The Friendly Perfumistas Thread 34 - 🍂 Autumn is Here & It's Time For Cosy Scents!

[FestivelyScent]

Hello all my wonderfully fragrant friends,

It's time for a shiny new thread! 😊 Perfect timing for autumn too. 🍂🎃🍂

Newbies are most definitely welcome. Come and discuss your Scent Of The Day (SOTD), old favourites, new infatuations, the best dupes and scents of any price point. We are very friendly! 😊

Sotd skylar vanilla sky

Wearing vintage Safari today, as it holds up well in this chilly weather. I woke up to a light sprinkling of snow & had to drive down our non-gritted hill at the pace of a snail.

This looks like such a lovely knowledgeable thread, I hope it's okay to post here asking for recommendations… if that's not the done thing, my apologies!

I'd like to buy my mum a new perfume for Christmas, but really know very little about the whole area.

In terms of personality/lifestyle stuff, if that's relevant, she's a practical sort of person, retired, likes gym and gardening and Nordic crime drama, dresses in jeans every day, not an every day perfume wearer but does like to use it occasionally. She likes Chanel No 5, and has pretty much worn that for special occasions all her adult life as far as I can tell. I don't want to get her more of that, as she has some at the moment, and only want to get a small bottle of something else, because a big one won't get used up, what with being in competition with Ol' Faithful.

I know she'd be open to perfume as a gift despite her long association with Cno5 because a few years ago, someone gave her a bottle of… furniture perfume (? it looked just like an ordinary bottle of perfume but was, on further investigation, intended for spraying on upholstery) for Christmas, and she seemed to be thrilled by perfume as a gift, and by squirting a bit on herself for a sniff before realising it was for sofas (seriously, it looked and smelt exactly like a human perfume, the only hint was a bit of tiny text somewhere).

I don't want to give her something that's basically Chanel No 5 all over again, or something that's so radically different she'll hate it either — so, similar enough that it fits into her mental "nice perfume" file, but different, I guess? Also not looking for something that smells very "young", or super-fashionable in a way that's going to date badly, but at the same time I don't want to give her anything that comes across too stereotypically nice-gift-for-granny. And since she's my mum, I'm not keen on anything with a name like Orgasm or Sexy Pussy or whatever.

I also know that perfumes smell different on different people, and different people smell things differently, so giving a new perfume as a gift is a bit of a punt, but I'm willing to take the risk.

My budget would be somewhere probably around £40, give or take a bit.

Does anyone have any good suggestions from the probably not-very-helpful stuff I've written? Preferably something reasonably mainstream, as I'd ideally like to be able to go somewhere that stocks it to have a quick sniff.

I'd suggest guerlain mitsuko or lanvin arpege

Thank you blouse! It's so hard when you haven't even the faintest idea of where to start so I really appreciate the pointers 😂

You're welcome 😊

If you feeling brave and Your mum likes British made ethical indie perfume then I'd suggest 4160tuesdays sexiest scent on the Planet ever imho (don't let the rubbish name put you off!!)

Until tomorrow you get a free upgrade too..so buy a 30ml and get a 50ml (put upgrade in the notes)

Enjoy!

@FurryDandelionSeekingMissile does your Mum like Citrussy scents?
My Mum in her eighties loves Clinique Happy. We've been buying it for years for her. Other suggestions are l' Occitane's Lemon Verbena perfume ( seems to be almost universally popular) or if your Mum likes Lavender the Lavender Edc ( l love this). There's also a new Clarins perfume with green notes & rhubarb that smells gorgeous on.

Thanks for the tip blouse! That name's just about within the bounds of "Furry won't expire from morbid embarrassment beneath the Christmas tree", I think

Cantonet I really don't know re: citrussy scents, unfortunately — I can only tell you she likes Chanel No 5, or at least I assume she does, and that it's not one of those situations where someone indicates a vague liking for something on one occasion in July 1973 and it becomes other people's go-to gift for the rest of time (see: my grandfather and Turkish Delight, or my MIL and frogs). Most things like toiletries she buys on other criteria, or unscented, and she doesn't really do home scents much so I can't use those as a clue, though if I had to guess I'd go with "woody".

I think she might perceive lavender as a bit too older-generation as she's in her 60s (I think she had a fairly patchouli-scented youth, if you know what I mean…) but will add your other suggestions to my list; thank you 😀

I'm 58 @FurryDandelionSeekingMissile 😂
I also had a patchouli scented youth ...
Used to do the UMIST heavy metal disco every Saturday night. Followed by a piano lesson Sunday morning after lots of head banging 🤦🏼‍♀️

Hi there, my recommendations would be Jean Louis Scherrer EDT or EDP (about £35.00 or £50.00 respectively from Amazon). This one was formulated in 1979, and really hasn't changed very much at all since it first came out. It carries something of the personality of Chanel No. 5 - classy, vintage vibe, French, heavy on the aldehydes - but is also different enough to ring the changes, and it's not a perfume that many others will be wearing. For the price, it's an absolute steal. I have a vintage bottle of the EDT, and also a newer bottle of the EDP, and they smell remarkably similar to one another.

@FurryDandelionSeekingMissile Another one of similar style and vintage which I rather like is First by Van Cleef and Arpels.

SOTD for me is Tauer’s L’ADDM, celebrating a WFH day where I could just please myself scent-wise.

Ariel — thank you, and thanks for the explanation of the similarities to Cno5 as well, that's helpful info. Will definitely look into that one.

And April, thanks to you too, I will add those to the shortlist to investigate.

Really appreciate the comments I've had on this; with any luck it'll increase my chances of finding something my mum will like. I knew you lot were lovely

Mitsouko again today and I am getting better at the phone system thingy!

SOTD is JHL, for an up and down sort of day. I still haven't tried my samples, and they are looking at me accussingly. 👀

I have been enjoying the twinkly garland and Christmas tree lights, though. They make you feel so warm and cosy. And I am knitting a stocking! 🎄

Off to swap gifts with mother in law today! I'm really happy I was able to get her an old bottle of Fidji, and I wrapped it Japanese style using a silk square.

Sotd: guerlain Epices Exquises (still have some of the sample from the Escentual spice box)

Sounds like a lovely, thoughtful gift @Pigeon31.

SOTD Shay & Blue Black Tulip.

Sotd pp Andy tauer au coeur du desert

Going out out tonight, think I'll wear clean reserve skin
Showered with Kyse coconut vanille whipped soap and scrub

SOTD is Sisley’s Soir de Lune, a modern rosy chypre with a distinctly vintage feel. I love this, but it has strong sillage, definitely not office friendly.

SOTD Black Opium. We’ve had snow so I am bouncing between this and MMM BTF for cosy vibes.

Just started with a few flakes here @Judystilldreamsofhorses ❄️

Sotd will be pp mmm whispers in the Library

Its cold and I don't want to get dressed and go out but I have things to do!

sotd: aromatics elixir - for when you really need to get up in the morning, get your head together and do some stuff!

I've just been for a very cold 🥶 walk

It’s bitterly cold here and our central heating is unhelpfully playing up.

SOTD is again a rosy chypre, Rose Ribes.

It's snowing here too!!! We've had thick fog and frost all day and now the ground is covered in white. It's so Christmassy with the Xmas tree and garland fairy lights on. It's not often the truly cold weather and Christmas coincide. I love winter! ❄️☃️🎄

Tried Coromandel today. I love the thick patchouli drydown and the orange-y mid notes, but the opening is super harsh and a bit headache-y. This was only on paper, will try on myself another time. I want so much to love it.

SOTD is JHL.