Favourite A/W Perfumes

Hi everyone,

I realised that I haven't blogged about perfumes in ages and what with Christmas being just around the corner (how is it already November?), everyone will be looking for present ideas. So I decided to put together a small list of my favourite seasonal perfumes, as it might inspire you to buy them for someone or even to add them to your own wishlist. 

I would say I have a reasonably sized perfume collection, although I'm sure other people would consider it small when comparing to someone else's collection. I definitely have certain perfumes that I tend to use more often during this time of the year. I would describe them as heavier scents, more intense than the ones I reach for during the summer. I'm not particularly good at describing scents, so I did a bit of research (google) in order to be able to write more than "it just smells soooo good!". And yes, I am the kind of person who keeps perfume boxes. Don't judge me!

1. Zara Femme Eau de Toilette

I can't find another name of this perfume, either it doesn't have one or it is just called Zara Femme (which, as I'm sure everyone knows, means woman). I bought this back in July while in Lisbon. I wasn't able to test it first, as they didn't have a tester version of every perfume and I will admit that I only bought it because the box had rose gold on it. Which is obviously not the recommended way to choose a perfume, but it worked out for the best because I adore the scent! I would describe it as sweet, spicy and slightly musky, but after looking it a up I found out that this website (which is really helpful!) describes it as a "chypre, floral fragrance" and that the top note is bergamot which is a bitter, citrusy, inedible fruit (I had to look it up as I had never heard of it before!). The middle notes are peony and vanilla which explain the sweetness and freshness of the perfume. The base notes are patchouli and musk.

I know from experience that reading about the scent still doesn't really help all that much and I would usually advise going and giving it a sniff, but as I said before they might not have a tester. I would say if you are a fan of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, you will probably like this one too, although it's a bit more musky. It obviously doesn't last all day, as it is an eau de toilette, but it's worth it for the price!

2. Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum

This is my second bottle of the Jimmy Choo perfume, that's how much I adore it. My boyfriend bought me a gift set a couple of years ago for Christmas and it quickly became my favourite go to perfume. I especially love it during the winter, as it reminds me of Christmas. It's a very sweet scent but it's also quite fresh, fruity and once again slightly spicy which cuts through the sweetness nicely. It is described as a modern chypre, fruity scent and the top notes are mandarin orange and pear. The middle note is orchid and the base notes are patchouli and toffee, which is funny because I really don't like eating toffee but apparently I don't mind smelling like it! It lasts a really long time and the scent gets even better throughout the day. 

3. Lancôme La Vie est Belle Eau de Parfum

My boyfriend got me this perfume for Christmas last year and it has become another firm favourite of mine. The bottle is really lovely and the perfume itself seems to last forever, as I've used it so often and it still looks reasonably full. It's another really sweet scent and it reminds me of sweets and caramel! It's a mix of fruity and floral but a little less citrusy than the Jimmy Choo perfume. 

The top notes are black current and pear, which explain the fruity smell. The middle notes are iris, jasmine and orange blossom and the base notes are patchouli, tonka bean, praline and vanilla.

It lasts an incredibly long time and I always use it on my scarves so that they smell great all day. 

4. Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum

This is the most expensive perfume I have ever bought! However, I've had it for two years now and it's still going strong. The bottle is absolutely gorgeous in a very simple way. The scent is quite sweet, in a fruity and floral way. Out of all of the perfumes, I find this one the hardest to describe and after looking at the website I can see why. There are so many different components to this perfume. The top notes are orange, mandarin orange, orange blossom and bergamot so quite orangey then! The middle notes are mimosa, jasmine, turkish rose and ylang-ylang and the base notes are tonka bean, patchouli, opoponax, vanilla, vetiver and white musk. I'm not going to lie, I had no idea what half of these things were so I had to look a few of them up. Fragrantica has explanations of all of them though, so if you are curious about what they are, go check it out. 

Personally I don't think this one lasts as long as the Jimmy Choo perfume or the Lancôme perfume and I do have to top it up throughout the day. 

