My three friends and myself are headed to the Galleria in Dallas to shop next weekend. I want to test out some of the Jo Malone perfumes while we are there. No stores in Oklahoma sell it apparently. I like spicier in winter also and light and clean in warmer months.

Chanel #19, although the formula has changed since it first debuted almost 40 years ago. The vintage EDP is the one I love, but it's hard to find....sigh.

"Ellen Tracy" by Ellen Tracy is a lovely scent, which can be worn year-round. I like it the most in warmer months because it doesn't get hidden under heavier garments.

Narcisso Rodriguez For Her is the scent I wear when it's dark and stormy, bone-chillingly frigid or when I want to feel enveloped in warmth. It reminds me of coastal Maine in the off-months.

On occasion I wear Clinique's "Aromatic Elixir", but I spray it and do a "walk-through" in the mist, otherwise it's too pungent for me. The dry-down after about an hour is wonderful so I make sure I put it on at least an hour prior to leaving the house.

This is a fun thread, Bumblebeez. Love reading about everyone's favorites. Enjoying a nice fragrance is such an uplifting sensory experience!

When I was about 12 years old, I remember telling an elderly neighbor how delightful she always smelled!
She said, "When you get to be an old lady, nice perfume and good jewelry are the most important accessories."

Maybe she was on to something!

My question was more about choices than time of season.

Twice yesterday I felt assaulted by someone's fragrance choice ... while shopping and later dining at a restaurant. I think until you've experienced that you can't possibly be aware what a sensory irritation is created by some scents ... allergies and medical conditions aside.

Update--I received a sample and loved it, so ordered and just received yesterday I think my newest favorite:

Orange Sanguine by Atelier, with a higher oil concentration

"Cologne Absolue concentrated at 15%.
Top notes: blood orange, bitter orange
Heart notes: jasmine, geranium from South Africa
Base notes: amber woods, tonka beans, sandalwood"

I have a few favorites too -

"I think until you've experienced that you can't possibly be aware what a sensory irritation is created by some scents..."

I get exactly what you mean. There is a revered fragrance (that shall remain nameless lest I insult) that overwhelms me. Everyone who wears it seems to spritz at least two sprays past the sensory limit. My GF and I knew a woman who wore it (swathed herself in it, actually). We nicknamed the scent "Eau de Yarde Guarde".

Wow, shaun! Now, which one is your favorite out of all those?

I remember hearing years ago that one's sense of smell often dulls as one gets older, and the reason older women often are over-perfumed is because they put it on until THEY can smell it, which is way too much for others around them. I never spray scent on me, but rather in the air around me. ONE burst.

And, I agree with msrose. These threads always send me to the department store.
Dee

I'm so glad to see your perfume cabinet , Shaun, it's a thing of beauty !!!

demifloyd, I ordered some Bigelow Lemon , also the cream; can't wait to get it.

Natal, I agree about strong scents in restaurants should be avoided, they can be really annoying; my ex DIL wore a perfume that was very overbearing,
and even more so when we ate out together.

Dee, that makes sense. If I'm around someone who's is wearing a heavy scent I get an asthma attack, with the cough beginning first. Thankfully it doesn't happen often because I think most women have become aware of "less is more."

That being said, I have to confess I bought a small bottle of Georgio for old time's sake and I love it!

I recently gave away two bottles of perfume. At the end of last year I bought C. #5 and it just didn't smell good on me like it did in the store. I gave it to my SIL who literally started crying because it's her favorite and she hasn't been able to buy any lately.

For Christmas I received a Bottle of "Grace" by Philosopy which is my DIL's favorite, so I gave it to her. I don't work outside the home so I don't want them to go to waste.

Heh, I just noticed I have my little bottle of Georgio sitting here on my desk. I love wearing perfume around the house at times because it cheers me up!

MsRose, I love them all!

Hi Mitch!!

demifloyd - Did you buy Bigelow Lemon at Bath & Body Works? Their website shows they carry it, but I was wondering if it's available in the stores also?

Yes, that's where I buy it.
They have a sale several times a year, buy one get 50% off the second one. It is available in the stores, usually in the very back shelves.

I also bought the Lemon Lotion by Bigelow but do not like it at all--it smells more like lemon cleaning products and is not a very rich lotion.

Actually, the Watkins Lemon Creme in a jar I prefer--it smells sort of like a lemon pound cake.

But the Bigelow Lemon perfume is just wonderful--not "food" and not "cleaning" just nice, classy and light lemon fragrance.

