Part 4- All you ever need to know about fragrance continues

[shoeprincess2]

Well, we're nearly all full.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/1665844-Part-3-Fully-fledged-perfumistas-share-your-fragrances

Can ask for some advice as you are all clearly very knowledgable! I want to get a subtle, fresh smelling perfume/body lotion for work, any recommendations?

I remember the Body Shop Tobacco Flower, it was lovely. I started off with those mini Coty gift sets with the likes of Tweed and Pananche then went onto Anais Anais, then Lou Lou, Knowing, Samsara, Dune, Elizabeth Arden Green Tea then sometime around 1998 i discovered the classic Guerlains and there was no stopping my perfume addiction from there.

Auldspinster: Great! Sometimes I think I could have just imagined tobacco flower, since it's never mentioned anywhere.. I really liked it and miss it.

I'd love to try Chergui. Is it anything like Tobacco Vanille?

Now wearing en passant on one arm and carnal flower on the other. It's funny, but even though I'm not into florals I will often make an exception for soliflores, so I like these both. Remind me a lot of an ancient palette of solid perfumes (tuberose, mimosa, lilac) I inherited from my aunt, so maybe that's the reason. I wonder how long solid perfumes keep? They must be now like 40 years old.

X: I'msure we can help you,but we just need some more details': What kind of perfumes do you like (spicy, floral, fresh, green, etc?)?

X: Does fresh to you mean watery or herby, or maybe citrussy? Any perfumes that you like at the moment (even if you think they are too strong)?

XBenedict, you might like Guerlain Herba Fresca. It's clean and green and won't offend anyone at work.

I love Chanel Cristalle as well, it's fresh and green and inoffensive but the sillage won't knock anyone out.

In the sameish category is Hermes' Apres La Mousson. Very fresh and pleasant.

Sorry, full name, un jardin apres la mousson.

Yes, Cristalle eau Vert is even fresher than original Cristalle as it doesn't have the mossy notes.

Some of the Annick goutals are quite fresh and minimal silage, eau de Sud?

A fresh floral might suit you, the new hermes one, or Marc Jacobs?

Apres a la Mousson wasn't fresh to me, I can't get past the rotting melon/mango in it, but it is worth a try anyway. Un jardin sur la Toit is fresher I think.

Ok I like citrussy fruit rather than spicy. I also like the freshly showered/clean linen kind of smell although not certain there's a perfume that comes into that category.

Bought Alexander McQueen My Queen 50ml today for the bargain price of £7.99. It's really rather nice. Very violety and spicy on my skin after first applying it. Very floral on the drydown. Totally worth the price I paid for the bottle

X - well, Estee Lauder White Linen springs to mind.....that certainly has a fresh laundry note.

Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien is a nice soft lemon floral, not too strong.

SOTD is my new favourite Guerlain - Apres L'Ondee. it has taken me ages to get around to trying it, and I'm in love. Beautiful floral notes, drying down to a soft scented vanilla, just the right sillage. Perfect.

Eau du Sud is also very fresh and zingy. And any of the classic colognes might suit. Tom Ford Neroli Portofino is lovely.

SOTD is Orange Star. Very cheering when it started hailing just before the school run.

I also like the freshly showered/clean linen kind of smell although not certain there's a perfume that comes into that category.

I thought Gucci Envy Me was very clean and laundry like. You might want to try it out next time you're out?

Isabel: that's funny about jardin apres la mousson! On me it's very much fresh rainwater, cucumber, melon and pepper/cardamom. On me sur le toit is perhaps a little too floral to be called fresh (still very nice). I guess that's why you need to try before you buy..

Put on Lipstick Rose a couple of hours ago. It's gorgeous. Started out a waxy violetty powdery rose and is now very much about delicious vanilla. A bit like turkish delight. I might have to buy a decant of this..

On my other arm, Portrait of a Lady perplexes me. I think I don't enjoy it. On my skin all the patchouli is brought out and very little of the incense or rose. Disappointed.

SOTD Vraie Blonde by ELdO. I have a hard time with many ELdOs but quite like this.

XBenedict Eau de Guerlain is lovely and fresh and citrussy, I found a mini on ebay for a bargain price too so not necessarily expensive.

SOTD is 'Bobbie's Beach' from the perfume parlour (hides from Frugal)

It's a pretty good likeness, although it takes a while for the notes to come together. To start off it was a bit like bathroom cleaner, but I find you need to give oils a chance to warm up on the skin. I've also ordered 'Goddess in Bronze' and just for the hell of it, their versions of Montale's Black Aoud, Tuscan Leather and Black Afghano.

There is something about using oils that I really like, I think I quite enjoy 'anointing' myself! I'm also intrigued by the oils by Swiss Arabian and Al Haramain but that's a whole other world I could get obsessed with. Has anyone tried any of them?

onelittlelady I like the sound of Alexander McQueen My Queen. where did you get it that cheap?

ToysRLuv I love Lipstick Rose, especially when layered with other perfumes.

CointreauVersial I wasn't sure about Apres le Ondees. Need to have a proper test run of it I think rather than a sniff from a bottle. I think I was also swooning as had just tried Guerlain Tonka Imperiale. OMG! its the most gorgeous thing I've ever smelt. Shame it was £185 for a bottle!

A chain called Savers kiwi if you have one near you (not sure if they are just in the north though) they often have bargains to pick up. Most of what they stock is popular and sleb stuff but on the odd occasion you can grab a total gem

OneLittlelady- yes sometimes the value chains can have hidden gems. I got a 100ml bottle of Cabochard for 8.99 from Bodycare!

Now wearing Bois d'encens. I can appreciate it, but not sure I'd want to wear it.. very heavy and quite masculine!

Fuzzy:Bobbie's Beach sounds tempting .. and Goddess in Bronze. Let me know if it's any good.

Was really naughty last night and ordered samples for eldo Fils Dieu, Divin Enfant, Encense & Bubblegum & Putain des Palaces. Can't wait!

After yesterday's talk SOTD is Pure White Linen... Which i like alot( appeals to the clean North American in me) but doesn't last long :(

And what is Bodycare? My Savers fails to have anything interesting and I'm after a try of Cabochard and Cabotine.

Bodycare is a bit like Savers. Their website is rubbish though. They have Cabochard but no Cabotine, and no testers! If I were you I would try and buy part used Cabotine on eBay and resell it if it doesn't suit. I've done this loads of times and usually make my money back. I did notice however, that my local Perfume Shop had Cabotine, so you might be able to test it there.

Here's a list of their locations
www.localstore.co.uk/stores/82796/bodycare/

By Cabotine I mean the original with the green broccoli lid. The flankers are hit and miss.

......green broccoli lid I'm sure that's not what it is supposed to look like.

I used to love Cabotine, but haven't tried it for a while. Ambre de Cabotine isn't bad.

SOTD is Gucci Envy; I was at work today, but it was a fairly laid-back kind of day, so it felt like a good choice. Funny, I never really tried Envy while it was in production, but it is lovely.

Kiwi - I think Apres L'Ondee needs to be tried on skin, because it evolves so much through the day. I kept catching little whiffs and not immediately recognising it.

Toys - hope you enjoy your ELdO samples. I haven't had a duff one yet from them (but I chose carefully!). Fils de Dieu is my favourite, closely followed by Tilda Swinton and Fat Electrician. It sounds daft, but they are all really comfortable fragrances - not overbearing or challenging, and just the right sillage.

One of the girls in Accounts was wafting a lovely fragrance today - I asked what it was, and she said.....Angel. I can't bear it on me, but funny how it works on her.