I'm happy to report that I have found a perfume oil blend that does ton bother my son. It's called Persian Garden, and I'm not sure what it is a blend of, but it's rather light and floraly.

I love to read about perfume even though I am horrid at describing scents myself.

I'm loyal to Jo Malone and I suppose I prefer simple blends or single notes.
The JM Grapefruit is closest to a "signature" but I also wear Lime Basil and Mandarin in warm weather and have five others I use sometimes.
It's a great collection for layering and building your own scent.

My husband has given me several bottle sof Bobbi Brown Bath - very similar to Clean fragrance if you know that one. He likes the scent of soap and "clean" I guess and it is a good work scent.

Oh! Fabulous Khris. Enjoy :0)

Everyone's scent choices are different and signature. That's fab.

So what do people like to have wafting around in their homes? I spray Cucina lime zest and cypress and my scented candles are usually citrusy. Sometimes I buy twin Jasmine and Rose candles to burn just for fun.

I do not wear anything for the time being (for some reason it makes me feel silly...not that it is silly for anyone else...I'm just insecure about being a grownup I guess--oh, and I could not afford it).

But as for homes, I vary by season. In winter I like warm, spicy scents like cinnamon. In summer, I prefer citrusy, crisp scents. I have noticed that the way a place smells can really affect my internal thermostat.

OMG Angie, burning the Jasmine & Rose candles is adorable

I like Orange Honey right now in the house.

So Angie, do you call your babies Rozie and Jazie...I wonder what people call their pets because I have pet names ...for my pets:)

I currently have some mango/tangerine scented Partylite candles that smell awesome. They are very strong, so I keep the extra candles in a plastic bag and in a drawer and get a waft of the scent every time the drawer opens. But it makes my room smell great and fresh.

Pier 1 used to make a really wonderful reed diffuser scent that my family and I loved in our house - I think it was Zanzibar Clove? - but they seem to have discontinued it.

I call my kitty by every name conceivable except for the name I gave her (Toulouse). My current pick is Minou (affectionate name for a cat in French, but can also mean something bad....not unlike "pussycat"...).

But the way *I* heard it in France was totally innocent!

We seem to now have 3 conversations going on at once in this thread :p

I do the same Maya, One of my cats looks *exactly* like your Toulouse. Her name is Lexi, but I don't think she knows her name...I never use it...same thing with my other kitty Gracie...Does she respond to Minou.?

Sweet!

Taylor, our girls get called everything under the sun. Generically, here it goes: booboos, babies, baby girls, little things, onezie, twozie, angels from heaven.

Specifically Rosie: Lozzie, lambie-bambie, complex cutie, little loz, lamb, little naughtiness.

Specifically Jasmine: Jazzie, Jazzie-belle, pudding, simple sweetie, little sweet thing. Okay I’ll stop.

I am literally smiling and giggling...I love it...we do the same:)

I don't really use home scents because I think my nose gets used to them really quickly and I stop smelling them. I always keep a lavender scent of some kind in my bedroom (usually lavender oil in a diffuser). If I had unlimited funds, I'd have Diptyque candles at home. Yum.

I call my kittie Big Blue (because he has beautiful and mesmerizing blue eyes), Babe, Cream Puff, Piglet (because he purrs loudly whenever he demands something), Diva (self explanatory).

Angie, thanks for sharing Rosie and Jasmine's nicknames.

Returning to scents, my grandmother used jasmine scented soap between folded bed sheets. I still associate that smell with fresh bedding.

We like to burn incense sticks at home. We like to try different kinds, but we always come back to cinnamon, sandalwood or some mood scents like relaxation or awareness.

I <3 silver tuxedo cats. They always look so stylish

I have found that most of my nicknames for my kitty have an "oo" sound in them, so I will often extend that sound when I call her (i.e. Loooooooooocy, Minooooooooou). It's that "oooooo" she will respond to. Not always though. Sometimes I can see her ears perk up and her head turn, but she will completely ignore me and go back to sleep...which is fine too :p

If she is being naughty I have several affectionate-but-unflattering nicknames for her, like fuzzbutt and furbag. I also call her, alternately, purrosaurus and snorosaurus, depending on which sounds are coming from her at the time.

