Cheap perfume that smells expensive?

[Andoffwego]

My favourite perfume (and the only one I have worn for years) is Dune. The scent really suits me and smells ‘right’ on my skin. However, it is £90 for a bottle and I just can’t afford that at the moment.

I have real trouble finding any other perfume that I like, but there MUST be a cheaper one that I find acceptable for short term use? I realise that cheaper perfumes are cheap because they have less complex notes and use more expensive ingredients rather than cheaper synthetics, but there must be a lovely smelling cheap perfume somewhere out there? I don’t like very sweet and fruity scents or anything too light and citrusy. Any contenders for me to have a sniff of?

@isthismylifenow

Another Dune fan here, but yikes it has become pricy hasn't it.

Another one that I get complimented on a lot (always have when wearing Dune too) is Modern Muse Rouge. I'm not in UK and battled to find it for a while, but it seems to be available again. Perhaps give that a try if you are looking for something new.

I have t found a proper dupe for Dune either.

@isthismylifenow where did you find Modern Muse Rouge? It's my favourite. I bought my last bottle at the Cosmetic Company store at Ashford Outlet but haven't been able to find it since. Annoying because at the time I paid £20 as they had it in offer. I'd have got a couple more had I realised it would be difficult to get again.

@NeedWineNow I am not in the UK and I bought my 2nd bottle maybe 2 years ago now. And then I really battled to find it again. Then recently I went to a department store and noticed that had it. So I just assumed it was available again. But now I see it isn't. So I'm off to into that shop to see if I can get lucky. I didn't have a spare cash at the time to buy it when I noticed it, thinking I'd get it when I could. Gosh I now regret that decision.

I'll let you know later if I managed to find it today.

@NeedWineNow

Gosh what a luck today. I went back to the store where I saw the MMLR and did not see it on display. So I asked the EL consultant, to which she pulled open her drawer, and there sat ONE. So it must have been the same one thst I saw, which nobody had bought (or possibly knew about) Phew. And better still, they had a valentines promotion on so I got it 25% off. I asked if it's been discontinued, she thinks it has as they are not receiving any more. I did check online at this store and they didn't have, so I think it's a case of having to go in and ask as there may well be some sitting in a drawer somewhere.

They also had one bottle of Dune. Every single brand was included in the special except for Dior 🤔. And it's is so expensive so I didn't get that. They said they only get one or two bottles in every now and then, it's on limited production now.

Another sales assistant was very helpful, but she seemed hell bent on selling me Ellie Saab or Versace. They must be her two products. So I was doused in ES on my left arm and with Versace Oud on my right. Omw it was just too much and I got an instant headache. Neither of them are for me at all. So I thought I'd be clever and tried to rub it off with hand sanitizer at the door. Which then instantly flared up excema on my arm. 😱 So then I toodled off to the Clarins counter to ask for some cream (I use clarins so I thought I'd ask for something I know that was in as a tester).

Anyway I'm home now and cannot scrub Ellie Saab or Versace off me, especially the ES is just so overpowering.

But it was nice to see and experience testers again. Although I have a headache, it was a great morning.

😃

I did post on a different thread about a dupe I found. Whilst out today I sprayed the sample card with Ariana Grande Cloud. I have brought it home and it is exactly the same as the Zara Cheerful Attitude that my dd wears.

If that is helpful to anyone.

So the Aldi myrhh and Tonka is growing on me, the dry down reminds me of Paco rabannes ultra violet I used to wear in my teens.

I'm not a fan of dupes as such. I tend to just like a perfume for what it is but I like to try a few smells for size.
Zara Jo Malone perfumes are lovely and they do a discovery set with the whole set for around £20 so you can try them out them buy a larger version of the one or two you like.
Floral street also do this and I love a few of their their scents too.

I love a dupe and hastily went off to try the Milton Lloyd Coco one.

On me, the dry down was...ok. The initial blast, which lasted longer than I was happy with, was absolutely hideous.

Can't complain at under £6 though, it's a very good attempt at a copy ( after about 2 hours!)

