I’m sure, like me, you’ve flirted with many fragrances over the years. Maybe you change your perfume according to the time of day or the season. Perhaps, like me and Charlotte, you have several spritzes on rotation at any one time, choosing your fragrance to suit your mood. But when it comes down to it, we’ve all got a favourite. These are ours. For now.
{Charlotte} Juliette Has A Gun (Lady Vengeance)
This was my wedding perfume. I actually didn’t know there was such a thing as the requirement to have a specific W-day fragrance until an engaged friend asked me, very seriously, what mine was (apparently I needed to make sure it was photographed on the big day you see).
I embarked on a major hunt at the time, lots of lovely smells but none that felt as though they could be “The One” (I joke it was much like dating – I even bought a couple of different varieties only to decide a few sprays later that actually, I just didn’t love them).
I spotted the Juliette Has Got A Gun range in Selfridges, I thought the branding and bottle design were unique, quirky and ever-so-slightly sexy. Lady Vengeance was my favourite – a heady mix of Bulgarian rose, vanilla and patchouli, it’s simple yet subtly seductive. It is also my husband’s favourite, he said it, “Smelt like heaven,” at the time of purchase and even now remarks on how the scent reminds him of our wedding and honeymoon.
I do have various other fragrances on rotation (I tend to choose to suit my mood) but I always have a bottle of Lady Vengeance to hand, this will definitely be a love affair that lasts for ever.
You can buy Juliette Has A Gun Lady Vengeance here
{Lauren} Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
I’ve been wearing Coco Mademoiselle for the last six years or so. I flit from one perfume to another but it’s always elegant Mademoiselle that I go back to. The juice is light and fresh with citrusy, oriental notes and the fragrance lasts all day.
One spritz and I instantly feel chic and feminine, like I could be in a Parisian apartment about to jump on a scooter and zip around the French streets.
When I reach the bottom of the bottle I start to have palpitations. Thankfully my husband seems to go on frequent and lengthy stag holidays that almost always involve a trip to duty free.
I know it’s far from an unusual choice and, dare I say it, Coco Mademoiselle has become fairly common, gracing the dressing tables of many of my friends. Some say it’s a youthful fragrance so perhaps it’s time for me to move on to a more grown-up Chanel perfume?
You can buy Chanel Coco Mademoiselle here
{Adam} Comme Des Garçon 2
I was reading an article about fashion house Comme Des Garçon a few years back – I forget why exactly, it was something to do with zany approaches to marketing – and I remember being drawn in by the fact that this seemingly French company was in fact Japanese. Who would have guessed?
I was intrigued by a new perfume mentioned in the article that supposedly recreated the smell of gold. I hasten to add that this was not the smell that would become my favourite scent to wear. The article went on to mention that the company had a history or creating alternative aromas including another that purported to have had a stab at bottling the fragrance of ink. This seemed like the perfect thing for a graphic designer to smell of so, based purely on that article, (the zany marketing was also clearly very successful marketing) I found myself hunting down Comme Des Garçon ‘2′.
I eventually found it in Selfridges (and subsequently House of Fraser) and discovered that there were two versions of the smell – a masculine version and a unisex version. It was the latter, lighter and less woody that I fell for. As far as smelling of ink goes I do sort of see what they’re getting at but I’m not 100% sold. It does have a unique smell and sensation that almost reminds me of the ozone-rich air that you get after a thunderstorm.
I’m not sure if any of that is selling it to you but I always get nice compliments! Officailly the notes are ink, Incense, Amber, Labdanum, Patchouli, Chinese, Cedarwood, New Aldehydes, Cumin, Angelica Root, Vetiver, Cade Oil, Absolute Maté, Magnolia, Absolute Folia.
You can buy Comme Des Garçon 2 here
{Miranda} Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh
I’ve checked, double-checked and checked again but apparently it’s true, Marc Jacobs launched the original Daisy fragrance back in 2007 (can you believe it?!). The grown-up but not too serious feminine-fruity-floral had me at first sniff and the chunky bottle topped with two oversized white and gold plastic daisies became a fixture on the mantelpiece where I keep my perfume collection (my bedroom being too small for a dressing table, sadly).
Four years later MJ added Eau So Fresh to the Daisy family and I fell hard for this new version of an old favourite. Smell-wise it’s a playful mash-up of raspberry, grapefruit, pear, plum, violets, wild rose, apple blossom, musks and cedarwood, making it a fruity floral, with a woody base, in perfume speak. One sniff and I’m instantly transported to a sun-drenched flower-filled meadow. Fickle fragrance fan that I am Eau So Fresh replaced the original Daisy in my affections and it’s been my go-to summer spritz ever since.
