Katerina: Your post was fab.
I absolutely hate Chanel no. 5. It reminds me of my Mil, THEREFORE not for me. It's sickening to me.

MY MIL was a mean and tough woman, totally un-feminine. So weird why she wore Chanel #5. EWWWWW

As my own mom never taught me one thing about beauty i've had to figure it all out on my own.

That's funny Violettt! Sounds like you were a person with MIL problems for sure! My MIL has got a bit more difficult in her old age( now 80) and I leave most of the visiting to DH, her son! He found my mother difficult also but since she died in 1999 I tell him he only had to have a MIL for 13 years whereas I've had one for 31 years so far
I did like a perfume my Mum liked and bought it several times in the 90s, that was Anais Anais. I still like it but also like to try different ones. Do you know about website Scentmap.com that helps you pick new ones?

I used to use Diorissimo for years until it was reformulated. Then I started to wear Calyx. Now I love Avon's Cucumber Melon spray. It is light and airy and just reminds me of springtime

Violettt- I agree with you about how scents are tied to a memory - good or bad!

So, I'm intigrued. Scents to me coincide with phases in my life.
So if you wore one now for all of 2018, it would be______________?

Danussio: I wore Diorissimo all through high school. It was my signature scent back then. I miss it. I wore Paris by YSL when I met my hubby, AND HE WORE CALVIN KLEIN OBSESSION. I don't think I can ever wear these scents again, as it was for that time in my life, and not for now.

Going forward to 2018, I like Jean Paul Gaultier. I wore this before and I feel beautiful in it. What scent do you feel beautiful in? That's key?

Jenni NZ: I love Anais Anais~ I have a small bottle which I take when travelling. Thx for sharing your views.

Fun Thread. My favorite perfume of all time was by Gucci and is discontinued *insert crying emoji* It was the only perfume I have ever used down to the last drop. It was a perfume I probably DID wear for an entire year. Now, I really like the original Marc Jacobs Eau de perfum

Marble: which one was it?

I find perfume fragrance such a fascinating topic. When we travelled last, hubby bought me Armani Si in the duty free. I wore it exclusively for our trip and to this day it reminds me of this time in my life, going to son's college graduation it was.
I love and have loved Jean Paul Gaultier classic. It is a scent that has outlasted all my events in my life and is my signature scent I think. I lovw it so much.

It is so strange how scents are tied to a memory. I find this to be totally true. But, if you had to say which one scent defines YOU, to the core, what would it be? Mine is Jean Paul Gaultier.

Echoing Violette, my mother taught me nothing. When I was younger and malls were a thing, the Dragon Ladies in the cosmetics departments were terrifying, either freaking me out by spraying everything in sight or by their obvious disdainful sizing up of my meager pocketbook. The result is I know nothing. Now that I do everything by mail because of where I live, how might I begin to learn something about fragrance? Are these subscription sample services worth trying?

Rambling Ann: great question! Just try to find what totally turns you on, makes you go: "ahhhh I love that scent".....it's so amazing when you find that! No I would not do the mail sampling. I would simply visit the mall when you can, look at the beautiful bottles, does one catch your eye? Smell it, spray it on, walk around a bit, does it make you feel awesome? and feminine? Something about my fragrance of choice, it makes me feel so feminine and soft, and luscious. It makes me feel beautiful when I spray it on, I love the bottle, and it's a joy to look at on my dresser. I think the visual of a product is equally as important as the actual product,, which is why I love Chanel skincare. It makes me so happy to see the bottles on my vanity. Totally. It's such a joy to me, using a beautiful pink skin toner, in a gorgeous bottle.

I grew up in a family with a brother who was highly allergic (church was a nightmare for him - perfumes, aftershave, incense, furs, etc. ) and others who were scent-sensitive. Some scents make me sneeze and my nose run, but I do appreciate scents.

My personal products are scent free for the most part, but I use Johnson's Baby Lotion, and make bath bombs scented with lavender and lemon. I don't think any smell from these products lingers in my skin, however.

Are there any perfumes out there that could be described as 'astringent'? I think that is a scent that I would be drawn to.

As an aside - I knew DH was 'the one' because he smelled good!

I agree, scents are tied to memories and phases in life. But are they also tied to fashion?

When I was 14, I took French lessons with a woman who I thought was extremely chic She wore a beautiful perfume. I did not dare to ask what it was. My French is virtually non existent, but I still remember how I admired that perfume. I do not know, if I would recognize it today though.

In the early 90ies, I wore Lou Lou by Cacharel. I loved it then. Today, not so much. Later, I fell in love with YSL Cinema. Today, I have tried it again and I do not like wearing it. I do not know why. It simply does not smell right to me. I wonder if it is the phases in life or how the personal style evolves, which cause the change of heart, or if it also depends on the changes in fashion. Are some perfumes true classics and others become dated? And if so, what defines a true classic? And are we different in whether we follow the fashion (consciously or subconsciously)?