I haven't read any of the replies (about to head out the door) and have resisted reading this thread since I am allergic to perfume. It gives me an instant migraine. So please take into consideration those you will be around when you apply. Nothing used to make me madder than picking up my sister, only to get an headache within minutes after she got in the car. I honestly don't hang around with her much now - partly due to her perfume usage.

At our favorite BBQ place, one of our waiters wears a perfume that smells sickeningly sweet - like what you would associate a much older women wearing. I've yet to say anything to her, but we don't request her anymore. I've been thinking about sending in an email to the manager making the suggestion she not wear to work.

Allison, you will have to remind me.
I know I remember some of the time, don't know if I always have. ;)

Mitchdesi, I didn't see your post before I posted back to msrose--I hope you have a little better luck with the lemon lotion than I did, it's okay but just not nearly as good as the perfume. I hope you do love the lemon, I get compliments , usually from younger people and men (that's good, right?) and I do not detect it on me, so I know it's light.

lol Just back to read this and see it was brought up early on.

Demifloyd, you have never worn anything that sent my head spinning. I would have told you! ;) Anything fruit or spice scented is okay. It's the strong or sweet (flower?) scents that send me over the edge.

That said, only paperwhites are too strong for me in the house. Other cut flowers are fine. I love the smell of vanilla and cinnamon is a favorite (love walking by the scented pinecones at Christmas time).

No big deal Demi, I'll let you know how I find the lotion; I was looking for a light lemon spritz to stretch my Spring Fever , which is also light.

I've been using Laura Mercier's Almond and Coconut body cream; sometimes that's all the scent I'll wear; I might reapply more around my neck during the day.

I also wore Pink Sugar by Aquolina for a while; I love the bath products.
It smels a bit like cotton candy with something else I can't define, it's not sickenly sweet, it's light. Fragrance X has good prices on it, it's a good website to check out for scents and their shipping is prompt, I've used them many times. Their prices for Pink Sugar was 25 to 30% less than Sephora.

I don't change my scent with the seasons. I prefer to have a few scents that are "me". I also don't like heavy scents.

Allison, I cannot bear paperwhites. Their scent is just sickenly sweet to me.

I have a relative who is made very ill by certain scents. She was afraid to come to my mom's service because of this and opted to just come to the graveside. She has to be very careful. It is sad that she is so effected. I am thankful not to be as I LOVE scent, on me, in my home, etc.

tina

I don't get a "sweet" smell from paperwhites ... it's more like cat urine.

I love paperwhites but sometimes find the scent overpowering if I have a big pot of them.

They are beautiful Bumble. I love to look at them, but cannot have them in the house. To me, it is a funeral flower sweet type smell.

tina

I don't know what happened to me, I could wear perfume up into my late 20s. Then the problems with fragrances hit. Bizarre. If I walked down a detergent aisle I'd get a headache. My sister was using an exceptionally strong fabric softener when her kids were small. They'd spend the night, want their 'blankies' in bed with us, I'd lay there waiting till the tots zonked out and couldn't get those blankets out of the room fast enough. (I also kept their little kidlet suitcase out of the bedroom. They slept in my too small souvenir shirts & loved that, fit like long dresses on them and they liked to pick their favorite picture on the front.) Exposed to strong enough fragrance in close proximity and like Allison, instant migraine that lands me on a couch in a dark room for a good 12-24 hours. :/ I had to switch over to FF everything, from laundry soap to cosmetics. (For anyone who has to watch, a little FYI, 'unscented' is not necessarily FF. Unscented products commonly contain 'masking fragrance'.)

I have noticed in recent years I'm able to tolerate natural oils in products as long as they aren't overpowering, I can wear this in light doses and it suits my taste (fresh, light).

Which leads me to a mini-rant. This reaction forced me to become a religious label reader. Why do manufacturers feel the need to put fragrance in everything? I know why, but if you think about it, the average human is covered head (shampoo/conditioner) to toe (deodorant, lotion, fabric softener) in scents. Then add perfume on top of it, it all just seems like one giant fragrance cat fight. ;)

Do want to say that so many have mentioned here they consider those around them. That is so generous and considerate. I remember a woman at work, back when I was in a large office building. She wore a lot of a very heavy scent. It lingered in the hall a good 10 minutes after she walked by. My office door faced that hall, holy cow... Even office perfume wearers commented it was a bit much. It's really hard to describe migraine pain if one hasn't experienced it. (I usually say 'remember your worst hangover, then multiply times 10'). Anyway, it's admirable and without a doubt those around you that are sensitive are very appreciative!

