Perfume history ?

[kerstina]

What is your perfume history . Can you share the main perfumes in your life ? I tend to be faithful to one perfume at any particular time and wear it all the time so if I smell a perfume it reminds me of a time/ stage in my life . Often struggle to find perfumes I really love . Starting wearing white musk in my teens . Moved onto Coco, Joop, love affair with Jean Paul gaultier Classiquestarted mid twenties when DP bought it for me first Christmas we were dating wore it for over twenty years ! During that time I also wore Cashmir, Hypnotic Poison ,Angel ( but never really liked it that much!) Euphoria . Finally found my latest favourite and think it will be for a while - Poison Girl . Please share your perfume history and let me know if you can suggest any others I would like .

First perfume was Ivoire by Guerlain, alternated with Dewberry, as a teen. First boyfriend stole gave me a bottle of CKone at 16 and I used that for ages. DH bought me Coco Mademoiselle shortly after we met and I have used that ever since. I do have a couple of Ajmal perfumes from UAE (Shadow and Shadow Night) that I use from time to time if I run out of Chanel.

My mum bought me Miss Dior and Diorissimo when I was a teenager.

But the first perfume I ever loved enough to buy for myself was Eau de Gucci. I got a sample of it free with a magazine and saved up my Saturday job money to buy some. I would never have moved on if they still made it! Still buy old bottles off eBay every now and again, just adore it.

Also loved Guerlain's Aqua Allegorica Rosa Magnifica whilst it was about.

Have an abiding love for both Chanel No.5 and Chanel Cuir de Russi, as they were my (lost and much missed) mum's signature scents.

There is a little perfumery close to the Palace in Madrid that does a lovely orange and orange blossom perfume. The lettering on the label has rubbed off, but I should go back and get more. The shop isn't at all grande, but there are some wonderful scents there. Lots of different things, very different to one another and very different to a lot of the big brand stuff produced now.

I'm currently falling in more and more love with Halfeti by Penhaligon's. Chose it as an Xmas present and every time I wear it I fall deeper in love. Satisfies my love for both rose and sandalwood. Get asked what I am wearing a lot when I have it on. Uplifting, mysterious and intoxicating all at once.

Some highlights:
Something in a pink bottle from the market - this will irritate me until I can remember!
Ma Griffe
Chloe
L'air due temps
Boyfriend's Dior Eau Savage
Guerlain Mitsouko
Miss Dior
Diorissimo
La Perla
Chanel Christalle
Chanel No 19
Jil Sander
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pampelune
Chanel Beige
Le Labo Santal 33
Diptyque Philosykos

I wore vanilla scents for a long time... Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Extreme and still wear this at times. Then wore Ralph Lauren Romance for a while. Dior Pure Poison, D&G Light Blue, then Guerlain Pera Granita. I've got my eye on the new Chanel No. 5. That could be my signature scent. Love it.

Oh, I forgot to add the iconic Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. Wore that for a while, but it was bought by an ex and since he bought it, I never repurchased it as it would remind me of him. Scents bring up so many feelings and memories.

My first love was Quiddity by Chipie, then it was DKNY for a long time. Early 20s was Vera Wang Princess, but this smells horrible on me now, since having kids, ditto my wedding perfume, Armani Diamonds.

I've flitted and flirted with a lot of perfumes since then, but at the moment I'm loving Guerlain Insolence, YSL Black Opium, See by Chloe and Viktor and Rolf Bonbon. I don't think my taste is very refined, I still like sweet florally scents.

Teens:

Jazz afterhsvae . I bought a bottle with my pocket money aged 13 and used to dab it on my sleeves and sniff it in school assembly.

Then for the rest of my teens... Poison for 3 or 4 years exclusively, then a couple of years of Coco Chanel .

20s - Issey Miyake, D&G Light Blue, D&G Feminine (LOVED), Chanel 19....I went through phases and can date my perfume tastes to specific jobs/boyfrirnds/nightlife.