I love the concept of a signature scent, I would love to have one. I just do not seem to stick with any “signature” perfume long enough. I am probably not the signature kind of woman

I agree Katerina. Some of us aren't the "signature" kind, for perfume. For me, I change too much in some ways to even want that. I move on in life. I'm not saying those who have a "signature" perfume don't move on, I'm sure they do. But it's not for me. I like trying variations on things I've liked in the past, in fashion, in interiors, in perfumes. Like an evolution not a revolution.

I've lost track of who has posted what, but...

Chanel Coromandel... where have I been? I hadn't heard of this fragrance, but the comments on Fragantica make me think I might really like this scent. Except that it has jasmine, which is sometimes a headache trigger for me.

I always liked the scent of Chanel No. 5 on others, but when I wear it, I feel like something goes horribly wrong...

I discovered Angel in 2007 and was obsessed with it for several years. I went through two bottles, and then I found Angel Rose, from the Garden of Stars, and used a bottle and a half. Then one day I woke up and suddenly felt like it wasn't my fragrance anymore. It felt immature and girlish on me. Every once in awhile I'll try a spray of Angel Rose, but I feel like I've moved on from it.

A former co-worker gave me a sample of Alien after I commented how nice she smelt. I really like it, but it alternates between being scrumptious and having a floral note that's a potential migraine trigger.

I've been wearing Enchanted Forest for four years now, and have not tired of it yet. I love it, but it's a little heavy for very hot weather.

A couple of years ago, I stopped in at the Tom Ford shop at the Aria in Vegas, and the lovely lady there gave me several samples. I liked Noir de Noir but when I wore it, well.. I wound up writing a somewhat chagrined review on Fragantica in the comments section. Noir de Noir, as it turns out, smells super when it's layered with Oud Wood.

Two really great perfume resources: Fragantica, for research, reference, perfume reviews, and shopping links to assorted vendors. And I've ordered samples from Lucky Scent, they arrive quickly, seem reasonably priced, and you know you're getting the genuine product to sample.

I found my sample of "Back to Black" by Kilian and wore it today, with mixed feelings. I loved it, until we were driving in heavy traffic and I got a little carsick. Then I found it cloying. Then I got 'back on dry land', had a settling meal, and now I find I can't stop sniffing my wrists. The fragrance is a bit masculine, though.

I adore scent, and feel it is wonderful to associate a fragrance with a time in one's life, a season, a passage, a discovery, a transformation, etc. I once was someplace and I almost threw up with such an awful fragrance. I think it was Angel by Mugler. Or Alien. It was horrible.
I have bought a new Swarokski Item with every event in my life. I also change my perfume too. However, I seem to come back to Jean Paul Gaultier. I love it~! My second favorite is Dahlia Davin my Givenchy.
I love hearing about Chanel Coromndel. Have never heard of this one.
Katerina: I recall Lou Lou by Cacherel. And yes Anais Anais, love that too~

It would be hard for me to stick to just one fragrance for an entire year. I have a large wardrobe of scents--modern, classic, and vintage--and I think of them as expressive accessories that connect with the season, weather, occasion, and my mood. But this is fantasy, so I'll pick a perfume that I can't afford to wear every day for a year: Amouage Gold, a soft, rich, sophisticated floral that I would apply lavishly if it weren't so madly expensive.
Funny about the Chanel #5/MIL connection. My sweet mother-in-law wore it, too, and she smelled marvelous in it. Once, when I walked into a department store with my daughter, then about 3, she stopped near the Chanel counter and said, "I smell Grandma!"

lisa p, oh that's awesome! I gave my mom a collection of Margot Elena soaps and hand lotions and bubble baths for Christmas this year, and she loved them. Unfortunately, after trying a couple, I've found that I'm very allergic to the lip balms, which is a shame because the scent and texture are great. I've tried a handful of the Dark perfumes that came in a sampler pack and like them all (and looooove a couple, including Bulletproof); I'll check out Dead Sexy for sure.

tulle: haven;t heard of Amouage gold. That is such a cute memory your sweet daughter smelling her grandma. I think after the war WWII, women felt they have been so deprived for so long, so they bought Chanel No. 5 which was the most popular scent of the day back then. To me it smells hideous. My MIL was not an attractive woman at all, she was tough as nails, wore sweatshirts, never a drop of makeup, but she wore that.
My favorite aunt wore Estee Lauder.
My favorite employer and friend wore Tabu
My favorite gal I looked up to fashion and beauty wise wore Paris by YSL.

My Mom wore Clinique
Scents have such amazing power

SOOO your one year perfume is:/???