I thought it was just my 'smeller', but have to agree the smell of Paperwhites is very close to that of cat urine. The first time I noticed it was in a department store, and thought one of my cats had peed on my clothes, but discovered it was one of the fragrances. ;o)

Which leads me to a mini-rant. This reaction forced me to become a religious label reader. Why do manufacturers feel the need to put fragrance in everything?

I don't know. I have to be careful with everything. Unscented deodorant, Free & Clear clothes detergent (some detergents are just horrid) and shampoo/conditioner. If I washed my hair with something scented, I'd be sick all day.

Magazine's with perfume pages/ads. OMG. Hate those. I used to receive a bill from a locally owned store. Always had perfume ads. I called once to complain and she said they had a list for those that needed to receive non-perfume invoices.

When I go into a department store, a lot of times I have to hold my breath and walk quickly through/by the make up area. Hate the stores/level with them right by the doorway so you have to go through them.

I didn't chime in before because I don't wear perfume but I did want to add a few thoughts.

1) There was an ad on tv for one of those body sprays meant for boys. It had a young woman, dressed in a form fitting dress, standing a distance from the camera saying "I don't want to smell you here", then walking closer to the camera "or here", then leaning right into the camera and saying something along the lines of "I only want to smell you here" - meaning you'll get girls to lean in closer to you if you don't broadcast the smell from 1/2 a block away. I thought is was cleverly done, as long as the pre-teens that overdose on that stuff understood the subtlety. Bless them for trying. Once I rode a bike yards behind 2 pre-teen boys and I could barely breathe through the fog of one of those sprays. My sister used to say there wasn't much worse than driving a van full of middle school boys to a dance. Except driving them home from sports I guess.

2) I can't go into a few Hallmark stores near me because of the stench of all the Yankee candles.

3) When I first subscribed to Oprah mag, I requested my issues be perfume free. They said fine but it might take an issue until the situation is corrected. The very next issue was the December issue and it had 11 perfume sample ads!

I do feel bad that so many of you dislike perfumes and it has been an education but I'm sorry this thread has turned negative.

BB, I don't think the thread hasn't turned negative. I'm not totally against perfume (I still indulge occasionally), but there are times and places where it's not appropriate.

Something I've found interesting here is that we don't all smell scents the same. That in itself is an eye opener and a good reason to use personal scents judiciously.

Well, I was at the mall today and made sure I went to Bath and Body Works to spritz a little Bigelow Lemon on. At first it was a strong lemon scent, but now I don't really smell the lemon, just a nice pleasant fragrance. I also tried the pomegranate, but I like the lemon much better.

Yes, good writing, decorating, dressing, and hair and makeup styling, all have one thing in common; editing! Edit, edit, edit! Sometimes it's what we don't do, wear or use, that creates results that are "just right," saving us from the perils of "just too much!"

Applying a tiny dab or spritz of fragrance, not showering in it, is advisable when using any scent!

I don't think this thread is negative either; I find it makes us more aware of sensitivities to strong scents. I received the Bigelow lemon, it's very subtle and crisp, I like it, the bottle and lettering is nice. I also like the cream.

I do find the bottle to be important. I used to like Anais Anais but hated the bottle and kept it in the vanity drawer so consequently, I used it less.
Maybe I am overly sensitive to negativism these days although I also appreciate the varying perspectives.

I'm glad you like the Bigelow Lemon perfume and cream,
mitchdesj!

Guess I left some blanks not filled in. Haven't had coffee yet but will try. ;)
I like perfume, am bummed I can't wear it anymore. (It's the debilitating reaction to it that developed out of nowhere that is the problem.) I only kept one bottle, couldn't part with it, a small Chanel No 5 my father gave me when I was a girl, it has a cool glass stopper ;) It's tucked away tho, almost evaporated but has very high sentimental value.

AFA scents in everything & my mini-rant, that was mostly a direct result of frustration in not being able to find FF products easily. Fab Softener & perfume on others will bother me, cosmetic products on others generally do not. But it makes me wonder, as it did back when I wore perfume: consumers go to the trouble of finding a beloved scent that becomes part of them. But piled on top the other perfumes in products out there (and there's a ton) it must take away at some point, or alter the chemistry? Does that make sense?

Allison, you are my twin. :)

Great thread!

I know this thread isn't about men's scents, but I have never smelled one I could tolerate! I hate them, always have. All of them. But even worse, we know a couple whose scents conflict with each other. And they're only in their 40s so I can't imagine how bad it will be when they get older! I don't know how they can be together in a car or other close space. Fortunately we don't see them often, but when we do they become the topic of conversation afterwards - not only between hub and me, but everyone who knows them!

