What do you consider a cheap perfume?

[SisterAgatha]

I wear Dior Addict because I’ve loved it for years. A friend remarked recently that she thought it was a “cheap perfume”, I don’t think she knew that it was my favourite when she said this.

I don’t consider it cheap, and was a bit because I think it’s just around the normal range, maybe on the expensive side for everyday. When I was on maternity leave I wore Britneys Fantasy which I do consider cheap but I do like the sweet smelling ones. It’s more an everyday smell.

What do you consider to be a kind of average expense on perfume?

Cheap perfumes to me have nothing to do with how much they cost.it is all about how "synthetic" the scent is.
Some good ones (for me) Acqua di Parma, Ortigia Sicilia, Miller Harris, Diptyque , Malin+Goetz , Creed.

All perfume smells like it’s covering up something. It all smells like fabric softener.

I went the cheapest I've ever been recently and went £5 at Lidl :) I'm on a real budget at the moment but like a little perfume spritz to cheer me up.

I still have some Penhaligons, Miller Harris and L'artesan Parfumeur left, I'd consider that expensive.

Dior addict I'd say was expensive, but not top quality? It really doesn't matter if you like it though, OP

@SarahBellam

All perfume smells like it’s covering up something. It all smells like fabric softener.

You need to smell more perfume.

Cheap to me is the ones you see in Superdrug and usually at a discount price, usually the Britney, Beyoncé type scents..

@XiCi AG cloud is beautiful. I got a sample and tried it and a few hours later I was "what IS that nice smell?" Oh it's my perfume!
And no matter how often I wear it, it still has the same effect. It's like it changes and so my brain gets another waft of it later on

@Frownette

I went the cheapest I've ever been recently and went £5 at Lidl :) I'm on a real budget at the moment but like a little perfume spritz to cheer me up.

I still have some Penhaligons, Miller Harris and L'artesan Parfumeur left, I'd consider that expensive.

Dior addict I'd say was expensive, but not top quality? It really doesn't matter if you like it though, OP

Was it Madame glamour by any chance? I’ve owned Chanel No 5 and owned the Aldi dupe and the Aldi smells even nicer and has much more longevity!

So on the back of this I now have £30 of Perfume Parlour stuff arriving and I might get the train down to John Lewis today to have a sniff of some things!

I wear an expensive perfume and people have stopped me in the street to ask me what it is. I started wearing it because I stopped someone in the street to ask her what it is!

I think it depends on what your income is. When I was earning reasonable money, treating myself to a bottle of Coco Chanel or No 5 was doable but it lasted me 6 months.

Now I'm a single parent on a small salary, I can't really afford perfume so just what I get for Christmas from my mum if I'm lucky. Or the copies for £5 but they last about 10 minutes and never have anything I like.

I did fall in love with Britney (the one in the box with the pinky/purpley swirly design? Sorry, I can't remember the name) because I smelt it on a woman walking in front of me & it was gorgeous. I asked her what it was, got some for my birthday and on me, it smelt like kitchen cleaner. I was so disappointed!

I'm very fortunate though, because two of my favourite perfumes are quite old (around 1950's I think?) but are definitely not considered 'cool' so are relatively cheap. Youth Dew -Estee Lauder at around £28 for a large bottle and £20 for a small.

And Blue Grass - Elizabeth Arden at around £12 for a 100ml bottle of EDT. But that depends on finding somewhere that sells it as it is wildly out of vogue and probably now falls into the category of 'old lady' perfume. But I love it so so much. But if I still had the money it would be Coco or No 5.

Oh, and your friend was very careless to say that to you. No matter whether your budget is £500 for beautifully created Perfume or £5 in the chemist for a copy, it's bad form to be so dismissive. Your friend can walk away but you're then left wearing something and possibly feeling a bit all day, wondering if to other people, you smell 'cheap'.

It's such a personal thing - if you find a scent you love that suits you which you can afford, wear it and enjoy it, whether it's from the discount shelf or very very high end.

Your perfume, your choice, Hun ( as they don't actually say )

I adore good perfumes & they are a real indulgence for me. I used to settle on one I loved & then I'd wear it for literally years.

In recent years I've grown to enjoy having more than one to chose from depending on my mood & the occasion .

I buy some myself & others are gifts from my dh. I currently have Creed Neroli Sauvage, Acqua di Parma, Le Labo Bergamotte 22, Le Labo Vetiver 36, Tom Ford Neroli Portofino, Tom Ford Costa Azzura, Tom Ford Black Orchid, Santa Maria Novella Rose di Florence as well as numerous small decants mainly Le Labo & Tom Ford..
I wear perfume every single day even if I'm only at home. It gives me huge pleasure & I appreciate it every day

@ShirleyPhallus now I need to know what perfume you wear!!