Has anyone smelled Chanel Beige? I've been wanting to try this one.

This is such a great thread. La Belle--Thanks for the great suggestions! I need to shop for a new fragrance, but I find trying them in stores to be too slow--one per day...hard to compare over time...lack of candor/knowledge from salespeople. Then I read the chapter on fragrance in Women in Clothes became absolutely paralyzed with what my perfume might be saying about me--I was sure I made the most obvious, trite, and unsophisticated choice possible (yikes!) Now I am stuck and find making a choice too hard. I wore Chanel Nbr. 5 for a while...moved on to Chance...haven't has a scent for a while but I tend to like crisp "summer linen" type of scents.

I'm really allergic to orris root, a perfume fixative. And my mother wore Shalimar by the quart, making me shy away from orientals for life --so I shouldn't love perfume but I do, and keep several beautiful bottles around! Wearing it, though, is something else. I gravitate toward the greens and a few white florals. Mind over matter (plus allergy meds) I've managed to wear Chanel #19 from the 1970s to today, Joy for funerals, Chanel #22, and lately Marni Rose, with its peppery and strange alliances.

OK Violette, if I can't have my fantasy, I'll choose one from my dressing table! If it's to be worn all year, it must have enough complexity to unfold on warm skin in Winter, yet stay fresh and not turn icky in hot weather. It must be appropriate to all occasions, or no occasion, and consistently lift my mood. Once that might have been Caleche by Hermes, but Caleche no longer smells like its former self. Now Hermes Eau des Merveilles, a slightly salty, bitter orange scent fits the bill, so I'll choose that. It's one I buy over and over.

For those who wonder how to try new scents: small samples, often available from large cosmetic & fragrance online emporia, and sometimes from the perfume manufacturers themselves, are a great way to test. Sometimes they are free, sometimes there is a small charge. Perfumes change on the skin over time, and scents that smell terrific after a spritz in a store can turn out to be what parfumistas call "scrubbers" later at home. Happy hunting!

Pi by givenchy. Pour homme (the men's version. That stuff is divine.

I'm sensitive to most perfumes, but whatever it is that Crabtree and Evelyn do differently, their products don't bother me. My favorite was called India Hicks Island Living Spider Lily. It has since been renamed but not reformulated and renamed Caribbean Island Wild Flowers. There is some technical reason that the Crabtree scents don't linger on clothing, and whatever that reason is, it makes them work for me....

Edited to say that I just noticed the comment about orris root. I'm quite sure that it is my problem. Thanks.

You lost me at “ hideous” - twice now - and at “ an unattractive woman “ etc . Let’s be positive and kind .

I hope we can say “no, not for me” in a way that doesn’t insult those who LIKE those scents!

This is a tough choice as I enjoy perfume. Current top favorites include Chanel Coromandel (wore to my wedding a few months ago), Fendi Theorema (discontinued many years before I started playing with perfume), Kenzo Jungle L’Elephant, Slumberhouse Kiste, and Papillon Dryad (an indie release this year that reminds me of Mitsouko, and that I find easier to wear than Mitsouko is for me.) Also wearing a lot of L’Artisan Safran Troublant, which is fleeting but so, so soft and lovely like a whisper. I also really love SJP Stash, ELDO Like This, and several Serge Lutens perfumes as top favorites.

For the purposes of this prompt, I’m picking Coromandel as the most versatile AND one that is tied to an extremely important, happy memory.

I've never worn a lot of perfume, maybe because my mom never did. I'm also sensitive to scents and so am concerned that I might give a headache to others by wearing a fragrance. Maybe I'm overthinking things, LOL.

I'm also like the ladies who commented that they can't stick with a single fragrance--I have noticed that with essential oils, I'm always feeling drawn to something different, with the previously loved oil smelling awful or sickly sweet or what-have-you. So I'm reluctant to invest much time or money in perfume right now. Maybe someday...I'd love to have a few fragrances that feel like "me."

I love Chanel No 5. Unfortunately, I can not wear perfume because it causes migranes. I have not figured out which ones are migraine triggers but I know some are.
If I could wear perfume I would wear Femme du Bois by Shiseido.
I wore this in the 90s and I have not seen it in years. I just googled it and it is available. I am going to look for it.

The composition opens with spicy accords of ginger and cinnamon, combined with the woodsy elegance of cedar wood. The heart reveals the abundance of fruity and feminine floral notes; peach, plum, orange blossom, violets, spices. The base unites cedar, vanilla, sandalwood, benzoin, musk and cinnamon.

Jenni NZ thanks for the pointer to scentmap.com!

I looked for my fav perfume (Hanae Mori Butterfly) and another one I've liked from a sample (Tori Burch) and the site does not list either one in their "choose your current scent" list. I'll still go back and check it out again. "