Please help me find a subtle perfume

[TheCalmQuail]

I haven't worn perfume in over 2 years and I really miss it. The problem is that I find most really overwhelmingly strong and I'm also going to be breastfeeding for a significant amount of time when DC arrives and I don't like the idea of them having a REALLY strong scent in their face.

I did tend to stick to an eau de toiIette, but Im even starting to find them quite strong. I've been reading about essential oil based perfumes and though maybe a roll on would help me to concentrate application spots and stop overwhelming myself and potentially baby with too much scent.

Previous perfumes I've worn have been quite musky, not your traditional florals, I also like green/citrus scents:

• Stella McCartney EAU de parfum
• Dolce & Gabbana L'Imperatrice
• Diptyque Philosykos Eau de Parfum

They're all quite strong to me now, and I find powdery VERY floral ones set me off sneezing. But I really miss wearing something. I just don't know where to start, and they're so pricey now if hate to waste a bottle I didn't get on with.

The M&S perfumes are nice, and cheap. Maybe have a smell of those.

I find that using an expensive shower gel (like molton brown or ren) has this effect; a very subtle scent all day. And a much cheaper way of experimenting 🤣.

i also love Orange Butterflies by Jo Loves which personally I think is very subtle.

I love the perfumes from NEXT, Cashmere to be particular

Wear a scented body lotion instead.

Two you might like are Zara's Apple Juice which is fresh, not too sweet and very light or Eau Ressourcance ( blue bottle) by Clarins, which just smells clean and fresh, like you just got out of the bath. Neither of them last long, though. I love them both but reapply several times a day.

Apple Juice by Zara is only £12 and Eau Ressourcante is around £20 to £25.

Have a look at Clarins L'eau des Jardins, it's very subtle.
There 2 others in the range, all quite light, but that one is my personal favourite.

Don’t rule out men’s scents particularly if your tastes run towards the musky spectrum.
The brands marketed to teenagers tend to be very light as well.

I couldn’t bear to wear any scent while I was pregnant or breastfeeding, and I’ve only liked very light scent ever since.

Definitely agree about the shower gel

I agree that the Clarins fragrances are light and very wearable .I have had Pomelo and Pink Vetiver as light daytime scents ( Jo Loves) and there are a couple of others in the range that might fit the bill. I stopped wearing everyday scent when my DC were at the very attached stage , I've no idea if they appreciated it!

Le labo matcha is very light and fresh

I went in Marks and Spencer's yesyand yhey have gorgeous perfume for £10

Oooh sounds interesting. And they do a testers which I hadn't realised.

Yes, I used to rely on M&S for a secondary scent when I wore perfume regularly - they're really good! But I think I want something a bit more of an investment/treat this time.

I like Clinique Happy for light but nice.

Green Tea is very light, pleasant and often cheap, but has no staying power.

This thread has made me think of Philosophy which used to be a really gentle, ‘clean’ scent. I feel like I need to go and smell it somewhere, if they even still make it!

Boss Orange or D&G Light Blue are quite light. Not my scents but my mum’s.

Yes that's when I stopped too. But I feel like I lost myself a bit with DC1, so second time round id like to be a bit more balanced. Any recommendations please?

Ah, Happy is my DMs signature scent. Do you really think it's light? I find it quite punchy (?!). This thread has made me realise how terrible I am at describing scents

Another vote for le labo 'The Matcha' and Elizabeth Arden 'White Tea'.

Jo Malone can be very light - maybe 'Basil & Neroli' or 'Grapefruit'? 'Hinoki and Cedarwood' is lovely if you want something woodier but maybe a bit strong.

Aqua Allegoria is lovely to spritz - maybe 'Pamplelune' or 'Bergamote Calabria'.

Most of the Byredo line are pretty gentle (imo), so perhaps: 'Desert Dawn', 'Mojave Ghost', 'Gypsy Water', or 'De Los Santos'.

Oh also: there's been a big rise in 'skin scents' recently, which are musk, sheer, 'your skin but better' perfumes, which you might like. Glossier 'You' and Eccentric Molecules 'Molecule O1' are the big ones for this, but also DS & Durga 'I Don't Know What' and Juliette Has a Gun 'Not A Perfume'.

Also! Try eBay for samples - loads there right now, particularly from fragrance advent calendars.

I love Diptyque ( wear Philosykos, Ilio ) Hermes, Goutal.
Maybe switch to
Eau de Colognes, def for summer or just a hair scent ?
Hermes also has lots of Colognes, many unisex like Diptyque.
I find a lot of modern scents give me headaches and parfums would be a total no no now.
Frederic Malle, crazy expensive sadly , En Passant is also
divine, smells like spring in Paris but only comes as a parfum.
This is a really good site to find perfumes similar to the ones you like e.g

https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Diptyque/Philosykos-Eau-de-Parfum-3865.html

Oh I'm equally terrible, but yes, I think it's very light!

I love Not a Perfume.

Yes this type of thing sounds ideal. I'd just like to give 'em a sniff first. Will have a look for samples

I really like this idea, even if it just scents my clothes. I'm noticing recently at the end of the day they smell like whatever I've cooked for tea. I'd like my signature scent to be a bit more sophisticated than spag bol

I was going to suggest Glossier You also, so subtle but gorgeous. Like the fragrance equivalent of no-make-up make up.

If you're near a boots it might be worth smelling Ariana grande love notes vanilla suede
I sniffed it when I was in the other day and it was very faint - I asked the male assistant and he said "yeah it's nice but not strong at all"