I, too, wish they would stop putting fragrance in everything and let us make our own choices! For me, that would be Channel #5 - just an ever-so-light spritz - except when I'll be around my son. He is another who has migraines triggered by scent, even the scent of certain fresh flowers.

Certainly we are all different as to what smells good to us.

I became aware of this with friend years ago...she hated my new perfume and thought it smelled old lady. When we would go shopping together she would love one candle and I another.
I really dislike Chanel #5- it represents that whole class of aromas that are a huge turn off for me. Yet I adore single floral notes and find most people hate that.

Bath and Body Works does not have one scent these days that I love except the candle French Lilac. I bought several as I expect it will be discontinued like all the other florals they've had. I don't like to smell fruit, vanilla or the laundry basket.
My all time favorite wall flower is so discontinued they don't even bring it back as a classic every so often.

I do love fresh balsam as a wall flower though.

I know there are many of you who love Chanel #5, as does youngest DD, but I find it to be very sweet, to the point it almost gives me a headache. When I am going somewhere with DD, i'll ask her to 'go light' on the perfume. ;o)

Joe Malone has 5 new limited edition scents based on tea, another version of cucumber, grapefruit, lemon, mint ( smelled too minty) and I forget the other.
I sampled 3, just spritzed them in the air to smell, not on my wrist, they were very pleasant . I saw those earlier at Nordstrom's.

re: men's colognes, Aqua di Parma smells great to me, I buy it for DH and use it occasionally.

Here's a lengthy list of celebrity favorites!

Here is a link that might be useful: The finishing touch on the red carpet.

I love that list!
Here's one from one very funny gal:

Fran Lebowitz ~ None "I don't wear one. I wish everyone else would tone it down. "

Just thought of this...

When I was in High School, a friend told me this story. Her grandmother went to the drugstore, and the young clerk told her she smelled really nice, and asked what she was wearing.

"Bengay"

I just loved that.

*chuckle*
Good story, beekeeperswife :)

Today was like Christmas for me. It's the first time I can smell scents and taste food in over two weeks!

Of course I had my Yankee & Scentsy candles going, but the treat was when I was in my bathroom I looked on the shelf holding my perfume. I don't have that many bottles. But I saw a short and wide bottle behind a larger one that I haven't seen in a long time and completely forgot about it.

It was a new bottle that I bought just last year of Estee Lauder's "Private Collection - Tuberose Gardenia" which is my favorite scent!

Of course I sprayed some while I was cleaning the hearth, lol, and it lasted all day long.

Great perfume!

bumble, I love jasmine. I have been wearing bath and body's night blooming jasmine the last couple of weeks.

Yes, we are all certainly unique in the scents we like and also I think in what smells good on each of us. I can smell something that smells divine on someone else and completely different on me.

I have never been a fan of Chanel #5 and oen scent I absolutely cannot stand is Youth Dew. To me, that is an old lady scent.

Something else that I hate is to go into someone's house and they are burning several candles, in different fragrences.

Yankee candle makes a nice lilac candle.

tina

I love jasmine too, Tina! And I agree about Youth Dew...awful.

How does Lauder sell a single bottle of Youth Dew? I truly wonder. Have never heard one person say a kind word about the stuff...ever!

When I was about thirteen years old, the lifeguard at our community pool, Chris, about 18, so cute, and my "buddy," came over to me and started whispering about some ladies who were visiting the pool that day. He said, "...and one of them has on a perfume that I know must be Youth Dew! Yick! It's the worst perfume in the world. My mother was given a bottle and she wore it once, but she never will again, because she hated it, and my dad and I told her to wash it off it smelled so bad!"

I do love woodsy, exotic fragrances, which I think YD is trying to be, but it misses the mark somehow. Maybe it's just too much of a good thing...no nuance or subtlety?

I have found a new fragrance I think I might love: Tuberose Gardenia by hmmm, Este Lauder- an old lady brand if there ever was one.
Anyway, it's floral and smells like a real gardenia.

BB, I don't think of Estee Lauder as being old lady at all! Maybe Youth Dew (ironically) is, but not the entire brand. Generally I think of EL as a classic, elegant cosmetic and fragrance brand.

I have a sample of Tuberose Gardenia. It's too intensely sweet on me, but sounds like sweet florals work with your chemistry very well. Not with mine! Glad you found one that works for you!

I love Youth Dew, too, and have since about 1965! But I wear Channel #5.

My favorite perfume is Michael Kors, soft floral scent. But, my BFF thinks I smell like "pot" when I have it on. Not sure how she knows that, she grew up in the 60's not 70's like me~lol