I use a lot of Perfume Parlour and the best ones I've found are the Lime Basil and Mandarin, Escape and Aqua Di Gio dupes, all of which I think are pretty uncomplicated smells which are relative easy to replicate

Next tier I use from PP is Penhaligons Halfeti, and Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady. They're not quite spot on but they're pretty damn good.

Does anyone know of a dupe for Jo Malone Jasmine Sambac & Marigold? I absolutely love it, but it’s so expensive.

How does one know what the Milton Lloyd dupe is of ?

ChickenStripper
You have made my absolute day! I have struggled to find Paul Smith Woman, I cant believe they have it in Sainsburys.
I have lots of Chanel and Dior but you are right, this is my absolute favourite too.

@LadyEloise1

How does one know what the Milton Lloyd dupe is of ?

www.fragrantica.com/board/viewtopic.php?id=243278

I found this list - didnt realise how many they did to be honest!

Estee Lauder Youth Dew is very oriental/woody and lasts for ages. And it's around £30. I've been wearing it (among many others - I'm a scent tart!) for years and years.

Hi everyone, I wrote about cheap (but good) perfume on my blog, iscentyouaday. It's called "she smelled like cheap perfume ( and so do I)". It's a celebration of the cheap and cheerfuls that are excellent value and don't smell cheap. I've been blogging about perfume for nearly ten years and there are some excellent fragrances out there for not many pence.

Let's see if the link works. I'm a Mumsnet blogger so it shouldn't get zapped: iscentyouaday.com/she-smelled-like-cheap-perfume-and-so-do-i/

Thank you!

You can get Dune for £75 on www.escentual.com at the moment with the code EXTRA10. Escentual often have a quarter off codes too.

I've read your blog posts before @MissBattleaxe but hadn't read that one. Some good ideas there. I agree about Coty L'aimant and I always have a bottle of that in my collection!

Thank you @Arabel!

I bought the Sanctuary perfume based on this thread. Yes, it has a whiff of Dune, but it has a cheap and nasty undertone, so I won't wear it.

Also based on mumsnet recommendations, I bought the Zara Joe Malone discovery sets. The first set smells cheap and unpleasant. HOWEVER, the second set (named after cities) has some really good ones that do smell beautiful. They have depth (apart from the Dubai one which smells like aftershave). I also dabbled with perfume parlour dupes. Cheap shite.

I have nothing against cheapness, but if I'm spending money, i want something to show for it and cheap perfume is a false economy. It smells one dimensional and doesn't last. There are a few exceptions, like a few Avon ones and a couple of Zara ones that I have smelled on other people. I wear perfume most days and reckon I must spend > £300-500 per year just on me. I also get my girls expensive perfume. If I couldn't afford the good stuff, I'm not sure I'd bother.

Can you buy the body spray, or all over spray. I recently bought Chanel no 5 all over spray for £50, lasted quite well for the day.

I think if you are trying to find a dupe for something you love you might be disappointed

Try finding something you love in a much affordable range

zaras are amazing and they have been formulated by perfumers that have developed for some of the big brands

they have a range by Jo Malone too

M&S have a great range too

I think it depends on the type of perfumes you like too
Some of the cheap ones I have are sweet/beach/citrus type which aren't complex
If I'm wearing a citrus type then I don't spend loads as it doesn't last anyway so DKNY woman, CK one etc are great but then I also love gypsy water

Next summer sun is a decent bronze goddess dupe
I wear glossier a lot which isn't too pricey
Most commented on is Ariana grande cloud
MMM replica are another of my faves
Honestly I have everything from £5 to £200 and I've spent a LOT on scents

Guess I'm saying if you want a citrus or a sweet perfume it's easier to find cheaper than if you want like a complex oud scent

@PeloAddict

Yes, that's a good point: If you're looking for an oud perfume, you can't go cheap. There are indeed some nice mid-priced perfumes around, like Vera Wang and Hugo Boss that would be good for everyday wear.

Ariana Grande Cloud is sensational, BUT it's not actually that cheap. I looked it up a few months back and it was about 40 quid.

Valley of Roses do a dupe of Dune. Worth a try. They do fabulous matching body creams too. My Mum loves their Chanel No5 dupe and the body lotion.