanity, among others. She received this as a gift, but it was seldom used. On my 30th birthday Momma passed this vintage bottle on to me, as she knew of my fondness for it. I have never looked back. It is one that I always return to.
My suggestion is to luxuriate in the journey, and allow yourself the process of finding your own. Once you found your "capsule", there will always be one you will unknownly reach for again and again. It is at this time you will instinctively know it has become yours.
Au Reservior! LMK
I've mentioned before I have quite a lot of perfumes.. I think rather than confining yourself to just one bottle, it's nice to have a few for different events. Maybe then your daughter will think of you on several occasions rather than just one ;) Lol.. but really.. If the reason of wanting one scent is so you can be remembered by it, having 3-4 may be better! You'll just be remembered for smelling really great! And for being an amazing person of course.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate. Like you, I wanted a signature scent that would remind people of me. I have since come to realize that I'm fickle and enjoy choosing one scent out of several in the same scent family (for you it's rose, for me it's vanilla) to go with my mood. I currently have about six different ones to choose from that run the gamut from light and flirty to deep and heady but all variations of vanilla and it works for me.
ReplyDeleteIf you're used to wearing one or just a few scents it's probably difficult to imagine having many perfumes to choose from. I have many perfumes and use them just like I would any of my clothes-letting mood, weather or something appropriate for the occasion guide what I choose.
ReplyDeleteAs for your daughter's memories, I think it would be more fun to teach her about fragrance wardrobes and introduce her to the fantastic world of perfumery!
My mom wore either Emeraude by Coty (no longer made) or Chanel No. 5. Both remind me of her. My Grandma always wore Wind Song. I bought it for a girlfriend of my Dad's once as a private joke. My dance teacher always wore White Linen. There is something very comforting about having a signature perfume, but I've only managed serial monogamy and and am currently playing the field.
ReplyDeleteShelley, good news... I have seen Emeraude at CVS around Christmas-time!
ReplyDeleteI've teetered between the desire to have a signature scent and the desire to have a perfume wardrobe. Sadly, there are so few scents that I can tolerate that I've mostly given up.
Jo Malone's Grapefruit and Limited Edition English Tea scents worked for me, but I didn't purchase. I've found that Tocca Beauty's Cleopatra (in the rollerball) works well.
I just chose my signature scent recently as part of my desire to tackle 52 things I've always wanted to do but never have gotten around to it. I blog about it at www.52figs.blogspot.com.....so, I totally understand your desire for a 'signature' scent and also the difficulty in choosing one! And the scent I ultimately chose was so different than I anticipated and really made me kind of take a look at myself. Good luck! I can't wait to hear what you decide. MamaP
ReplyDeleteI don't think your search has been fruitless. I myself underwent such a challenge not to long ago. What I discovered was that there are so many different and wonderful scents that I love to wear. That buying small containers of several and using those till the run out was not only more cost effective but also it meant that the scent never lost its power as they are sometimes wont to do.
ReplyDeleteOn the signature scent for the sake of your memorableness. Each person has their own smell, regardless of enhancements. I do concur with several of the other commenters that the smell I remember most from my mother is HER scent not her favorite parfum.
Enjoy your quest!
Hello everyone- Thanks for weighing in! I looks like most of you have a capsule scent wardrobe as well... it does make sense after all. And what LMK said is so true- after time there will be one that I reach for again and again that I could label my signature scent. Oh well darlings- the hunt is still not over! I have a lot more reviews to do and I am excited because I'm going to England at the end of the summer and they have a lot of perfumes there that are hard to find here... The fun is in the journey!
ReplyDeleteI love hearing about what you wear and what your mothers have worn. Thank you so much for sharing. It is true that each person has their own unique scent and that will probably be what makes an impression on my daughter more than anything.
Thank you for your lovely comments... until next time!
Au reservoir ;) xx