Wishlist #4: Perfume

Hi everyone,

After buying loads of presents from shops like Sephora and Paris XL, I've obtained quite a collection of perfume samples and have fallen in love with a few so I thought I'd put together yet another wishlist of my favourites. I already own Coco Mademoiselle but it just smells so amazingly good that I had to add it here anyway. If I had to choose one out of all of these it would have to be Jimmy Choo. I've been using the sample every day since I got it, that's how much I love the scent!

1: Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum 50ml 73,50€ 

2: Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum 60ml 70€

3: Issey Miyake Pleats Please Eau de Toilette 50ml 58,30€

4: Miss Dior Eau de Parfum 50ml 73,40€

5: Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Eau de Parfum Limited Edition 50ml 88,50€

What's your current favourite perfume?

Favourite Perfumes

First, let me start by admitting that I am CRAP at describing perfume smells, and therefore I must apologise in advance, that this post will mostly just be me saying "yes, I quite like this perfume because it smells nice. So does this one". I'll probably have to quote what google has to say on the matter. But  that's ok because I felt like sharing my favourites, so that's what I'll do.

Hugo XX for women:

I asked for this for Christmas in 2009 I think, and it was the first proper perfume I'd ever actually asked for. My grandparents got it for me and I was thrilled. I really like the smell, funnily enough as it wouldn't be the kind of perfume I'd actually pick now. It's a bit too old for me I think, but I don't mind. I usually use it in the winter because it's quite a heavy smell, if that makes any sense. And I try not to use too much, because that would make it horribly overpowering. It came with a silky bag and a sort of travel bag/case? I don't know how to describe it, but that's where my every day make-up lives. 

So more on the smell: The very elegant Hugo website tells me that the fragrance's lightest notes or first impressions are Lychee, Mandarin and Blackcurrent, so basically nice and fruity. Personally I have no idea what any of those smell like because I'm quite picky about what fruit I like haha. Next, the heart note, the impression that comes after the first is of Basmati Rice (yum) and Jasmine Sambac. And finally the base note or most memorable note, and reason I wanted the perfume (don't remember why exactly but there you go) is Sandalwood. So like I said, I do like it for Autumn/Winter. but it's possibly too old for younger teens. 

There is a story to these next two perfumes, which I will now tell you. Many moons ago (March 2009, on the ferry over to England to be exact) I found a perfume (which will be down below very soon). Since we were over for my birthday, my mum very kindly bought it for me and I absolutely adored it. But then something terrible happened! It ran out. Yup. And I couldn't find it anywhere! I looked here in Luxembourg, and whenever I went to England. Nada. So last Summer my family went to Italy for a few days, and we walked past a perfume shop and there was a sample right outside, which I decided to try. And I was stunned to realise, it was practically the same as my beloved ferry one! Although, it might just be a little bit similiar, because I haven't smelt the other one for ages. But it was definitely similar. So I bought it.

(I am aware I should probably search the internet for the other one, but I never remember if I've already looked or not.

Givenchy Play for Her

And here it is! Well, this isn't actually that exact one because that ran out too (it was the small one) and my boyfriend got me this earlier this year. It is my favourite perfume. Ever. It's a much lighter smell than the Hugo one, which for me means it's a more Spring/Summer perfume, despite the fact that I always use it, whatever season it is. I love it so much, it's sweet but not too sweet. Which is a rubbish description, so off we go to consult our good friend google.

This tells me that this perfume is a woody, sparkling, fruity floral aromatic fragrance, which combines the wonderful smells of Sandalwood (yes, I am starting to see the pattern), Tiare Flower, Amyris Bois de Santal and Pink Peppercorns. Which sounds like a bonkers mix, but actually smells so delicious. And my boyfriend likes it, which means plus points!

And finally, that sneaky, mysterious perfume.

Kate Moss Velvet Hour

Yep, it's a Kate Moss perfume, who funnily enough I don't actually like, but oh well it's just a name. I loved it so much! It was such a nice fresh perfume, and I actually miss it haha. And I really haven't seen it in shops since. So if anyone knows where you can get it, please let me know!

So this website tells me that the perfume has notes of Black Pepper, Freesia and Cashmere incense built into it, and that it also has a heart of Patchouli and Nutmeg. The base notes include Sandalwood (!), Amber, Ebon Wood and woody accords.

So in a nutshell, I like perfumes whose bases include Sandalwood.
 But really I just like the nice smells.
What are your favourite perfumes?