polls: 59 posts

While perfume is a luxury item, the price may not necessarily reflect the quality of fragrance either within the mainstream or the niche brands. As I was testing Cartier Les Heures de Parfum and feeling shocked by the price sticker of $255 per 75ml, I began to wonder about affordable and good quality fragrances.

What is your favorite, reasonably priced fragrance? How do you find your perfume bargains?

My favorite reasonably priced fragrances include Bath & Body Works Cotton Blossom ($10.50, a lovely powdery orange blossom reminiscent of Rochas Tocade) and Velvet Tuberose (75ml $13.25, airy, creamy tuberose,) Sonoma Scent Studio Incense Pure (17ml $36, excellent smoky incense,) Crabtree & Evelyn Iris (30 ml $25, simple, but very elegant iris), Pacifica California Star Jasmine ($9 solid perfume, green, bright jasmine), Demeter Gin & Tonic (120ml $18.80, effervescent, green citrus with a hint of pepper.) Rochas Tocade is not necessarily cheap, but I recently got a 100ml bottle for about $30 on Amazon.com. Ebay.com can also be a great place to find perfumes at bargain prices, but buyer beware, not everything sold there is authentic.

The best fragrance bargain I have come across was a bottle of Shalimar EDP at the garage sale for $5.  Alas, it was the first and only time…

Image: Moschino Cheap & Chic ad (I love its tongue-in-cheek, flamboyant quality)

My perfume collection is my wardrobe. The only difference is that while I would not pick a ball gown for an average day at the office, I can easily select a lush and dramatic perfume, an olfactory haute couture equivalent like Guerlain L’Heure Bleue or Chanel Coco, if it suits my mood that particular morning. Yet, the fragrances that constitute my staples are often more along the lines of a little black dress: versatile, elegant, with enough subtlety to make a great day time perfume and plenty of character to make the transition into the evening.

What is your perfume equivalent of a little black dress (for men, a perfectly tailored blazer or a crisp white shirt)? What fragrance makes the best morning into evening transition for you?

My favorite little black dress is undoubtedly Christian Dior Eau Sauvage. Its composition of citrus and basil over a smooth, luminous woody base never fails to make me feel elegant, whatever my outfit choice for the day. I also appreciate the understated allure of Guerlain Après l’Ondée, Love Chloé, Serge Lutens Bois de Violette, Chanel 28 La Pausa, and Frédéric Malle Le Parfum de Thérèse, which are among my favorite daytime fragrances, my talismans guaranteing a good start for the day.

Photography by F.C. Gundlach, Siv Benno and Pierre Hogard, cocktail dress by Pierre Cardin, Paris 1962.

The best fragrance compliment story I know belongs to my mother. She got stopped by a traffic policeman because one of her lights was not working. He was ready to give her a citation, when he leaned into her car and asked, “wow, something smells amazing.” She was wearing Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminelle (yes, mom is a secret perfumista.) He then ended up just warning her, no ticket, no citation!

Do you get compliments or any other comments on your fragrances, and which ones get most comments? Is a negative comment on your fragrance likely to make you wear it less?

One of my most complimented fragrance is L’Artisan La Chasse Aux Papillons. I tend to think of it as light and subtle, but often when I wear it, people comment how good something smells.  As for negative comments, if I like something strongly, then no comments will affect my opinion; however, if a comment comes from a friend or a family member, I will make an effort not to wear that fragrance around them.

Photography © Bois de Jasmin, Vera.

How do you find that your tastes have changed since you bought your first bottle of perfume or first became interesting in fragrance?

I still enjoy white florals–L’Artisan La Chasse Aux Papillons was one of the first fragrances I bought, and I still wear it frequently. However, I wear many more perfumes in the woods and oriental families, while previously, they used to be reserved for special moods and mostly evening. Now, I do not think twice before donning Shalimar in the morning! Another change I noticed is my stronger preference for citrus notes, especially orange and grapefruit.

Photography Bois de Jasmin.  Winter fruit salad: blood orange, grapefruit, pomegranate, banana, a melange with a wonderful scent, which I would glad wear as perfume.