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 4160tuesdays captured By Candlelight with added coffee ☕️ again. If I say so myself this is wondrous

SOTD is Contradictions in Ilk Sincere, which I think I got in a Perfume Society ages ago. It’s one of those slightly powdery skin scents, quite nice but nothing particularly special in my view.

SOTD: Bloom - I want it to be spring and for there to be flowers, even though it is frosty out today!

SOTD olympea PP dupe
Just finished a workout and got out the shower and wanted something cosy and clean but not too clean
It's exactly what I needed

SOTD Miller Harris Scherzo. It’s the first time I’ve worn this out of the house. The projection and longevity are both impressive! Enjoyed experiencing it everytime I moved. It lasted all day.

Sotd pp mmm btf

Freezing cold this morning - debating with myself whether to crank up the heating or brave it in hope it will somehow become bearable (though - I'm losing because my fingers are getting stiff and I have to do a lot of typing today).

SOTD Mon Guerlain - not sure I got it right today - it is a warm scent but not 'warm enough'.

Hi Perfumistas...

I'm kind of a lazy newbie perfumista who has been an entirely skint one for three years (pandemic earnings issues) but now getting back into it.

I wondered if I could pick your brains? Not literally. It would make a mess.

I'm looking for a Spring scent.

I really don't like white florals - for example this week I tried samples of Flowerhead and Infloressence by Byredo and didn't like either and I'm pretty sure it's the white florals putting me off.

I like fresh, clean, sweeter and much lighter florals - think Daisy by Marc Jacobs which I wore a lot through my late 20s/early 30s but it feels lacking in depth for me now.

I also like powdery and I adore all things rose.

Although interestingly I don't like Red Roses by JM. I have no idea why...it smelt...too strong and 'old lady' to me.

I don't love using 'old lady' as a way to describe perfumes re: ageism and also what I really mean is 'dead lady' as I'm not really thinking of today's 70 year olds but a generation or two ago. My MIL is mid-70s, looks and dresses like Anna Wintour and wears Tom Ford perfumes.

Do you guys have another, better way of saying what we all collectively think of when we think of 'old lady' perfumes?

Before Spring arrives I'm probably going to be wearing Atkinson's Grand Pirates Reserve most days because it's the first perfume I fell properly IN LOVE with and it's very much an Autumn/Winter scent so I have to pack it a way once spring arrives!

I tend to class those powdery old style roses ad "pre war"

I like that one :)

If anyone fancies samples of Byredo Flowerhead and/or Infloressence am happy to send them on for postage only.

Have just over 1ml of Flowerhead and just under 2ml of Infloressence.

Hi @wheresmymojo. I wore Daisy for many years but have also now moved on.

For a rose scent, you could try Rose Silence by Miller Harris. It is quite a simple rose but doesn’t smell old fashioned to me. You might also like Secret Gardenia by them too - I know it sounds like a white floral but it is light and has yuzu so is quite fresh. I think it’s a perfect spring scent.

Shay & Blue perfumes are quite light and they do some nice florals. I like English Cherry Blossom and Tallulah’s Camellia.

I don’t know how you feel about Jo Malone generally, but Peony & Blush Suede and English Pear & Freesia are both nice, if a bit pricy.

For a clean floral, I still quite often wear J’Adore. Good for the office. I also still like Tommy Girl (might just be a nostalgia thing for me). It’s really cheap now too.

Have you tried going on Fragrantica and putting in Daisy and see what comes up? There are usually some pretty good recommendations for similar perfumes on there.

Big hello to all the new perfumistas who've joined over the past two weeks. Welcome to the nicest corner of the Internet! 👋😊

Really, really cold here on the edge of London, -5 last night! I have two pairs of socks on, two thermal vests, my thickest warmest jumper, a heated throw and the heater, and it's still cold! 🥶❄️🧊 In saying all that, I still love winter. 😁

SOTD is Ambre Sultan for trekking to the Post office, where I was only third in a very long queue, but still waited over 30 mins. Someone was wearing Old Youth Dew outside, and smelling the old version after all these years reminds me how changed the new stuff is. ❄️☃️

It got all the way up to 1 degree here today! First time in 2 weeks it's been above freezing 🥶

@Chevyimpala67 We also reached the giddy heights of 1° today! I am wearing so many layers, the laundry pile is multiplying at three times its usual rate! 🧊☃️❄️

@wheresmymojo I love your question. For rose perfumes, I second @CorneliaStreet suggestion of Miller Harris Rose Silence. This is one of my favourites, a fresh delicate rose. Penhaligon’s Duchess Rose is along the same lines. Both smell young and expensive. For other spring scents you could try Floral Street Sunflower Pop, which makes me feel so happy. I love peony and blush suede (also mentioned by @CorneliaStreet ) but I associate Jo Malone scents with candles - they don’t last long on the skin. Happy shopping!