Apparently I’m not the only Daisy fragrance fan. Check out the #mjdaisychain hashtag on Instagram to see how much love there is out there for Daisy, Daisy Eau So Fresh and all the other members of the Daisy family. And, news just in, Daisy Dream, the latest incarnation of Daisy is set to launch in July. There’s no info on what it actually smells like but this time the juice is blue and the cap AND bottle are decorated with daisies. It would certainly look very pretty on my mantelpiece…
You can buy Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh here
What’s your go-to fragrance? Do you stick with the same scent or switch it up according to your mood, the time of day, or the season? Do tell us in the comments section below!
Diamonds – cant remember who buy. Its one that actually gets better the longer you wear. I didn’t realise but apparently I’m quite well known for it. A friend says that whenever she smells it she thinks of me and can’t imagine it right on anyone else!
Is it Amani? it’s lovely when folks think you have your own smell 🙂
Yes that’s the one! I feel it might be a bit to heady for everyday? I struggle to find anything new though as I don’t like anything too fussyx
Oooh I love perfumes, I totally agree with Lauren you can’t go wrong with Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. Another firm favourite of mine is my wedding day perfume Stella by Stella Mccartney. My next go – to fragrance is going to be Narcotic Venus, it’s a bit pricey but smells delicious so I’m going to treat myself xx
Oooh what is Narcotic Venus?! My friend Victoria wears Stella, it’s very VERY sexy x
I tend to wear very feminine fragrances as they seem to last the longest on me. Stella definitely stood the test of time amongst all those congratulatory wedding hugs. I happened across Narcotic Venus when we were last in Liberty’s (LOVE this place so, so much). It’s really strong and is a concentrate so a little goes a long way, here’s a link to it http://www.liberty.co.uk/fcp/product/Liberty//Narcotic-Venus,–Nasomatto/51657 x
I love Stella too! x
I wore Jo Malone – Pomegranate Noir for my wedding/minimoon – very sexy scent, always take me back to my blood red wedding dress against the epic snow, candlight, twinkle lights, my husband’s velvet suit against my cheek, driving through the frozen trees and snow to Edinburgh and our minimoon at The Witchery;
My everyday perfume is Nina by Nina Ricci, It’s lemon and apple overtones are pretty and light. Before this I used Nina Ricci’s Premiere Jour which was peppery and darker but still very lovely.
Wow, your wedding sounds epic!
I’m a Chanel girl all the way – I wore Coromandel for my wedding which is a special edition one (I cheekily got a few samples from Selfridges and am hoping for a bottle for my anniversary but its pretty pricey!!)
Other than that its No5 then Noir then Coco. I tend to go for more ‘grown up’ scents (ie less floral). Weirdly, I’m the only person I know who likes and wears No5, lots of my friends don’t like it on themselves but say it smells different on me.
just realised that that makes it sounds like floral scents aren’t grown up. which is obviously not the case!!
🙂
🙂 Fingers crossed you get a fab anniversary present! x
Also a Chanel girl, though I tend to rotate them: Coco noir at night (very seductive and I feel like a vixen with one spritz), Chanel eau tendre (pink one) which was my wedding perfume and my go to summer fragrance and I also love eau fraiche green one for everyday!!! Possibly a bit of an addict looking back at the list….
I think I need to branch out Rhiannon and go for another Chanel fragrance.
I am getting dangerously low on Mademoiselle at the moment. Luckily my husband seems to have yet another stag do coming up…
Miranda – I’m also a MJ Daisy girl! Just gorgeous and the bottle always looks lovely and stands out next to the rest of my dressing table clutter!
However I’m also partial to SJP Lovely which is my current go to (seen as I ran out of Daisy a while back!)
I’m not one to buy perfume for myself so I normally end up with a bottle of one or the other for my birthday or Christmas and then have to make it last the whole year! Although saying that, we were stuck at the airport back in October and my other half went for a wander and came back having bought a bottle of Daisy Eau So Fresh in duty free for me which was a lovely surprise! He did hand it over going ‘it looks a bit different than the last one I got you, but I think it’s the same…’ Little did he know that it was even better than the original!
I’ve worn SJP Lovely too Jo, gorgeous scent and such a pretty bottle! It’s so easy to make a mistake with the multiple versions of Daisy you can buy, Eau So Fresh is definitely my favourite, although I haven’t smelt Daisy Eau So Fresh Delight yet…
Rotation, depending on weather, mood and time of day.
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, I can’t be without but also love Jo Malone Lime, Basil and Mandarin, Space NK Laughter Diptyque 34 and finally Voyage d’Hermes. Think I better stay away from the perfume department for now!
It does sound like you have something of a collection Eileen – I love having a selection to choose from too!
I seem to change favourites every couple of years. Chanel Mademoiselle and Chance au Fraiche were favourites for a long time, as well as Narciso Rodriguez For Her. I also went through a Marc Jacobs Daisy phase. For me wedding last year I had a lovely consultation at Jo Malone and picked English Pear and Freesia which I love and wear almost everyday now. Maybe this will be the one that sticks…I really want to find something that I’ll wear forever. My Mum wore Guerlain Shalimar for years and it always makes me think of her. I want to have a smell that my loved ones associate with me 🙂 xx
Ooh, I love the sound of a fragrance consultation, sounds like my kind of meeting!