I consider the supermarket/ avon/ celebrity perfumes to be cheap
I am not keen on a lot of the mainstream ones you buy in places like boots or debenhams etc I find then v synthetic & cloying. Either too sweet or two overpowering for me personally

I'm also really not a fan of dupes- my mother was dousing herself in some v cheap Jo Malone smellalike & she was convinced it was exactly the same but cheaper. It was AWFUL & in the end i had to say it .She has a dresser full of gorgeous perfumes inc the real Jo Malone so no idea why she was wearing that awful stuff.

Unreasonably It sounds like loads of fun to have a range of scents that you can select from depending on the day/time/mood. When I was a teenager I loved the Body Shop perfume Oil bars because I loved the idea of having a beautiful looking range of perfumes that you could sample and choose from day to day.

I always think that somewhere out there is my absolute dream fragrance. It exists and is waiting for me but I have no idea which one it is because there are just so many and I could probably get through the next 30 years without finding it. Meanwhile some random stranger is walking around in my signature scent.

Does anyone know if there a website where you can input all your favourites and the sort of fragrances you like which would throw out a list of 'If you like X, you may like Y', So that I at least have a place to start?

@UnreasonablyPissedOff you’ll have to walk past me in the street to find out!

(You’ve mentioned it in your list, Santal 33)

@MrsToddsShortcut have you used perfume parlour dupes? I find those very good

Also @UnreasonablyPissedOff if you like those types of perfume, have you tried escentric molecules?

Oh and nose paris website is pretty good for recommendations (it's called diagnosis or something, input your faves)

@MrsToddsShortcut I really do appreciate my perfumes. That lot has been built up over a couple of years. Sometimes I just stand & look at them, or take the lid off fjr to a little sniff (sad!)
I think there are websites where you can input the types of scents you like & they make suggestions & you can buy sample sizes to try

I seem to remember doing something like that on Nose - a website dedicated to perfume. But it's years ago now so I could have that wrong.
One of my fav things to do is perfume research! If I'm in a high end department store I find the perfume hall & spend a v happy couple of hours looking at new makes I'm not familiar with & sniffing them.
If I find something I'm interested in I chat to about the person working there & ask if they have any samples. And they usually do or they might decant some for you..
I adore having an after noon to browse in liberty's etc if I'm in London

Aha @ShirleyPhallus- I adore that perfume! When I bought my current bottle of Bergamotte the person working there gave me loads of samples & I used up all the santal first! It's on my list (I always have a list!!)

@UnreasonablyPissedOff

Aha *@ShirleyPhallus*- I adore that perfume! When I bought my current bottle of Bergamotte the person working there gave me loads of samples & I used up all the santal first! It's on my list (I always have a list!!)

It’s amazing isn’t it, and I’ve been approach by multiple people in bars / the street / at work events saying “santal 33?” Or asking about it

Feels like a secret club sometimes

@notreallyblonde

My husband is part owner of an 'expensive' perfume company (Tom Ford is probably the top rival). I'm not an expert, just know what he tells me. Most of the 'brand name' type perfumes the cost is in the advertising not the ingredients, and also sometimes the bottle costs more than the perfume. Definitely for a lot of the celeb type ones. This doesn't mean they don't smell nice . Our brand is a lot 'heavier' in smells mainly because of our target market, but we also have more typical scents too. One thing I have to warn everyone about when they choose one of the scents is that because there is so much more ingredient in the bottle (not just alcohol type filler), the scent changes a LOT. So the same bottle can smell very different once on. You don't get that nearly so much with most perfumes. Also you don't need to use nearly so much plus it will last a lot longer.

Oh which company ? - or is that completely outing! What a lovely thing to own.

@Notreallyblonde how amazing! You must have the most incredible perfume collection! I'm jealous

I'm very lucky as I can choose whatever I like (from well over 100), but actually I don't have that many, just the ones I really wear. I haven't even smelled the whole range lately; I'm no longer UK based though the company is. I used to go to Selfridges to smell the new ones so I knew what to ask for Some of the ones that are mostly sold overseas cost thousands... I don't have any of them, though I'm sure hubby would get them for me if I really wanted to!

@lunathecat, I don't mean to advertise.... it starts with a B.

My cheaper perfumes include SJP lovely
It's perfect for everyday.

Dior is not cheap IMO

Your friend has inadvertently done a good thing for the perfume industry, OP.

After decades of Shalimar, Opium, and Pôeme (all of which I love), I’m joining the many others in search of new perfumes to try.