I'm a perfume blogger- Ask me anything

[MissBattleaxe]

I've been blogging about perfume since 2013. Ask me anything. No snobbery, all budgets and nothing is off the table.

@Getoffmylilo I love Red Queen and also Raw Silk and Red Roses by 4160 Tuesdays. Andy Tauer does amazing things with roses too.

Molecule 01 smells v faintly of wood shavings to me, however my colleague noticed it from 6ft and said it smelled amazing

Do you know of something similar to the discontinued Jo Loves Gardenia? It’s the only perfume that I’ve ever really clicked with and wanted to wear.

Thank you Miss Battleaxe! And found stockists for both not too far away from me, hooray! x

I love sweet fragrances - my all time faves are Flowerbomb and La Vie Est Belle but they are usually out of my price range. What cheaper alternatives are there that I can use for day to day?

@BreakHerOffakitKat whoops! sorry. That's actually a hard one. I haven't smelled it, but some detective work says its similar to LouLou Blue, also discontinued, which in turn smells like Dana Navy, which is also playing hard to get. Fragrantica tells me the most prominent notes in Anna Sui are rose, iris and raspberry, so you could start from there, or buy the Anna Sui set of minis from Fragrance Direct. You might occasionally find that a discontinued scent is changed slightly and emerges with another name.

Thanks @MissBattleaxe ..I have ordered it in the past but it didn’t smell the same, surely if it was discontinued (wow it must be over) 15 years ago the perfume will have gone off. Or has it just been re-formulated?

@Theromanempire that one's easy. Rihanna Reb'l Fleur is fantastic and ticks all your boxes. I have a bottle and it has amazing staying power and is very similar to Flowerbomb. It's usually about £20 for 100ml EDP. Also, try Avon Far Away Rebel which is a wonderful gourmand and only about £8.

Thank you missbattleaxe I'll see what I can find with some raspberry tones!

@tothesea if a perfume has been kept out of sunlight and heat it may not have gone off. I have a bottle of Arpege that's older than me and it's still good but has always been in a box, in the dark.

@BreakHerOffaKitKat try Jimmy Choo Blossom or Cartier Baiser Fou.

Hi OP, DH wears the Boadicea scent which reminds me of Swarfega. Can't bear it myself and dislike that he spends so much on it. Have you come across the brand and in your opinion is it worth the lolly?

I looooove perfume. Favourites are musky scents, black orchid and Santal blush,Tom Ford and Carolina Herrera 212. Also love liberty's le labo santal 33. Quite pricey. Any cheaper alternatives you can recommend?

Thank you so much!

@missbattleaxe thank you so much for replying so quick. Will have a look at those 2 perfumes

Ooo, as you were so fab with * ‘s, do you have any smell-alike’s for ‘Sui Love’? Discontinued and I’m ekeing out the few mls I have left! Never managed to find anything like it...

Apols, that should have been kitkat s!

Hi op, you have my dream job :)
I bloody love perfume, always have and pride myself on telling someone they're wearing x/y/z. My friends say I have a nose like a fox!

So many questions but I will ask one or two- I love quite strong smells, Alien, Angel, JPG and Chanel Allure which is my ultimate favourite.
Any suggestions to similar? I find I end up with the same ones all the time either buying myself or receiving as presents.

When I was a teen I loved Exclamation! and Tribe and when I was 18 I received a bottle of Moschino perfume it was in a gold and clear bottle with a red and green ribbon at the top and it was the most beautiful perfume ever. I've never seen it since.

Talking of celeb perfumes- I found the most amazing scent ever, years ago. It was Ssh by Jade Goody and I was smitten with it, despite not being a fan, have you smelt it?

Fab AMA.

I'm still trying to find anything that remotely compares to the original (1980s) Nina by Nina Ricci. Was gutted when the revival smelled nothing like it (far too sweet and cloying).

Any suggestions?

I was then determined never to have a favourite that might be discontinued. .. so I'm sticking with YSL Rive Gauche for now!!

I have Molecule 01, it smells a bit like cedar when you first spray it.

I can't get on with Tom Ford fragrances, any of them. I got a spray of one on a card in JL and I could not get rid of the smell, it actually made me feel sick. I think it was White Patchouli.

Thank you for such an interesting ama @MissBattleaxe !

I splurged on Maison Martin Margiela Replica Beach Walk for my wedding/honeymoon - it's the most amazing scent ever!

But my bottle is nearly empty and I can't really justify the cost of a new one

Do you know of any similar, more affordable options?

@MissBattleaxe I love perfume and I have a varied list of what I wear. I dont think I have any one 'type' if that makes sense? Maybe you could tell me different or suggest others that I will like. I also layer with shower gel, body lotion, perfume when I can. My Mum taught me that years ago!

Used to love Jo Malone Pomegranite Noir, but totally gone off that, find it a bit cloying now. Same with Angel - wore that from around 1997, when it seemed nobody else did... now everyone has it, so ive stopped wearing it. It used to be 'mine'
Chloe and Chloe Rose I love, Marc Jacobs Daisy and Daisy Dream - yep still happy to wear those too.
DKNY original is fresh and clean, D&G light blue too, I think is sort of similar, fresh and clean smelling.

My all time favourite and has been 'my smell' for years now is Jimmy choo Original, I dont like any of the others in the range though.

My newest find is Botega Veneta Illusione - the orange lid bottle, I just love that so much. Im loathe to tell people what it is when they compliment these 2 when I wear them - I dont want what happened with Angel to happen again.

Oh and I am not keen on Chanel - I do like Coco, but that is my Mums smell so dont wear it.

Id love if you could suggest some new smells that I may like?

Oh and can I just say that I love The Bodyshop perfumes - I use them and they are cheap as chips for every day if you dont want to use your good stuff. Also lots of 'similar to' high end perfumes...
full disclosure, I am an @home rep for bodyshop, but im not trying to sell anything, just letting you know what clients have said.

Wow, that felt like an essay. Thank you.

@fraxion - Im with you on Tom Ford, I so wanted to like them, but I just cant.

I was chatting with the lady at the perfume counter and she doesnt like them either. It seemed we had similar taste in fragrance.

I tried a few on cards and the ones that had 'cat pee note' I just cant stand. Ive no idea what it is in perfume language but all I can say is I hate any with that particular 'note'

comofrting is different for everyone but Next Cashmere is the perfect duvet day scent

I really love this perfume,I picked it up still in its wrapping/box from a charity shop for £1 and it's ended up being one I wear a lot and have a lot of compliments on.

For those people missing Gucci Envy,Perfume Parlour do a dupe.

I also agree OP about perfumes which are into £100's being ridiculous.

I really want a signature scent. I really like orangey scents but haven’t been able to find one I love yet that I’d want to wear all the time. Any suggestions?