Oddly, I edged towards sickly sweet and fruity stuffVictoria's Secrets minger body sprays in my late 20s. Had a strange J-Lo Miami Glow phase, too.

30s: Stella McCartney for ages.

Late 30s: Became a perfume addict. Eschewed the idea of a 'signature' (although I have my reliable faves depending on mood - Lancome Poeme, Givenchy Jardin D'Interdit, Estee Lauder Pleasures, Chloe Love Story, Guerlain Apres L'ondee, 4160 Tuesdays Doe in the Snow/Tokyo Spring Blossom/Tarts Knicker Drawer....)

I have a sizeable and growing collection. I collect samples. I lurk on the Perfumistas thread and a few blogs to learn more about vintage perfume. I am addicted to Fragrantica .

I LOVE fragrance. It makes life better.

Lair du Temps
Lulu
River Gauche
Poison Tender
Cinema
Hoop
Channel 17 (or 19?)

Now I wear Daisy ,Liz Earle,Jo Malone and anything fresh and soapy ,a favourite is one that smells just like Dove soap.

Thanks so much ! Yes your right perfume makes life better . I don't think it's a coincidence that I have been feeling a bit down and finding a new scent I love has cheered me up a bit .
Also yes I had forgotten I used to wear Lulu too as someone mentioned that . Must be one of the strongest scents ever ! Also when I was at school impulse sprays were what we all seemed to smell of .

Roughly in order

White musk
Opium
Paris
Clarins Eau Dysa-whatsit
Issy Miyake one - L'eau D'Issy or some such name
Kenzy (the one with the poppy)
Clarins again
Amarige by Givency FOR YEARS
Something here - can't remember
Hugo Boss - Deep Red (still like this one )
Prada Amber (only at night)
Ellie Saab
Molecule 01 (current)

*Kenzo

I have loved Estée Lauder White linen and Chanel No 5 for hundreds of years now but would love a new perfume. Everything else I try smells too sweet.

Can anyone recommend anything similar? I don't know how to describe either to find anything similar!!

Teens: Audacity and Dune, Avon Odyssey

20s: Eden, Sun Moon and Stars, Clinique Happy

30s: D&G Femme (original with red lid, sadly no more!). Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Gucci Rush

40s: (now). Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Lush Karma, Tresor Midnight Rose, Estee Lauder Sensuous Noir.

In approx order :-
First perfume bought for me (teen) - anais anais
Late teens - chanel no5, opium, shalimar
20s - opium, shalimar
30s - tommy girl, Armani she, jpg madame
40s (now) - chanel allure, coco mademoiselle

I wouldn't wear anais anais, opium or chanel no 5 now as they are "just not right" on me. I would (and do) go back to any of the others though.

What a brilliant thread idea, mine in rough order are
White musk
My mums Opium
My mums Obsession
Poeme (gift from mum )
All of these were applied with a heavy hand to go to school.
Chanel Allure for my 16th birthday
Dune
Dolce Vita
JPG Classique
Issey Miyake le feu d'issey light
D&g woman
Emporio armani lei - wore this to work for years and years and still love it.
Cerruti 1881 - ditto but summer perfume
Alien
Chanel chance
Armani code - current fave all rounder
There are loads of others interwoven with these stand outs - I bloody love perfume

I used wear and love White Linen, rollon, to me it had the scent of fantastically expensive towels that you might be given at an exclusive spa, . A really clean smell.

Issey miyakey
moschino cheap & chic.
Cerruti
Tresor
Dolce vita
Roberto cavalli
Si Armani
All these bring me difdent memories and feelings at the time I was using them. My favourite being Cerruti. Brings back such fun times of my younger years. First time I fell in love ( my dh).

Copied and pasted from our perfumista thread, which was in turn copied and pasted from a FB status from a few years ago!

