Calling the perfumistas: help me find my new fragrance?

[OrdinaryGirl]

Hoping the wildly sophisticated and cosmopolitan hive mind can help me. 🐝 🌸

I got given a £40 John Lewis voucher for my birthday and I'd like to choose a new fragrance.

I'm looking for something warm, dry, woody, creamy, clean animalic, more of a sexy chypre than an oriental. I like notes of leather, tonka, oak moss, fur, tobacco, myrrh, sandalwood and vanilla, and certain florals that aren't too flowery, IYSWIM.

I'm 42, and I'm now leaning to sophisticated 'rich lady' type smells. I always said this would never happen.

I tend to only wear one fragrance day and night, every day, rarely switching to a different one until the bottle's used up. The exception is when I order some samples from Les Senteurs, of perfumes I could never afford. ☺️ The latest was PHI's Une Rose de Kandahar which was to die for.

I'm currently in the final few sprays of my bottle of Cartier La Panthère edp, which is as close to perfection as anything I've encountered in a fragrance. So I could just get another bottle of that. But I'd quite like to discover another scent I love just as much as La Panthère, to have as a signature fragrance.

Anyway, thanks for reading - sorry it's long. Really grateful for any suggestions. Even for fragrances you can't buy at John Lewis. 💐

I’m no perfume expert but currently am really enjoying Jo Malone Black Cedarwood and Juniper Berry. For JM I find it really lasts well too. I also have her Dark Amber and Ginger Lily whIch is quite woody and spicy (though you’d have to add £20+ to your voucher for that though).

Oo thanks friendlyfish. I'll have a sniff next time I'm in. I love JM but the colognes just don't last on me. That said, there is some variation so perhaps this one is just one of the more lasting ones.

I can't wear JM at all, gives me awful headaches.

I love www.fragrantica.com, you can use it to read reviews and search for perfumes by notes.

My latest find was Stash unspoken by Sarah Jessica Parker.... it's all of the notes you've mentioned, but because it's Coty it's cheap and I really really wish she'd teamed up with a decent perfumer as the blend is amazing . I wear that day and night and the 50ml bottle was around £20 on offer. I can't bear vanilla/sickly sweet perfumes. Another good one is Narciso Rodriguez, you may get a 30ml size for £40.

I find most JM doesn’t last beyond an hour or so but the two I have really do (well on me they do). Fragrantica are good for reviews and for ideas too I agree,

Jo Malone also do Myrrh and Tonka but I think that’s more expensive

I also have Peony and blush suede by JM which also last really well but is very floral only so not right for you I don’t think. So there are some of hers that seem to have stayIng power. There are some of hers I love but refuse to buy as they disappear after an hour.

serge Lutens 'Feminite du Bois" is my fav and hits many of your notes but you will need more than £40

Warm, dry, woody to me is Eau d Iparie by L occitane. Myrrh, Olibanum, Oakmoss, Patchouli and very subtle florals are the name of the game. But sadly not available at John Lewis. I think you need to look n test the Van Cleef& Arpels extraordinaire range, the Serge Lutens range and maybe the Jo Malone intense range/ guerlain?

I just bought some Muegler Angel Muse which is bloody lovely.Very warm and vanilla/patchouli.

I love that Cartier perfume too. Others I like by Jo Malone are orange bitters and seasalt and wood sage.

I love Caleche too

@TheClitterati was just coming on to recommend that. I'm usually more into florals but fell head over heels in love with it, and it definitely ticks the warm and woody box. There are also slightly fruitier and more floral perfumes in the series.

I’ve just bought Miller Harris’ La Fumée off the TK Maxx website for 34 quid (100ml EDP!!). That might suit you?

You like lots of notes that I'm fond of, so suggest you have a sniff of Hermes Eau des Merveilles, and its flankers. It's a salted amber. I'm sure JL will sell it.

Ah you're all wonderful 😃👏🏼
Thank you so much for all the replies - what a list I have to try out!