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Perfumes

elpgal

Veteran

I am full of questions nowadays. I know several of you are perfume aficionados. So far, I have stuck with essential
oils but find that they don't last very long.

Is there a happy medium between synthetic perfumes and essential oils?

What is your favorite perfume that smells of sandalwood, pine or vanilla --not all together

I spent a lot of time in Sephora but came back thoroughly confused and smelling of a dozen different things. The SA highly recommended the Tom Ford line but I thought it was too strong.

This one by Blend seems interesting although I did not try it in store.
http://m.sephora.com/the-blend-fragrance

General

24 replies

Latest reply was from Greenjeans

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Tom Ford Oud Wood is my favorite. It does last well, which is one thing I like about it. And it just smells like me (not literally, but figuratively).

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Also, I would recommend wearing the perfume around for a day or two and seeing how you feel, before you buy one. Shop somewhere that you can take samples home to try. You could try one on one arm and another on the other, but do give them time, so you can see how they develop over the course of the day.

Anonymous

GO TRY Jo Malone scents!! You will find one you love.

elpgal

Veteran

Firecracker and Sterling - thanks for tips and recommendations. But where do you try perfumes where they give out samples?

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I was at Urban Outfitters the other day and they had some nice perfume oil blends.

Anonymous

Do you have a Nordstroms near you??? You can smell every single one of the Jo Malone scents and take home what interests you.

elpgal

Veteran

Thanks ChewyS, That sounds interesting. I'll take a look.

Sterling:D'oh! It never occurred to me they Nordstorms has perfumes! I always head directly to shoes and clothes.

lady

I second Jo Malone. The fragrances are made to be layered so you could create something very unique to your taste.

Oud is a love it or hate it note in my opinion. I like it but it's a powerhouse that last amazingly well. I can no longer remember the designer but it was an earlier oud fragrance at the beginning of the trend, Some got on my bra. Never got that smell out. Countless washings, lol.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

I second Sterling's suggestion of Nordstrom. That's where I did my trying and ultimately buying of my favorites.

Liz A.

Veteran

I like D&G Pour Femme. It smells like vanilla.

danskogirl

For sandalwood: Chanel Sycomore. It's predominantly vetiver but has a wonderful strain of sandalwood playing throughout. I love it.

For pine, I haven't tried it myself but have a friend who loves Serge Lutens' Fille en Aiguilles.

Jane

Veteran

Also try Jo Loves, which is by Jo Malone too. I also like a Clarins scent which is fresh and zesty, grapefruity.

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

Excellent perfume blog Bois de Jasmin can help you get some ideas <http://boisdejasmin.com/2012/1.....e-fun.html>

ma342

For sandalwood you might want to look at Diptyqe Tam Dao or Ava Luxe 23. I agree that Jo Malone scents have the feel that you're looking for.

Traci

Veteran

I tend to have a problem with synthetic type fragrances too. I do have a Jo Malone bottle that I bought many years ago and use from time to time. My current obsession is by Replica. http://www.musingsofamuse.com/.....eview.html They do carry it at Nordstrom, so you can try it out. I actually don't have this one, I have another by the same company called Jazz Club that I bought a few months before the fireplace one came out. Jazz Club is also very nice, but more unisex. Fireplace is warm and cozy and sweet.

When I'm in store I spritz my wrist with a perfume I want to try out. If I can't stop smelling myself all day I'll try it again the next time I'm in. If I continue to be obsessed with the scent I'll buy it.

Replica also has a scent called lipstick which smelled just like a little old lady to me, in a good way. It's the one my daughter is obsessed with. Maybe I'll buy her a bottle for her birthday coming up.

My Nordstrom also has the full line if Tom Ford scents right out on display. If you like more essential oil type scents you may find some of his scents appeal to you too.

Finally, when you're in the store, check out the House of Matriarch line. Oh so rich and heavenly and expensive! http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ho.....97839?orig

LaPed

Veteran

I'm a big fan of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. Morocco is a perennial favorite that you might like for sandalwood notes plus vanilla/warm spices. It's really a great fragrance -- sort of an indie classic I'd say. Anne Bonny also is another great sandalwood based one. Check out Black Forest for pine/conifer notes. I also really like Aureus, which is amber based, as an everyday fragrance. Plus, the website is fun to just read and browse:

https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/

deb

Veteran

I use the Perfumed Court site to get samples of the fragrances I want to try. They have sample sets or you can create your own.

http://theperfumedcourt.com/

Suzanne (ambergreen)

Veteran

I second LaPedestrienne's reco of BPAL's perfume oils. Many people collect them obsessively.

I don't have a favorite pine or vanilla yet, but for blends with sandalwood, some of my faves are Kathmandu, Nefertiti, and the Obsidian Widow.

elpgal

Veteran

That BPAl site is very interesting. So these are all essential oils and not synthetics?

Traci, I like your method. I am going to try that.

Thanks for the links to the Perfumed Court and the Boisdejasmin.

I think I will order a few small samples.

I went to the Jo Malone counter today and it looks like they have discontinued the vanilla-anise.

Cococat

Veteran

I'm a fan of Lavanilla perfumes which I buy from Sephora. Apparently they're an all natural range, which I found out one time when I was trying to buy it online.

I'm currently wearing vanilla blackberry. It's divine.

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

Another BPAL fan chiming in. Morocco is my everyday scent, but you might like Tombstone - "A celebration of one of the first commercially produced perfumes of America's Old West. A rugged, warm blend of vanilla, balsam and sassafras layered over Virginia cedar."

Staysfit

Veteran

Another vote for Chanel Sycomore here. It's one of my fall favorites. Estée Lauder Sensuous in any of its forms is also a good sandalwood scent.

elpgal

Veteran

I tried the Le Labo Vanille today and love it. Too bad it is so expensive. I realized I like the concentrated fragrances. The colognes and the eau de parfums are too light.

Greenjeans

Veteran

I have a mild chemical sensitivity. Most shampoos, laundry and soap products smell fine to me. Some perfumes are OK in teeny, tiny doses. But most are repellant. The florals (especially jasmine and rose) smell like fecal matter to me. Others feel like a chemical blast, like catching too big a whiff of a cleaning product or pesticide.

FWIW, i love the idea of perfume and even own a few vials. But people who wear it need to know that it can cause real suffering (nausea, migraines, auto-immune flare-ups, etc.) and most people are too polite to say anything.