Great step-by-step advice. I've been doing most of this more or less intuitively for the past couple of years that I have gotten more serious about learning and appreciating perfume. I would perhaps add as another tip to take time and actually smell things (not only perfume) and think about scent more holistically. Smell whatever you're cooking with, whatever plant or flower you come across on your walks... Also smell people you meet or hang out with! Ask them what they are wearing or what they like... I think everything counts in the journey of feeding a perfume/scent obsession. Saludos from Mexico ;)
I know nothing about perfume so really enjoyed this post. My dad got me Chloe eau de parfum as a young teen because of the name association, so I can pick it out of a crowd. I really liked it and have recently bought myself a 10ml roller to see if I could wear it regularly as a signature scent. Your post has inspired me to try other rose perfumes…I found a few online last night, so might share them in the comments once you make the rose list live.
My start with perfume was sniffing the bottles on my mother's vanity when I was small- she was mostly into Shalimar, which I found heady and suffocating. She had a little sample bottle of something that smelled like sweet rotting tangerines that mesmerized me and to this day I would give anything to smell that again. The next door neighbor sold Avon and I used to buy the little solid perfumes in a tin. As a teenager I wore what TV ads and Seventeen magazine dictated - Oh! de London, Charlie, Love's Baby Soft and Fresh Lemon. As a young adult I wore mostly Chloe. And then I worked for a few years in the cosmetic department of a major department store and was exposed to a gazillion scents and my love for fragrance just exploded and stays strong to this day. Now I use Insolence, 5th Avenue or Private Collection as my stalwarts but I have lots of others that I dip into to suit the weather, the occasion or my mood.
What an excellent history with scent, thanks for sharing. I remember sniffing my mom's bottles when I was young too that's probably where is starts for so many of us. And that frustrating but also beautiful feeling of chasing a scent!
I liked this! My only thing is that I got into fragrance via indie perfume where blind buying is the norm. You ask for a perfume, someone gives a rec and you buy it in hopes of liking it. It actually caused me to burn out because nothing I bought lasted on my skin and it's an expensive hobby.
Also, long TAT (turn around times) are common so I could end up waiting often times two weeks or longer for my order. And many brands have lost credibility for not shipping out orders or being unresponsive. These types of issues made it easy to transition into designer and celebrity perfume, even though if I want to smell like a thunderstorm in summer, I will probably have to buy an indie scent.
But when I found more mainstream groups, and learned you can smell perfume in Sephora/Ulta/dept stores, I actually went and fell in love. Perfume is still an expensive hobby, but now that I can test out fragrances, I can trust what I purchase.
Yea that’s why I recommended buying samples from places like luckyscent! They have all the indie brands and sell full bottles too. Glad you found some things you like and a way to smell them all before buying. I should add Sephora to this list of places to buy things too!
Ajevie is the place I know that sells samples from indie brands: https://ajevie.com/
I havent bought from them because I feel like they are always sold out of things I want to try :/ I have a link to Lucky Scent saved! Excited to buy all the samples.
This is so cool, so glad I found you! Saved to reread later. Just this week I bought a gorgeous rose perfume from a perfumery in Bermuda called Island Rose which is ‘fresh rose bouquet, with mandarine citrus top note, a heart of Pink Rosa Damascena and a soft white orris dry down.’ Worth a sniff if you ever get a chance! Also check out their story of recreating a perfume rescued from an 1864 shipwreck!
my favorite way to get into perfume is to have a fraghead coworker who gives me a free mini education every morning
You just let me know when you want me to stop sticking my wrist in your face every morning. 🤣
never!
tysm for creating this gem! going to read the rest later this weekend 💛✨
Thanks for reading! I hope it’s helpful.
Great step-by-step advice. I've been doing most of this more or less intuitively for the past couple of years that I have gotten more serious about learning and appreciating perfume. I would perhaps add as another tip to take time and actually smell things (not only perfume) and think about scent more holistically. Smell whatever you're cooking with, whatever plant or flower you come across on your walks... Also smell people you meet or hang out with! Ask them what they are wearing or what they like... I think everything counts in the journey of feeding a perfume/scent obsession. Saludos from Mexico ;)
Oh yes! I love that.
For me, the best fragrance podcast is On the Scent. Anyone who hasn’t tried it really should!
oh!! I don't know this one, I will check it out. Thanks!
Can’t wait for the list of rose perfumes!
Coming very soon! I keep adding to it but should just make it live!
I know nothing about perfume so really enjoyed this post. My dad got me Chloe eau de parfum as a young teen because of the name association, so I can pick it out of a crowd. I really liked it and have recently bought myself a 10ml roller to see if I could wear it regularly as a signature scent. Your post has inspired me to try other rose perfumes…I found a few online last night, so might share them in the comments once you make the rose list live.
My start with perfume was sniffing the bottles on my mother's vanity when I was small- she was mostly into Shalimar, which I found heady and suffocating. She had a little sample bottle of something that smelled like sweet rotting tangerines that mesmerized me and to this day I would give anything to smell that again. The next door neighbor sold Avon and I used to buy the little solid perfumes in a tin. As a teenager I wore what TV ads and Seventeen magazine dictated - Oh! de London, Charlie, Love's Baby Soft and Fresh Lemon. As a young adult I wore mostly Chloe. And then I worked for a few years in the cosmetic department of a major department store and was exposed to a gazillion scents and my love for fragrance just exploded and stays strong to this day. Now I use Insolence, 5th Avenue or Private Collection as my stalwarts but I have lots of others that I dip into to suit the weather, the occasion or my mood.
What an excellent history with scent, thanks for sharing. I remember sniffing my mom's bottles when I was young too that's probably where is starts for so many of us. And that frustrating but also beautiful feeling of chasing a scent!
I liked this! My only thing is that I got into fragrance via indie perfume where blind buying is the norm. You ask for a perfume, someone gives a rec and you buy it in hopes of liking it. It actually caused me to burn out because nothing I bought lasted on my skin and it's an expensive hobby.
Also, long TAT (turn around times) are common so I could end up waiting often times two weeks or longer for my order. And many brands have lost credibility for not shipping out orders or being unresponsive. These types of issues made it easy to transition into designer and celebrity perfume, even though if I want to smell like a thunderstorm in summer, I will probably have to buy an indie scent.
But when I found more mainstream groups, and learned you can smell perfume in Sephora/Ulta/dept stores, I actually went and fell in love. Perfume is still an expensive hobby, but now that I can test out fragrances, I can trust what I purchase.
Yea that’s why I recommended buying samples from places like luckyscent! They have all the indie brands and sell full bottles too. Glad you found some things you like and a way to smell them all before buying. I should add Sephora to this list of places to buy things too!
Ajevie is the place I know that sells samples from indie brands: https://ajevie.com/
I havent bought from them because I feel like they are always sold out of things I want to try :/ I have a link to Lucky Scent saved! Excited to buy all the samples.
Thank you for the book recommendations!
You’re welcome!
This is so cool, so glad I found you! Saved to reread later. Just this week I bought a gorgeous rose perfume from a perfumery in Bermuda called Island Rose which is ‘fresh rose bouquet, with mandarine citrus top note, a heart of Pink Rosa Damascena and a soft white orris dry down.’ Worth a sniff if you ever get a chance! Also check out their story of recreating a perfume rescued from an 1864 shipwreck!
Oh that sounds lovely! Big fan of rose and orris.
Have you tried Olfactif? I subscribe for three months or so every year.
I haven’t!
Thank you for a great read! Do you remember the Jo Malone scent Fig Cassis? It was out of this world.
I do! Jo Malone makes some really lovely fragrances.