best high street fragrances?

[Bargello]

About 5 years ago I stopped buying the designer fragrances for £££ and switched to high street, first the discontinued Isis/Aqua from M&S, then a nice one from Zara (can't remember hte name but it's pink).

I really am a convert and think all that money I spent on high end perfume was such a waste. Can anyone recommend other high street places with their own perfume brands? Not interested in "smell a likes", just decent products which smell nice and don't cost a small fortune.

Cashmere Rose from Zara is lovely. My DD keeps nicking it, having a spray and telling me how nice the scent is.

I love the M&S dupes, not so much because they are dupes but they all smell lovely and are really reasonable. I have 3 of them so far. I also bought DH who is fussy & particularly likes Boss the dupe for that to take on holiday as under 100ml and he says he can’t tell the difference! It’s £6.

OtherStories have some great smells. It's their own line, reasonably priced, no dupes, they use well established 'noses' to create them.

Isis was a dupe for something.

My local M&S have a big beauty section and I think that their perfumes are both reasonably priced and smell good. It’s one of those shops where you can try the testers without being hassled or feeling like you’re being watched.

My local Zara has a lot of perfumes but it’s arranged in the middle of the shop near the tills so you feel like you’re in everybody’s way on busy days. I think that the prices are competitive.

I will be in a big M&S next week so will head for the beauty section and have a sniff. I got a free mini perfume in their advent calendar promo, think it was a Mandarin one and I really didn't like it, although DD did.

If it's a dupe for a designer brand or not I don't care - it's more about the scent. I'm not such a perfume connoisseur that I would be able to tell. I have come to realise though that the designer scents just aren't worth it - £15 for 100ml from M&S or £18 in Zara, compared to £75 plus for the same amount for a designer brand. You're not telling me that the designer brand is 3 or 4 times the quality because it's just not.

Next Cashmere is lovely

Next summer sun is lovely (similar to EL bronze goddess) sort of coconut beachy

Next Paradise is one of my favourites for summer. Gold is also lovely - I know they’re both dupes but have not smelt the originals. Actually, Next often does sets of 4 or 5 10ml samples which are great for working out what you like from their range.

Cashmere from Next is my go to!

M&S pink pepper

Otherstories have great perfumes, or anything in the M&S apothecary range. M&S has lots of other choices too

I’ve heard white coconut in m&s is fab and have a reminder in my phone to check it out next time I’m in there

have used some of the jo Malone zara ones and loved them

I agree with cashmere from next.

I use the M&S Apothecary Warmth scent which I absolutely adore. It doesn't last as long as I'd like though!

My favourite for over 20 years is Next Pink.

https://www.elle.com.au/beauty/body/zara-perfumes-tiktok-designer-dupes-25965/

https://graziadaily.co.uk/beauty-hair/makeup/marks-and-spencer-perfume-dupes/

I'm not interested in dupes...

Lush have some lovely fragrances, and I like their solid perfumes too, though I only use cosmetics with natural ingredients / no endocrine disrupters and I’m not convinced Lush still qualifies. Their ingredients list is suspiciously vague.

Sana Jardin is my perfumer of choice now - you can get a sample kit and try them out. I love Incense Water and Venus of Verbena.

Moringa from the Body Shop. They did a nice coconut one too.

I think people are just saying so you might have an idea what they smell like

Next and Zara perfumes are all dupes of something else whether you relate to them being a dupe or not if that makes sense! So if I linked to an article about next perfumes it's going to tell you what they are all dupes for

I hear you. Next have good stuff - but they've discontinued my two favourites - Enchantment ( woody, Chypre) and Candied Flowers ( very powdery like La Vie Est Belle).
But you can also find really beautiful fragrances that were expensive when launched but are now older and very inexpensive. Also good if you don't want to smell like every third woman you pass in the street.
I recently bought Anais Anais L'originale which is cheap now but lovely. Also liked Lanvin Arpege, Guy Laroche Fidgi, Lalique Satine, Estee Lauder Youth Dew and today I am loving the 'use when can't afford my regular perfume' of my youth 'Yardley's Pure Silk' which I bought for £5 online.

I would have liked to try Lush fragrances but I dislike Lush's politics

Sarah Jessica Parker - Lovely. It's a light fresh scent and about £20 for 150 ml. Her other scents are also good. I like Covet.

M&S warmth (apothecary range) is lovely and only £10 (if you like sandalwood). As a PP said it's not long lasting enough but it's so cheap it doesn't matter so much