Finding my scent... - YouLookFab Forum

Today I went to Bath and Body works to try and narrow down my preferences and see what kind of notes and fragrances I like (there isn't a Sephora in the mall and since I don't really know what I like yet, I want to try a few different things and B&BW is having a buy 3, get 3 sale).

The hands down winner was a new scent, Japanese Cherry Blossom Sheer. The original Japanese Cherry Blossom was much too strong for me, but the sheer version is like a completely different scent. It's less musk and incense and more fruit and freshness. Here is the description:

* Fragrance Top Notes: Top: Asian Pear, Fuji Apple, Mandarin Zest, Crushed Leaves, Sparkling Cassis, Fresh Lychee
* Fragrance Mid Notes: Japanese Cherry Blossoms, Jasmine Petals, Fresh Peony, Water Lily
* Fragrance Base Notes: Vanilla Rice, Violet Woods, Skin Musk, Creamy Sandalwood

I absolutely loved the fruitiness of it. It was fresh, light, and sweet (but not sickeningly sweet). True to my scent persona (crisp, fresh, and watery), I also liked Dancing Waters, but not so much initially. I needed it to fade out a bit before I could really appreciate it.

Well I am poor and young so I can probably get away with a cheap scent for now, but if in the future I wanted something similar but a bit more refined, what scents have a similar vibe?

16 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Maya-
I haven't smelled these, but I went to fragrancenet.com and did a search for "crsip fresh watery" and came up with a whole list:
http://www.fragrancenet.com/f/.....esh+watery
If a "cheap" perfum, is what you like, then wear it. The cost of the expensive perfumes is in the marketing, not the perfume itself.

Maya

I'm not sure if there is something bad about cheap perfumes. I hear that phrase all the time and I'm not sure exactly how to differentiate since my nose isn't all that sensitive yet...

Thanks for the research Khris. I wonder if fruity is more of my scent now that I have done this experiment. Maybe something that combines both.

You know what it is? After a long day on the subway and walking around in sweltering heat, I often come home just feeling gross. A crisp, fresh, clean scent helps to offset that.

Try putting in different combos of descriptive words, and see what comes up there. When I think of "cheap" perfum, I think of something that you can really smell the alcohol in, or is overly strong. I was reading about how much advancement has been made in perfume making, and that the "knock offs" are now as good as the designer ones.
I've been on New York subways, so I can understand that!

Chris

Active Member

I don't think the BBW scents are "cheap" smelling. They may be inexpensive, but too me "cheap" means something like a drugstore knockoff that is sprayed on too heavily.
If you like the one you picked out, get that for now and see how it wears.
The only drawback with BBW is that they discontinue like crazy - always happens to me when I love something.

Ah, that makes sense. I'm paranoid about offending people with my scent, since I know I don't always love what the people around me are wearing.

I thought about that Chris (the discontinuation thing). I guess that's another reason to find a good alternative.

Vani

Talking of "cheap" perfume, I remember buying this knock off scent (of CK One) from Walmart when I was a poor, starving grad student. The can actually mentioned what perfume it was "inspired" by! I think it is called UO or something like that. Everybody thought I was spending all my money on expensive perfumes! It smelled just as good and had great staying power. Even now I look for it to spray in the car. Brings back memories

Chris has a very valid point about BBW discontinuing scents like crazy. I LOVED their Peony and Gardenia scents, and one day they were gone never to come back

Gap has some great perfumes too Maya. When I first started working I used to buy their $10 bottles and they lasted a while. They discontinued my favorite scent too, Simply White.

You know where you can find good perfumes at great prices? TJ Maxx and Marshalls. The inventory rotates, but their prices are very competitive with online discount stores.

This is what came up on Nordstrom's perfume guide for Citrus & Fruit Fresh Scents:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/C/60....._for_women

I have found atleast two of these perfumes at TJ Maxx:
BVLGARI 'Eau Parfumée au thé vert'
Vera Wang Look

You could smell test them at Sephora and keep an eye out for them
I hope you find something to fit your budget, mood and nose

Thanks Niva! I'm finding a lot of places categorize scents differently. I guess truly the only way to know is to go sniffing around. I just get so overwhelmed. I think next time I go to B&BW, I'll spray a swatch and bring it to Sephora or Nordies and compare.

I found this very intriguing scent from Lulu Guiness that I wanted to try, but it appears to be gone from Sephora I guess that's the main issue with any kind of scents: they discontinue and you need to start over again.

Hannah had recommended the Bulgari tea series. I think I might try that.

Maya- do you have one of those perfume stores by you? We have a chain called Perfumania out here, and at least one of ther one that sells all different brands of perfumes. It's a great place to go when you're looking because it's all in one spot.

Ana

(website)

Maya, I have tried this perfume, and I really like it. It softens nicely and smells very fresh (Eau d'Italie):

http://www.luckyscent.com/shop.....lette.html

I ordered a small sample of it from the above website. I could send the sample to you if you want.

I forgot to add that inexpensive/"cheap" perfume can be really fun, and I think cheapness has more to do with how it smells and ingredients than the actual cost. I think the most important things you should look for in a perfume is smell (obviously, you have to like it since you'll be wearing it), and lasting power. Often, inexpensive perfumes don't last very long, because the concentration of scent is not that strong. But I have had this experience with "expensive" perfumes as well. I think a perfume should last at least 6 hours, from spritz to when you can't smell it anymore. Some last longer, but 6 hours is my minimum. If it's gone after an hour or two, it's just not worth the money because you'll be out of it and buying more in no time.

Thanks Ana! I know what you mean about longevity. I often find scents that are too strong initially to fade away more gracefully, but I don't want to deal with perfume headaches until then. It would be great to find a scent that is light but persistent. I think once you wear a scent consistently, it gets into everything you wear and use, so even once it fades, it still lingers a bit from past uses. My Angie bag still has Angie's perfume in it

So I noticed the perfumes on that website are "hard to find." I'm wondering if it's a good idea to commit to something that can't be found in stores. I don't really see myself becoming a bit scent fanatic, with lots of different perfumes to choose from. I think I would rather do things the Angie way--find what I like and stay with it. I wish the Japanese Cherry Blossom Sheer scent wasn't so likely to disappear. It's pretty perfect.

Khris, we do have a Perfumania here. Have you ever been to one? I tend to like stores where I can try things out, gather samples, and not deal with pushy sales staff. That's why Nordies and Sephora seemed like good starting places.

Maya- that's where I went when I was looking for a scent. They have samples, will write the name on a sample card to give you, and even have a cannister of coffee beans to help clear your pallette. I found the staff very helpful, and not pushy at all. We were trying to find something that both hubby and I liked, so it took us about an hour and we must have tried at least 50 different things.

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