I LOVE fragrances with you, Karie - and yes - in the US, we are in the minority. Yet most of my friends overseas wear a scent daily. It's a very interesting difference.

I have fond memories of my Mama smelling of First or Opium. Her scent soothed me when she hugged me close. Fragrances can be a beautiful thing. VERY memorable.

I wear my scent each day, and it's been the same one for almost 20 years. I wear Kenzo Flower - the original version. Greg loves it, and it's become signature. Friends seem to enjoy my familiar smell!

I also use an orange blossom body wash because it's gentler than soap and smells divine.

I vote try Kenzo jungle. My MIL and good friend wear it almost exclusively, and they smell divine.

Angie, I thought Kenzo Flower was your scent, though wasn't sure. It wholly suits you.

Jungle is really the most intriguing to me, and that's great to hear that you enjoy it on two loved ones. Here's hoping it works on me!

Coming back later today to respond to posts on the first page (internet is spotty here.)

I came across this Seattle perfumer who sounds super interesting, too.

http://olympicorchidsperfume.com/pages/about-us

Here's another Seattle based one

http://www.shopolivine.com/

She used to run an amazing clothing boutique in Ballard, then changed directions.

A vanilla based one

http://www.shopolivine.com/col.....erfume-oil

Wow, Opium brings back memories of an aunt who worked in the makeup business. We got so many samples from her but I was too young to appreciate it, but I do remember my mother had Opium from her.

Coming back now that I've been able to read other replies:

Sally, it takes me a long time to get through a bottle too. Right now that is to my benefit as a lot of the scents I've collected are limited editions that aren't available for purchase, so I'm hoping they will last me a while.

Unfrumped, I love the idea of a signature scent too, and while I liked certain fragrances I never really settled on something that was totally me. Right now I think I'm happy enough having signature scent families, and collecting a group of fragrances to play with and layer.

My hope is that I keep the scent application low enough that I simply smell good or neutral to other people, rather than smelling like something or other. I love the idea of my scent being something relatively private, where you'd have to come in close for a hug to really smell it. I don't fancy the idea of leaving a vapor trail or a cloud of strong scent behind me. With subtler, lighter scents, at home, or when I'm outdoors more often I feel OK applying scent at my wrists or décolletage; in public where I'll be in close quarters, I'm more likely to spritz once lightly towards my legs, or apply a tiny bit of solid perfume behind my ears.

Anna, I'd love to go perfume smelling with you. Essenza and Shopolivine sound super interesting! I'd feel braver entering Barneys at your side. I know it's silly, but I find it intimidating since I've never shopped there (and probably won't, except for perfumes.)

I know what you mean about forgetting to wear perfumes when you can't most days. I lived with a scent-sensitive roommate for years, so simply got out of the habit of wearing any perfume, though subtly scented lotions (like cocoa butter instead of florals) were OK. Even after we no longer lived together, applying perfume just wasn't something that I thought about as part of a daily routine. (Same thing with wearing lipstick after a decade of playing the flute daily... It still isn't second nature to apply it, so most of the time I forget.)

I don't love perfume but find it fun to read about them. I only wear D&G Light Blue which doesn't give me a headache and is a huge pick me up. I wear it year round because I am scent-season impaired. I would love a recommendation for something similar. Vanilla or anything sweet, most florals, spice, musk and even lavender all tend to make me nauseated. And I can't do the Jo Malone line. Daisy is nice but not really my style.

Oh and I have a tiny bottle of Ivoire de Balmain from the early 80s that I love - it's kind of earthy and complex. Is this still around?

MsMaven, that is so sad that the lovely fragrances in your garden are setting you off. Chanel No. 5 is beautiful. I believe that was my Nana's fragrance, though since she was an indoor smoker, I don't really recall smelling the perfume on her, just playing with her bottles on her vanity when I was small.
I will say that walking into stores with strong scents is something I avoided for a while too. I'm not having trouble with it these days, but one of the reasons I didn't try out Lush Cosmetics at all until this summer (and I primarily discovered them via skin and hair care, as they have excellent products) was because of the overwhelming scent you would get walking by their store.

Xtabay, I love how fragrances are so closely tied to specific memories. There are some that I wish I could bottle up - dew drying on fresh cut grass on a rare Pacific Northwest early summer day, which is the most summery smell ever. Japanese Snowbell blossoms in full bloom (my parents have two trees flanking the walkway to their door, and it is the best gentle floral smell.) That green, woodsy, floral scent from smelling my grandma's garden and the ravine below while swinging in their hammock in the woods.

Sheila, I uniformly avoid the fragrance counters in department stores. Too much scent in one space! I guess that means I'm coming to Jo Malone with a fresher... nose, I guess?