My dad and I also have names for all of her "poses": snake pose, loaf, half moon, upward and downward cat (when she stretches), owl. She is a natural yogini

I've been looking for a signature scent for several years now and I FINALLY found one! Diasy, by Marc Jacobs. It's a light floral with citrus undertones. It's absolutely PERFECT for my lifestyle and personality. I hope that it continues to make me smile every time I smell it.

Lena, we do need a special handshake!! How great it is to find another perfume lover here!!

Estee Lauder's old Azuree - wow, your description sounds like a perfume I would love! Going to search for it on theperfumedcourt asap ... I did try Tom Ford's "Moss Breches", and it was really lovely. Of course, after I finished that tiny sample I wanted more, but they didn't have it anymore

I love Daim Blond, it is a great dry leathery scent, but for some reason it is very very quiet on me, almost imperceptible, and I do prefer my perfumes to be a little bit stronger (not overpowering, just stronger). I wear it to bed, because I can smell it better when I am all wrapped in a blanket

For Mitsouko - did you try the EDT or EDP? I compared, and EDP is a lot lovelier than EDT (and a lot more expensive ...)

I love 28 La Pausa, and also the No. 18. And what about No.22 ? Isn't it amazing? Oh, and I was using Bois des Iles obsessively until I ran out of all samples (I ordered them one after another), and the last time I went to theperfumedcourt to get my Bois des Iles fix I found out they are out of it I need to check again ...

I also have Sisley's "Eau du Soir" - got it on some crazy sale, usually it is so expensive. I like it, but it doesn't grab me the way 31 Rue Cambon does. It is hard to explain, but you know - some perfumes you just keep sniffing and wanting to apply every day, and some you appreciate but they don't sweep you off your feet. In this "appreciate but not madly in love with" category I also have Hermes' "24 Faubourg" - it is a really really classy and refined chypre.

Serge Lutens' perfumes are definitely not discreet. It is hard not to notice the scent when you are wearing it. I love "Bois Vanille", especially in the winter (also finished my sample lately ...). I also love "Miel de Bois", though from the reviews it is a highly controversial scent. There are a lot of people that claim that it smells of urine. In particular, Bois de Jasmin hates it. I guess it is all about skin chemistry - somehow I never get these animalistic undertones. On me it just smells like it is supposed to - like a really rich and not too sweet honey. Again, only for winter use, IMHO.

I love Pacifica soy candles... right now I have tea rose and bergamot rose. I often come back to good old vanilla, though. And I love to use essential oil blends in a diffuser from Saje, a local company. I like fresh herbal, citrus and floral things (jasmine, rose, basil, bergamot, geranium, that kind of thing). Anything too spicy or oriental makes my allergies flare up. I love lavendar, too.

Angie, I love your jasmine and rose candles!

Yes, Pacifica soy candles are great. I like the fig one.

Hannah, Azuree is fab if you like that scent category, and it's pretty strong, too (like most old Estee Lauder scents. I'm so grateful they are keeping them around and not discontinuing them).

Have you tried Aromatics Elixir by Clinique? From what I've read online, it's very much hit or miss on people. I think I'm lucky because it agrees with my skin chemistry. I just have to dab it on instead of spraying (strong stuff!). It's a herbal floral chypre (notes: Rose, Jasmine, Oakmoss, Vetiver. Other lists include Patchouli, Musk, Amber, Sandalwood). I love it for autumn. Hee, Rose and Jasmine - Angie are you reading?

Daim Blond is also pretty quiet on me. Another Serge Lutens I sort of like is Iris Silver Mist. And Rousse is kind of fun (sweet cinammon) and low sillage.

Mitsouko. I splurged on a *tiny* parfum sample last holiday season. And it's not working out so far I've read that Guerlains are at their best in EDP or parfum concentrations. I can't wait to try a parfum Shalimar.

I haven't tried No.22 yet. It's on my LONG sample wish list. One day.

