What fragrances do you remember your mother wearing? What are her current favorites?

For many of us, our love for perfume has started out at our mother’s vanity table. A beautiful crystal glass bottle for which she would reach before going out into the world still out of bounds to us seemed irresistible. Applying the perfume, she would suddenly attain a new glamorous air. Sometimes I would ask my mom to scent me as well. I still remember the cold touch of a ground glass stopper on my wrist, the chill of alcohol and then the veil of fragrance that would stay even after my mom would be gone. Those fragrant drops from my mother’s perfume bottles always seemed like some magical potions, guiding me as through my childhood and helping form my own ideas of what it beauty and femininity mean.

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Poême : Missing the Poetry

When I first smelled Lancôme Poême six years ago during the time of its launch, it struck me as unbearably shrill and synthetic. It is a testament to the cheapening of fragrance formulas over time that when I smell it today, it actually seems to contain more naturals than most of the current big prestige launches. Of course, the quality of the materials is only one aspect of a well-made perfume; the balance between different parts of the fragrance is what determines how it behave and whether it ultimately pleases its wearer. Poême is an example of an interesting oriental orange blossom idea that is executed in a heavy-handed manner. It is like a nicely cut dress made out of a cheap fabric—appealing idea, but ultimately very unpleasant to wear.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

My sample of Le Labo Santal 33 has been sitting on my desk alongside several samples of sandalwood oil and synthetic sandalwood materials. For a perfumer, sandalwood is what chocolate is to a pastry chef: a creamy, dark material that can give a sensual, luscious twist to any composition. Sandalwood even behaves similar to chocolate: initially crisp and dense, the warmth of the skin makes it bloom and reveal its milky, sweet richness. Yet, not all sandalwood notes are made equal. Synthetic sandalwood materials, beautiful though some are, have the roughness of raw silk at best and the screech of nylon at worst. Australian sandalwood is medicinal and pungent, missing the delicious rose petals and cream facets of Indian sandalwood.

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The average US consumer prefers fragrances like Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Christian Dior J’Adore and Bleu de Chanel. Exploring lists of top sellers is no doubt very interesting as it reveals a lot about trends and preferences, all of which influence what you and I will find on the fragrance counter next season. Yet, I find the likes and dislikes of blog readers to be much more fascinating. For one thing, you are a group with a strong interest in fragrance, which has nothing to do with how many bottles of perfume one owns or whether one can recite the names of the legendary perfumes off the top of their head. If you are reading perfume blogs, then you probably already have a passion for fragrance. You assess a new perfume differently and you are likely to pay more attention to the scent itself rather than the bottle and other marketing trappings.

Therefore, when I recently asked for your top five favorite fragrances, I realized that it would be interesting to determine which out of the 1000+ fragrances mentioned make it into the blog reader’s top 20 list. The results are analyzed below. I also include the top 15 favorite houses and a selection of favorite fragrances from certain notable perfume houses. There were over 200 respondents, most of which were women. Enjoy!

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

In my ideal world, I live some place sunny that smells like sea breeze and lemon blossoms. I leave my house, wearing all white linen ensembles, sandals and large sunglasses. My skin perpetually smells of bitter orange and jasmine. Since I burn after 2 minutes in the sun and did not even wear white to my wedding, I prefer to indulge in such flights of fancy via some noncommittal means—books, movies, and of course, perfume. Jo Malone Orange Blossom is my recent serendipitous discovery, a simple and thoroughly delightful cologne that smells like the Mediterranean summer.

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