@wheresmymojo Welcome! What a great question you have asked. Firstly, instead of old lady I use the term "Grand Dame" or "Classic" on the grounds that the older generation generally have a good taste in perfume and don't bend with the trends. It could also be that as a 52 year old I have a real penchant for anything that reminds me of my 70s childhood. I've also noticed that the Grand Dames I walk past smell better than many of the younger over sugared vanilla heads, bless 'em.

As far as Spring fragrances are concerned, especially if you're on a budget, I recommend Avon Eve Truth. It's a pretty aquatic floral and does the job nicely for £12. I also really love Guy Laroche Fidji which you can still find online for around £26 but get the EDP not the EDT if you can find it. It's very fresh and uplifting. Also check out Zara Waterlily Tea Dress as a gorgeous airy floral.

Now then, onot powdery. I also love powdery fragrances and my favourites include Coty L'Aimant ( which is similar to Chanel No 5 and also from the 1920s but under £10), Narciso Rodriguez Narciso Poudree, 4160 Tuesdays Tart's Knicker Drawer and Chanel No 19 Poudree which is a bit epdny but gorgeous.

Regarding roses: I highly recommend Yardley English Rose. I wore it in a heatwave and those roses really held their own and smelled a lot more realistic too. I was really impressed. I also like Paul Smith Rose, a budget classic, Avon First Date of Turkish Rose ( also a little powdery, search online), 4160 Tuesdays Killer Rose, Chloe by Chloe, Le Jardin Retrouve Rose Trocadero, Lush Rose Jam and Perfumer's Workshop Tea Rose.

Feel free to ask any questions. You can also look up my blog which is called iscentyouaday.

epdny = spendy £££

I love JM Peony & Blush Suede and have that already...for some reason I never think of it for Spring. I always find myself turning to it at the end of Summer / beginning of Autumn.

I also love the Pear. I've only had it in the shower gel and I think I had a small sample once and loved it but felt it didn't have much staying power as a perfume.

I'll definitely take a look at what Fragrantica suggests.

I might try the sample of the Miller Harris suggestions - so far I haven't liked any MH scents but I might just have chosen the wrong ones to try!

Thanks for these - so many great suggestions.

I had seen recommendations on here for Paul Smith before so DH bought me a large bottle for Christmas and I love it (so thanks perfumistas!).

I'm heading off to Sri Lanka in April and am almost as excited to spend lots of time in the perfume aisles of duty free as the holiday itself

Also planning a day trip to London where I'm going to do some scent shopping at Liberty lots of sampling but will only be able to stretch to one niche bottle

That being said I start a new job near the Shard / St Katherine's Docks soon so going to see what shops are around there or close enough to pop to if I take a proper lunch break if any (it's not really a shopping area)

What is epdny?

Loving Grand Dame instead of 'old lady' for one day I shall be one and when I am I shall refer to myself as a Grand Dame

I fully hope to embrace some kind of Iris Apfel x Anna Wintour x The Dowager Duchess from Downton vibe.

Lots of perfumes, lots of style, completely outrageous, too many cats, always a drink in hand, no fucks and cut-to-the-bone one liners is what I'm working up to over the next 30 years.

Sotd pp mmm replica by the fireplace

Has anyone been to any of the perfumers (perfumiers?) in London?

I'd like to go to one or two. I'd be looking to purchase so not just twatting about but I'd like to go somewhere that is genuinely friendly and approachable.

I hate going to stores in London that are snooty and cold when you enter and they clock that you aren't a Sheik or a hedge fund manager and won't be purchasing some £15k bespoke, monogrammed oud.

I want friendly, informative chat about perfumes where they make you feel at home if you love scents irrespective of how many million you do or don't have in your bank account.

(It's telling that I feel this way even though I've worked in the City on and off for ten years and earn a top 10% salary. I honestly feel like the poor relation compared to the wealth thats around. And I have a Stoke accent which never helps with the snooty assistants).