Thanks for reminding me about "24 Faubourg". I really like it in theory and wish it worked on my skin. First time I tried it on in very hot weather (at a Nordies counter) it bloomed on me and totally blew me away with its elegance. And it was the first chypre that didn't give me a headache and drill holes in my sinuses. I couldn't stop sniffing my arm that whole day. And it never ever did that again (after I got a full bottle of EDP). But I keep trying nevertheless. Like you said, I appreciate it intellectually but am not in love.

I'm not familiar with Miel de Bois. Rich and not too sweet honey sounds very intriguing. I'm glad it works on you. Speaking of animalistic, I have L'Artisan's Dzing on my sample wish list. A lot of people say it smells like the circus. I'm always game for trying bizarre and weird combos.

I haven't worn conventional perfumes in 9 years, since changing my diet and lifestyle.

When I wear scents, it's usually a natural perfume or an essential oil blend. I generally go for the earthy, exotic scents.

Currently, I moisturize with organic coconut oil, which smells incredible.

I also use a blend of lavender and frankincense essential oils...very relaxing and grounding.

I recently purchased Scent of Samadhi (clove oil, red sandalwood, tulsi oil, rose oil, cardamom oil) from my ayurvedic esthetician and I'm hooked. My husband loves it too. I'll mix a pinch of the powder with a carrier oil, like coconut, and use it as a body moisturizer. Mmmmm...

Now I'm curious. I won't be buying anything any time soon but I'm interested in people's input:

There are two kinds of scents I like: One is crisp, refreshing, cool, watery or citrusy. The other is sweet and a tiny bit spicy, like vanilla, sugar cookies, caramel, and cinnamon. I do not really like floral scents (though I don't mind if they are secondary), and I really don't like musky scents.

What recommendations do you olfactologists have in mind?

Wow, I LOVE this thread! Perfume is one of my favorite things to talk and read about!

Maya, are you looking for perfumes or stuff for your home?

Since it came up, I call my cat Chesire, "Devil Cat," "Demon cat," (when he's quite naughty and bites or chases the other cat, or tears around the apartment like he's possessed) or "Cheshironi" (if he's being good). I call my other cat, Pluto, "Plutonium," or "Sweet Kittie." I call both cats "Meow Meow" or "Meowmers."

Maya--do you like crossovers between those two categories? One of my other current favorites is Le Petit Prince eau de toilette. I think it's made for kids, possibly european, and to my nose, it smells like lemon-flavored sugar--almost like Froot Loops, in the best possible way. Lemon's hard, I find, because it can go to that Lemon-Pledge place really quickly, but Le Petit Prince is all of the sweetness and tartness of lemon without any of the floor-cleaner associations.

I know Fresh makes a "Lemon Sugar" or "Sugar Lemon" or similar, but I don't find it to be anywhere nearly as successful as Le Petit Prince.

For other citruses, though, Fresh is definitely worth a spritz. I like Hesperides, but it's a little bit more floral and perfume-y than something like Le Petit Prince.

Another gourmand (sugar-cookie-style) you might like is Lostmarc'h Lann-Ael. It's this beautiful sweet gourmand that doesn't have any of the artificiality or burnt-sticky-candy notes of something like Aquolina's Pink Sugar.

A lower price point might be something like TokyoMilk's Honey and the Moon, another sweet gourmand.

The warmest perfumes I know are Hermessence Ambre Narguile (a bakery, lots of cinnamon, with smoke layered somewhere in the middle) and Comptoir Sud Pacifique Amour de Cacao (chocolate, vanilla, a smidge of orange, all layered over a powdery base. Smells like a wooly sweater feels). I can't wear either one during the summer, but they're perfect for when the weather sharpens up.

For clean/fresh scents, Clean's Warm Cotton really smells like that perfect batch of clean laundry. It's similar to Demeter's Laundromat, but it smells more like clothes-out-of-the-dryer, and Laundromat is clothes-out-of-the-washer.

I also love love love love love Philosophy's Baby Grace, but that's not quite a citrus or marine fresh scent--but it's definitely fresh, just in a different way. Worth a spritz if you're in a Sephora.

You also might like the Bulgari tea fragrances--white tea and green tea, specifically. Very light and very fresh. There might be some musk basenotes, though, so that might not work.

