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.

OP please could you tell me a perfume that smells like Armani Gio,its been discontinued and I loved it

Many thanks for the great thread, MissBattleaxe! I'm afraid I have lots of questions!

I love Boudoir by Vivienne Westwood. I know it's quite heavy, a bit 'dirty' and certainly 'Marmite' but it seems to work really well with my skin chemistry and I've had lots of compliments from total strangers. Can you think of any budget friendly scents that are in a similiar vein?

Another one I really like is YSL Cinema. I've read that Avon Far Away is supposed to smell very similar, any idea if that's true?

I'm still hankering after Burberry Brit Gold, loved that one but it was discontinued a long time ago. I suppose it was nothing all that special but holds great memories for me. All the supposed dupes / similar smelling suggestions I've seen are either mad expensive or hard to come by. Any idea for a similarish scent?

My DP likes Penhaglion's Blenheim Bouquet, Floris Elite and Floris Mahon Leather for winter. I've tried to buy perfume for him but have mostly got it wrong in the past. Any suggestions what else he might like? If you can think of any cheaper options, that would be even better!

I like reading Fragrantica reviews and the occasional perfume blog but feel quite 'nose-blind' compared to all you super noses who can identify lots of different notes. I do slightly better with wine tasting, but with perfumes it's mostly a simple like / dislike thing for me and I often can't explain why. Apart from obviously not having a particularly good sense of smell, I suspect this is also down to not knowing what many of the ingredients would smell like in isolation.
Did you do anything to 'educate' your nose or have you always just been able to break a scent down into its different notes and ingredients? Sorry for the clumsy phrasing, English isn't my first language.

Sorry, I've thought of yet another question! Can you by any chance think of a cheaper alternative to Ambre Sauvage by Annick Goutal? I absolutely loved it when I tried it last winter but can't really justify the price.

TIA!

Just bumping to see if you know of a good alternative to Givenchy fluer D' Interdit?

Thanks @MissBattleaxe!

Ooh, thankyou, lots to try!

@MissBattleaxe well husband did used to buy me that perfume... we separated 2 years ago - but had 20 + perfume years together.

So can you recommend me any other perfume to try given my previous likes/dislikes? And I do agree, perfume smells different on everyone.

@ChihuahuaMummy1 I haven't actually smelled Gio, but looking at the notes, it was a big white flower floral with tuberose and a woody vanilla base. Now, I'm only guessing here, but Carolina Herrera Good Girl is a white floral with a gourmand vanilla/chocolate finish. Have a spray and see if you like it. Otherwise, if you're after white flowers, try Gucci Bloom or Montale Gold Flowers. Try before you buy.

Thanks for replying re Molecule 01
Another question! I love Issey Miyake Florale and Lancôme La Vie Est Belle L'Eclat; what else might I like?

@TaxiPlease your English is brilliant. I wouldn't have guessed it was your second language.

Okay, here are your answers:

1. Boudoir- try Nebras by Al Rehab- very cheap, find them on Amazon. I've had some good musks from them.

2. I don't think Avon Far Away smells like Cinema but you might like Avon Far away Infinity which is an excellent jasmine/vanilla. You might like Marks and Spencer Aurograph New York. It's not the same as YSL Cinema, but always reminds me of it and is super cheap.

3. Burberry Brit Gold- try Ambraliquida by L'Erbolario or anything with notes of amber, resins and vanilla. If money's no object try Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille.

4. get your DH The Perfume Society men's edit box for about £19. I can't recommend them enough. So much better than trying loads of testers in the shops. I also recommend some of the Avon men's fragrances, notably Black Suede. You could also nudge him towards Miller Harris. Feuilles de Tabac is excellent.

5. Don't worry if you can't recognise top notes etc, wear what you like and like what you wear. The best advice I had was from Jo Fairley, co-founder of The Perfume Society. She said smell EVERYTHING: food, wine, plants, people, weather everything. Eventually the database in your head will expand. For me, I can just about name notes after years of smelling thousands of perfume. I often get it wrong, but I'm better than I was.

6. If you miss Annick Goutal Ambre Sauvage, try E.Coudray Ambre et Vanille or Yves Rocher Bourbon Vanille, although they're not in the Uk anymore.

@pinkmagic1 Try Armani Air di Gioia or Issey Miyake A Scent Floral.

@Jaxinthebox I'm so sorry. Is it time you started a new perfume chapter? if you like them big and distinctive perhaps try Black Opium? It's pear, vanilla, coffee and patchouli. Also, try Givenchy Amarige. It's loud and distinctive and I totally love it.

@ChihuahuaMummy1 I just had an afterthought- try Givenchy Organza or Avon Tomorrow.

ooh lovely I will give those a try. I think I might join the perfume society, I love trying new perfume.

@suze28 Another question! I love Issey Miyake Florale and Lancôme La Vie Est Belle L'Eclat; what else might I like?

Try Jimmy Choo Blossom, M&S Rosie for Autograph, SJP Lovely or J'Adore.

Also, if you like girly florals, like me, check out my article here with some other suggestions bit.ly/2QNpZtJ

Thanks OP!

It is definitely the original Coco. I do like a mix of smells ha ha xx

What are your views on Molecules by Escentric? I can’t work out what it is I like so much about number 2 in particular. Can you shed any light?

What’s a perfume blogger?

Ooh I would love a suggestion for some new scents to try? My all-time favourites:

Midnight in the Palace Garden
Coco
Vol de Nuit
Eau Lente (pre-reformulation)

I absolutely adore buying perfumes and play around with all sorts of notes (and have bought pretty much every perfume 4160 Tuesdays do as a tester) but I think the above are my favourite 'types' of scents although I don't know if they actually have anything in common!

@MissBattleaxe Thank you! I like florals and fresh perfumes too so the original Issey Miyake L'eau D'Issey (plus all the variations)

My favourite perfumes have both been discontinued - Nina Ricci Les Belles de Ricci Liberty Fizz and Gucci 2.in the pale pink box. Both smell of tomatoes in a greenhouse.
Can you recommend anything similar please?

Hi,

I have a question : Matthew Williamson used to do a great perfume, but it's not available anymore. Do you a. Know of a similar scent, or b. Have any insider info on where to find it? I've looked and can't find it anywhere!

Thanks so much

@MissBattleaxe

@Sagradafamiliar
Do you know whether YSL's Yvresse was ever reformulated under a different name? That was my first bottle of perfume given to me by a friend of my mum but I think it was discontinuedsad

Was this originally known as Champagne. I loved this and still have an old bottle with the Champagne label. I understand that YSL was only allowed to use the name Champagne for a certain length of time. I always meant to buy a bottle of Yvresse but looks like that is no longer possible

I take it Sui Love hasn’t got anything like it? Rats...

What a brilliant AMA!
My lifelong favourite is sun by Jil Sander.
Would love any suggestions for something else to try, similar!
I also love the smell of Violet