L'Occitane's verbena fragrances are so beautiful. It's not my favorite scent on me, but one I really enjoy on other people.

Deb, that's great that you can order tester vials! Wonderful. I'll have to give that a try. Yes, I've always been a vanilla girl, and in cooking too. I always add extra vanilla to homemade pancakes or cookies.

Laura, to some extent that is already happening. With EU regulations, many fragrances have had to be reformulated in order for them to be sold in Europe.

I watched a documentary that showed I Hate Perfume. It sounds like such a fantastic experience! I don't know when/if I'll ever get to Brooklyn (I'm in Seattle and have never been to NY), but it sounds like I could spent hours smelling.

Sterling, me too. The only full bottles I've purchased without smelling have either been really inexpensive (I grabbed one of the Demeter Egg Nog perfumes because for $13, what the heck - I'm not expecting amazing longevity), a perfume I've been able to test, or something that I've smelled before in another format (the limited edition Lush scents I mentioned are the same as fragrances used in other bath and body products, just not normally in their perfumes.) Did you see the link to where you can order sample vials that Deb shared above?
http://theperfumedcourt.com/

Fragrantica is great! I've been poring over their reviews lately.

Griffin, I love the idea of perfume, especially one that you have a long term relationship, adding something special to an event. It's like having a date night with perfume, right? Hanae Mori is one of my more "grown up" scents for special events. I have a feeling that if the Kenzo Jungle L'Elephant works for me, I'll use it as a special event fragrance as well, as it's said to be pretty potent.

Adela, you make me want to try the SL Un Bois Vanille even more. Coconut - yum! I'll have to get my hands on a sample somehow.

I seem to go in 2 or 3 yr cycles of loving fragrances and then not liking them at all. I am recently coming back to liking them again so i havent bought any new ones, except a Nest Fragrance diffuser for my living room that smells amazing.

I really liked one by Gucci that was discontinued and I have Coco mademoiselle right now but dont wear it everyday. i think my some nice perfume will be on my 2016 shopping list so its been fun to read everyone's suggestions. I am quite intrigued by a specialty store or small perfumery, something not mainstream. And i really just want to buy one signature scent that i love, because like lisap, it bothers me to chuck a bottle that is still half full.

I love Donna Karan's Cashmere Mist, and Jo Malone's Blackberry and Bay.

The Jo Malone was an off-script gift from my husband and my first impression was "Um, it's kind of... aftershave-y... isn't it?" But I quickly came to adore it.

(Kari -- I love that the word "sillage" even exists! Perfume has its own language.)

I wrote a post on my blog about some of my favorites, a couple of months ago.

http://labelledemimondaine.blo.....cents.html

I should update that, I tried layering Tom Ford Noir de Noir, and Oud Wood, a couple of days ago. The result is uh-mazing, and I'm totally hooked!

Kari, in case you haven't read it, I recommend "Coming to My Senses," by Alyssa Harad. It's a woman's account of her journey of discovery through the world of fragrances, and a very enjoyable read.
http://tinyurl.com/hj3lk2j

Kari, as a scent-sensitive person, I hesitate to enable, but as a selective enthusiast, I can't help sending you to ...
http://www.basenotes.com

Their forums might (temporarily) reduce the time you spend here:
http://www.basenotes.net/forum.php
Don't forget us! Please come back and report on your research.

(I still clutch my pearls a bit at the new use of "gourmand" to describe scents. That word will always evoke for me images of people habitually given to greedy and voracious eating and drinking, so the smell of *that* would be, well, darling, your imagination is as good as mine!)

Is there a rule of thumb to determine how long scents last? It seems as if I can never empty a bottle.

Having worn fragrances with an amber base for a long time (Prada l'ambre and Jo Malone Amber and Lavender) I began to feel in need for a change, I played with some single note gourmands (caramel and coconut) but since my first encounter with Givenchy Dahlia Noir I have been a one fragrance woman.

My favorites that my husband also likes are Jo Malone Nectarine and Honey, and Bulgari Rose Essential.

Aerin Rose de Grasse (not sure about spelling) is also wonderful.

I kept the full bottle of Shalimar perfume that I had bought my mother before she passed away in 2015....I wore it a few weeks ago and my husband could barely stand to hug me (and I wore just a little amount). I let him know that I was wearing mom's perfume and he said no wonder he didn't like it, as he associated the scent with her (not the best relationship there as you can probably guess)...

So thanks to you, Kari, I just went and tried a bunch of scents and came out with the Jo Malone Oud & Bergamot, a unisex fragrance that felt instantly right for me. Another way to spend money, yay!