I've been addicted to CK 'Be' for for at least 5 years...I had an old roommate who was obsessed with perfumes and she's always make fun of me for my lone bottle of 'masculine' scent...in comparison with her multitude of girly florals....and i was half amused/half exasperated when my ex forgot cologne on the day of his graduation and borrowed my perfume saying its a good thing i liked unisex perfumes...but in spite of everything this is the one scent that i've stuck with. i'd love to find something lighter for the summer.....or sexier for nights out....but everything that i've tried seems too cloying, or too girly and...i give up... =/

p.s. Clinique's aromatic elixir is forever my 'mom' scent....

Angie, I was talking about perfume (though as I mentioned, I won't be getting any any time soon).

Dash--wow, thanks so much for that in depth response! You really know your stuff. I hadn't thought about mixing the two before. For home scents, I tend to coordinate with the season, and I guess that's what would end up happening with personal scents. Warmer, sugary, spicy scents for winter and crisp cool scents for summer...but maybe if I combined them I could go year round

I sometimes browse through fragrance sections at places like Sephora and Anthropologie but my nose gets confused easily. Like after a few spritzes I can't seem to smell anything anymore, or the scents just start to get mixed up in my nose. It's very odd and makes it a little confusing. I am also prone to headaches so I can only do it for short bursts of time and I absolutely CANNOT shop in a candle store like Yankee Candle Co without my head pounding away.

I remember when I was little my mom used to give me little samples she got and rollerball perfumes for me to play around with. I have never taken much interest in fragrance since then. I guess I am just very picky and don't like most.

Has anyone smelled this before? The description sounds intriguing.

http://www.sephora.com/browse/.....inate=true

I love the sound of Le Petit Prince!

My cat's name is Gak, and he gets called Gak Bauer (like Jack Bauer from 24), Gakker, the Gakinator, Cranky Bastard, Crank Bauer, Fats, Fats Bauer, Good One, Little Guy, Little Buddy, and Chubs.

Maya, if you have a Sephora nearby, try "Crazylibellule and the Poppies" solid perfumes. They may have something fun in the categories you mentioned. I'm also going to think about some crossovers with citrus and sweet spice. Dash gave you some great suggestions, too.

Ana and Brianna, I love your cat names. I'm cracking up reading them

Also, Sephora may have Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca. It's citrusy and herbal, no sweetness or spice. And Pamplelune (grapefruit something rather with vanilla. People either love it or hate it). The others are mostly floral, I think. It's a good line if you're looking for relatively light scents.

Maya, Sephora is great for fragrance because the salespeople generally leave you alone and don't push. And they will make you a free sample of anything they have (same goes for Nordies). I generally don't trust how perfume smells on paper. I also suggest you test it extensively before you commit to a full bottle.

Maya, Sephora also should have Kenzo Amour (it's not on the website right now Maybe they took it off for summer season. I always see it in stores, however.) The bottle alone makes me drool.

To me it's a very pleasant unobtrusive comfort scent. Vanilla rice pudding is a good description. It's supposed to have a light floral opening - I don't remember it. It also has a musk basenote, but I can't tell you how prevalent it is because they normally don't bother me. Musk is a very common base note, it's hard to avoid it.

Official note list: cherry blossom, rice steam, white tea, frangipani, heliotrope, thanaka wood, incense, vanilla and musk.

Alright, one more before I take a breather.

How about L'Artisan's Ananas Fizz. Sweet pineapple. http://www.luckyscent.com/shop....._Fizz.html It's on my sample wishlist, so I can't vouch for it yet.

Thanks Lena! That pineapple one sounds fab (I <3 pineapple). This is why I am so picky about perfumes I guess...the muskiness just bugs me...

When I was in high school I used to use body splashes from Bath and Body works. Wearing perfume in high school was just a lame idea, but a body splash was totally appropriate. I always liked the fruity ones like country apple and cucumber melon, so I could definitely see myself wearing a fruity fragrance in a more adult version.

I keep swearing once I find a stable job I will head out to Sephora and do some makeup shopping. Might have to add fragrance shopping to the list too.