I’d like a perfume that makes me feel like Dame Maggie Smith is offering me a scone and telling me kindly that I’m doing a great job and everything’s going to be OK.

[Stoechas]

For clarification I do not want to smell
like Dame Maggie Smith (although I bet she smells lovely) or a scone.

I have a sometimes grim job in a grim part of the world interacting with sometimes grim people and I’d like to be able to put my nose down my top in private and smell something that makes everything a bit better.

No idea about perfumes. Perfume people scare me. Going to JL next week and would like to have a sniff of maximum 5 perfumes and buy one of them.

Do not want anything remotely sexy, rude, obnoxious, syrupy girlie flowers, loud antibacterial sunshine or clean sheets in the rain I just mowed my lawn in a long dress bullshit.

Anything that fits the bill?

I love this thread, I'm looking for a new perfume to love now that my favourite is no longer available. I do love JM wild sage and sea salt but as PP say it doesn't last. My wee MIL bought me YSL Libre 2 years ago and I just don't love it. I sprayed it a couple of days ago and meh. I didn't know John Lewis do online testers Yay.
Hope you feel better soon OP and get a scent you love. I too like Dune and not smelt it for years. Maybe one for me to try again xx

oh I just thought of more perfume - by a UK company. Floral Street. They have a few and you can buy small testers to try out.

Im glad you have a list that will be getting longer and longer and I hope you find your favourite smell soon.

Update:
Two book purchases, multiple episodes of Persolaise on YouTube viewed, pathological lurking on the Perfumista’s thread, purchase of a new diary just for perfumes with daily notes supported by the magnificently geeky info from Fragrantica and 20 actual perfumes tried upon my person later and I have made my first ever perfume purchase.

I am planning to wear Mitsouko, sprayed from my lovely new bottle to my graduation ceremony on Friday. I like to think that Dame Maggie would approve.

Many thanks again to all the suggestions on the thread.
I have a long, long list of more perfumes yet to smell.

BRAVO!!!!

It's all downhill from now
< looks at stash of perfumes >

My picks would be Mitsouko and shalimar- both smell like church pews!!

Good choice. Mitsouko is my favourite. I wear it all the time. I just love it.

I blind bought Mitsouko but it really turns my stomach. It smells too musty to me (and I like old fashioned perfumes).

I've tried to love mitsouko but it has a plastic/ play dough smell on me.

I love it on others though and Maggie Smith would definitely wear it.

Perfume diary you say...?? Where do I get one of these?

@mewkins I kind of agree- didn't say I loved it - but it does have that 'old school' smell - it was my H who said 'church pews' !

Excellent choice OP, I bloody love mitsouko. Congratulations and enjoy your graduation

Yes smell is very personal. I find Chanel No.5 makes me think of a very old lady in a fur coat who has gin in her handbag.

This!

I love Glossier You as well

😁I'd happily have something that smelled like that (woody and incensey) but on me it smells of mothballs and moldy peaches sadly 😬

@mewkins Ha- lol!!

Yes, this!

It whisks me off to the woods in spring no matter where I am or how my day is going.

Fabulous choice, OP!

Mothballs and mouldy peaches might sum me up, maybe I need to go back to Mitsouko …. I don’t like the new formulation anywhere near as much as the original, all the oomph has gone and the dry down is more dusty.

Mitsouko has always smelled unwashed to me. Reminds me of ferries in the 1980s where the faint smell of toilets and sanitary bins and nappies and vomit and people who have been travelling for days in hot weather without washing mixes with perfume from the duty free.
Luckily you rarely encounter it these days!

I like Mitsouko. Am wearing the vintage parfum today and it smells magnificent. The parfum is quite dry smelling and has a big raspy moss note, along with the warm spices. But at points this also smells vaguely of a) old chip fat, b) hospitals/plasters, c) warm skin, d) boiled fruit sweets.

Personally I think this is all to the good and love the complex layers of beautiful and dirty smells, and the transitions as it unfolds. Would have this over all the bland fruitchoulis and citrus 'n' white flower combos that seem to dominate these days and which bore after 15 minutes.

IMHO PP is mistaken on the vomit note - that would be the curdled milk note in the opening of another Guerlain classic, Jicky.

that would be the curdled milk note in the opening of another Guerlain classic, Jicky.

No, no - Jicky smells like lavender bleach sloshed across a concrete floor soaked in urine. I definitely get the subtle tang of vomit from Mitsouko

I love perfume and two of my absolute favorites are Eternity Calvin Klein, it's a lovely light floral perfume that on me doesn't have a strong spillage but I get wafts of it throughout the day. The other one is Elizabeth Arden Blue grass, cheap as chips £13 from savers, but it's glorious floral, a bit spicy and reminds me of my Gran who wore it all the time.

Harsh

Yes it is very dusty. And yes yes to 80s ferry smell 😄

It's funny how bad memories can ruin perfumes.