J’adore for me – I like to think I look like Charlize Theron sashaying down the road when I wear it (definitely all in my head!)
J’adore J’adore too Ann-Marie!
I alternate between Guerlian La Robe Noir which is quite light and Flora by Gucci and Gucci tuberose. I love the blue Bulgari one (can’t remember the name) and love Daisy too. An all time classic Ralph Lauren Romance is a good all rounder!
Oh and I can’t miss out Prada infusion d’iris – it’s beautiful
Yes, Lauren, treat yourself! I can definitely recommend all three that I mentioned above, but secretly I love my pink Eau Tendre the most…x
Lots of love for Chanel here but no mention of my absolute fave – Chanel Allure. I bought the body lotion and the fragrance for my wedding and have worn it ever since. My husband has the boys version too which literally makes me melt when I smell it. (Although I have lost the love for all perfumes since I became preggers – looking forward to returning to more normal olfactory abilities)
I also love Liz Earl Botanical fragrances and Caudalie fragrances for use on the beach/sun bathing (decadent I know) these fragrances are chemical free and ‘photostable’ which I think means they don’t go weird in sunlight or stop your sun cream from working properly.
I have a lot of love for Allure Georgina, I haven’t bought any for years but it’s such a classic sophisticated scent.
Sadly because of my job I can’t wear perfume on a day to day basis – I’m an audiologist and sometimes have to test young children’s hearing, during this we need to move about a lot and if they can smell where you are, they’ll turn towards you and can give a false positive!
When I get the chance I like a Kenzo scent they seem not to do anymore – came in a fuchsia pink fat at the bottom skinny at the top bottle. Very girly smell, my husband likes it quite a bit. Also like Diesel Plus Plus Feminine for night time, quite a spicy, sexy scent!
I wore Miss Dior for my wedding – such a lovely scent 🙂
Recently found a lovely scent for my husband in Markies of all places, they have a nice range at the moment and it isn’t dear! Gold star for Markies yet again 🙂
It’s Viktor and Rolf’s Flowerbomb for me every time. I have worn this since 2007; back then it was hard to find outside of duty free and I loved that hardly anyone had heard of it. I absolutely adore it; it is unlike any perfume that I have ever come across and lingers and develops beautifully throughout the day. Apparently it has become something of a signature for me, with my friends, family and gorgeous husband being able to identify me by smell (so glad it is in a good way!).
I wore it on my wedding day, not only because both it and I have become rather inextricably linked, but also because it mingled beautifully with the sweet peas, freesias and roses in my homegrown bouquet, filling that spine-tingling car journey to the church with reassuring scent.
Is it wrong that now it is far more widely available (and I can buy it far more easily) part of me wishes it was still just ‘my little secret find’? I shouldn’t be selfish though, it is a great scent.
I wore this for a while too Sarah, it’s now my sisters scent (she outright stole it!) and it is very distinctive. I know what you mean about wanting something that not many folks wear, I feel the same about Lady Vengeance, I see it more and more these days! x
Flowerbomb is my all time favourite. It’s so pretty. Everytime I put it on I’m reminded of sunshine, flowers, cocktails and good times. I also love Peony and Blush Suede by Jo Malone. I like Chanel Chance. My boyfriend wears Pomegranate Noir, but I sometimes sneak a bit. I also like Diptyque Roses, I cannot decide if it makes me smell like my Nana. But my Nana rocks, so I don’t really mind. Bargain high street find is Floral from Zara. £10 a bottle and absolutely delish! Cheap enough to chuck in your handbag.
I love the glass tray in the pic!!! Any idea where it is from?
Hi Beth, I picked it up from a little shop in Sheffield called ‘Within Reason’ – http://withinreason.co.uk
I bought it a while ago but they did have one in stock when I popped in recently so might be worth giving them a call x
Chanel – Chance (the green one) – love love love. It makes me happy when I skoosh it on. Sadly it’s just about run out 🙁 Oh well just have to get a new bottle 🙂
I have my trusty favourite coco mademoiselle, Jo Malone pomegranate noir and my wedding perfume… Elie Saab! It’s beautiful! The lovely saleswoman in John lewis introduced it to me!!! X
I have two staples: Naughty Alice by Vivienne Westwood is my signature scent for day (gets me loads of compliments) and I love Coco Madamoiselle as an evening perfume. My wedding perfume was Jo Malone Wild Bluebell which I love but it costs a lot of pennies so I don’t wear it that often.
I LOVE perfume. I tend to rotate depending on season/mood/outfit/occasion. Over the summer it has been Carven eau du toilette, Blood Orange by Shay and Blue and Gorse by Laboratory Perfume.
Currently on the hunt for an Autumn/winter fragrance… got my eye on a couple of Serge Luten bottles which might just happen to find their way into my basket on my next trip to Feel Unique…that website is a dangerous place!