Such a fun thread! I love talking perfume too, even though I no longer wear one daily, or even on every occasion. (Migraines change your life, and then change it again every few years, or so it seems!)
And no, I don't have a single favourite. It depends on occasion and mood.
High-five, Christieanne! We have quite a few in common --- the Jo Malones are both favourites of mine, though I wear them the OTHER way around! Grapefruit for summer, Lime Basil & Mandarin in winter (because, well, those are winter herbs and fruit here in India, while grapefruits remind me of the Mediterranean possibly due to some buried childhood breakfast memory implanted at sea). AND my university years mostly smelt of alternately White Musk and (am I *mad* they discontinued this!) Vanilla Fields.
I have a weakness for vanilla and roses when my mood (or migraine) needs lifting, and at other times enjoy a little citrus and green (including the edge of sap in lily of the valley and violets), plus musky or sandalwood bases.
My first ever day perfume, gifted to me as a child, was Avon's Roses, Roses, in a green frog-shaped decanter --- still have it, and love it! The one I used up faster was Sweet Honesty, many times over. At school, I stole Dad's Brut! (I still like some men's perfumes a lot) before graduating to Poison.
My travel bag has contained a sample size J'Adore for years (and incidentally, I have a champaca tree in full flower by my front gate just now!).
Since Jo Malone is not available locally, I've run out of those. Current daytime favourite: just ran through several bottles of Little White Dress and have transitioned to a local oil-based itr (or attar) called Gili Mitti ('Damp Earth', smells like rain), which is apt with all the hailstorms we're having. Current special-occasion eveningwear favourite: Angel. Most days my sandalwood-blended body oil and vanilla-scented beeswax lip balm (both from small local enterprises) are scent enough.
Interestingly, my mother's taste has always been more steadfast than mine, and is quite different from mine too. We only stand together in not using a daily fragrance, and that's a fairly recent development. L'Air du Temps and Femme will always make me think of her, though the formulations *have* changed. And my still-unopened first birthday gift from my parents is a bottle of Miss Balmain --- I'm rather afraid to open it and find it has turned to vinegar!