"I want to smell like a memory...The Anais Anais says no make up, lots of bangles, spiky hair and Al Stewart......the Rive Gauche says new clothes and dodgy Bonnie Tyler haircuts ......Obsession says cricket pitches and condemned houses....Poison says crushed velvet and black lace gloves and Transvision Vamp lipstick.....Chloe says curly haired boys in dungarees and whisky in mugs....Angel says eeny-meeny which country shall I go.....and Chanel 19 says someone else's perfume but very much my memory....decisions decisions......""

I have probably 200+ perfumes in various shapes and sizes, but those are my perfume footprints.

I am a total perfume slut, but some of the key scents in my life:

School days - Miss Dior was my first proper perfume, but I also had things like Body Shop White Musk and Dewberry.

Year out between school/uni - Anais Anais, Chloe in the peach coloured box, YSL Paris, Jasmine oil from a little Indian boutique place.

Uni - Issey Miyake, Calvin Klein Eternity, CK One, and Obsession, Cabotine, Laura Biagiotti's Venezia, Carolina Herrera in the white box with black polka dots. I had a Saturday job in a shop that was part of the Debenhams group, and pretty much ploughed my wages back to the perfume hall, with the staff discount card.

20s - first job, year out to do Post-Grad, and beyond - Gucci Envy, Chanel Christalle, Chanel 19, Anna Sui in the lilac bottle/box. Got given Chanel no 5 for my 21st and felt guilty that I didn't really like it.

30s to now, early 40s - Chanel 19, Coco Mademoiselle, TF Black Orchid and White Patchouli, VW Boudoir. I started getting into more "niche scents" around this point, and now have small fortune's worth - key players are Miller Harris, Heeley and Frederic Malle.

Some of you were very sophisticated school pupils. Puts my Charlie loving days to shame at that age.

Where to start!?
As a youngster (with no money) yardleys like white satin and lace
Late Teen - obsession, amarige, ysatis, Lou Lou
20s - avon nightmusk and obsession
30s - sun moon stars, Stella, Paul Smith rose
40s - now I'm trying lots of new stuff as my beloved nightmusk and sun moon stars are discontinued :(
Atm i have;
Valentino poudre
Elizabeth Taylor diamonds and rubies
Rive gauche
Knowing by estee lauder

Where to start!?
As a youngster (with no money) yardleys like white satin and lace
Late Teen - obsession, amarige, ysatis, Lou Lou
20s - avon nightmusk and obsession
30s - sun moon stars, Stella, Paul Smith rose
40s - now I'm trying lots of new stuff as my beloved nightmusk and sun moon stars are discontinued :(
Atm i have;
Valentino poudre
Elizabeth Taylor diamonds and rubies
Rive gauche
Knowing by estee lauder

tobee I didn't class school as teens, more when I left and was on a YTS. If we're talking school it had to be Smitty

First was Anais Anais. Then Samsara and Paris. Rive Gauche for a time. Then I wore Cabotine dear Gres. The orange blossom Guerlain one (I forget them name, my sister hated me wearing that as it's strong). Acqua di Gio in Summer. Chanel Allure in Winter for a while. Very Valentino until I dropped the bottle and it smashed with the perfume evaporating! Currently J'Adore is my regular one and I sometimes wear Miss Dior Cherie.

I prefer florals and find that some of those heavy 1980s scents like Giorgio, Poison and Amarige give me a headache.

My first perfume was Babe, then from about 14 I wore LouLou, then Eden. Early twenties was Chanel Allure, Issy Myaki, Very Valentino. Late 20s/early 30s was Clarins (the baby years, so light and fresh was the order of the day). Then I wore Dior Cherie and Coco Mademoiselle, and Light Blue. Early 40s now and I don't have one in particular, I have a few on the go. Current favourites include Body Shop Midnight Jasmine and the blue one from the same range, Lotus Flower? Anyway, I get nice comments about that one and it's fresh, nice for this time of year. Also SJP Lovely, and a pink Issy Miyake (florale, possibly).