Jonna is fairly new to perfume, and she's hoping we can help her:
I’m looking for something more “pretty” and feminine. Not girly or pink and not necessarily too womanly or sexy. Something I could wear to work, to a night out or to a date.
I really enjoy the creative side of wearing perfume, I love the moments of discovery “this smells exactly like my uncle’s old car!” or “this is what the beach in Barcelona smells like” and maybe because of that I’m drawn to the ones that intend, at least to a degree, replicate the smell of something “real”.
Her price limit: around $100.
Jonna lives in Finland, and here are a few more details about her:
She's single, in her late 20s, and is slim with short hair. She describes herself as a "pixie" rather than a "lush goddess of femininity".
She doesn't wear much makeup; her style is "urban and casual" (she doesn't own a "real" pair of high heels).
She works in media, but not in a creative profession, and has just gone back to school to get a business degree.
Her interests include yoga, indoor rock climbing, reading, knitting, and music (jazz, old soul and world music).
In the past, Jonna has worn Ralph Lauren Romance, and she notes that "I still love it, but it seems to belong to a time in the past. I would love to find something with a similar feeling". At the moment, she regularly wears Hermès Un Jardin Sur le Nil, Paul Smith Story, the Crazylibellule and The Poppies Encens Mystic and Tauer Perfumes L'air du désert marocain. She also owns Le Labo Patchouli, but only wears that in the evenings.
Jonna has tried and liked The Different Company Sel de Vetiver & Divine Bergamote, Andrée Putman, and CB I Hate Perfume Fire from Heaven, but none of those are the sort of pretty, feminine scent she is looking for at the moment. She did try Le Labo Jasmin, and found it close to what she's looking for, but she'd like more options. Jonna likes green notes, ginger, bergamot, vetyver, light jasmine, incense, light wood and smoke notes.
Here is what she has tried and discarded so far in her search:
Marc Jacobs perfume: a little too grown up and heavy.
Tauer Perfumes Incense Rose: too sweet and perfume-y.
Issey Miyake Eau d’Issey: she liked this, but her roommate wore it so she couldn't.
Roger & Gallet Ginger: too light and close to the skin.
Roger & Gallet Bamboo: too similar to a men's scent her ex used to wear.
L'Artisan Passage d'Enfer: she only tried it once, but didn't love it.
What say you?
My recommendations: Jonna might want to try Annick Goutal Le Jasmin, which combines jasmine and ginger, and has a sparkling quality that makes it a nice fit with "pixie" instead of "lush goddess of femininity". While she's at it, she might also try Annick Goutal Eau de Camille (green notes and honeysuckle) and Folavril (green notes, jasmine and mango).
Another possibility on the light jasmine front would be Chanel Cristalle in the Eau de Toilette concentration (and it wouldn't hurt to try the Eau de Parfum if that is all she can find).
I don't know if Jonna likes osmanthus (and she may not know either) but for some reason Parfum d'Empire's Osmanthus Interdite came to mind. I can't think of any justification for this choice, and it's a little over her price limit, so perhaps only worth trying if she happens across a tester somewhere.
Note: image is Distinguished Shadow by Artiii at Flickr; some rights reserved.
Well, speaking of osmanthus, how about Parfums de Nicolai's Fig Tea? That seems like just the thing for a sophisticated pixie who wants to dress up for the night… And it's a bargain!
Let's see what else…I'd add Annick Goutal's Chevrefuille to your list, Robin (green honeysuckle and citrus–delicious sparkly goodness!) and can readily be found at discount and on **bay.
When I think of “prettiness” I also think about L'Artisan's La Chasse a Papillons, Mimosa por Moi, and of course The pour une Ete, for green tea and jasmine. Also any of the Parfums de Rosines, but how do you feel about roses, Jonna?
These push the price limit a bit, but can be found for under $100 with a little searching on **bay and at discounters and samples are pretty easy to obtain. Go to beautyhabit.com for the Rosines and the Nicolai, and you can probably find the L'artisans live and in person.
Hey! Given your attraction to woody notes, you might want to give a try to Shisheido's feminité du bois. Perfume can hardly get more “pretty” (ok: gorgeous, lush, entrancing…) than that, and, as the name suggest, it at least intends to get at some people's idea of femininity. You might also fall for its floral/plum hearth.. Good luck!
-borhane
A woman after my own heart, perfume-wise!
-Eau d'Hadrien
-Jasmin et Cigarette
and houses that may speak to her
-CB I Hate Perfume
-Commes de Garcons
I was thinking of a Goutal as well – but more like Grand Amour, which I don't think is ever as strong a fragrance as the name implies – good white floral. It always dries down to a soft powdery floral on me.
I think a great floral that can be very soft after the initial top burns off is Calypso Christianne Celle Chevrefeuille – it is a little more floraly than the AG Chev, which I think always gets a little too green. Calypso Chev burns down to a soft, musky, powdery floral.
I really like the new Givenchy III – a great floral without being too heavy. Could be pixie-ish….very feminine w/o being too strong.
It's discontinued, but Trish McEvoy #4 Citrus Petals is a very soft musky linden blossom frag that is nice and not too strong. It is still available in certain stores. And you may still be able to pick up the small 37 ml (?) bottle that won't impact your bugdet at all.
Before I made it to Robin's recommendations, I thought of Annick Goutal Le Jasmin and Chanel Christalle also.
L'Artisan's The Pour Une Ete, suggested by ahtx, also came to my mind. Annick Goutal's Chevrefuille is another great rec from ahtx. Also Les Parum de Rosine's Un Zest de Rose would be worth a try, though rose would replace the jasmine in that one.
Another wonderful citrus rose, that I love, is Yuzu Rouge by 06130. The cardamon adds a nice incense/spice touch to the citrus/ rose blend, and indeed is very feminine and unique. It is not as rosy as the Rosines, where the rose is the main attraction.
I haven't tried my recently arrived sample yet, but have you tried the Different Company, Jasmine de Nuit? Notes are Egyptian jasmin, amber, blackcurrant, star anise, spices, cinammon, cardamom, sandalwood. I bought my sample from luckyscent.com.
Good luck Jonna!
Fig Tea is a great idea, and available in 30 ml travel size too. But remember, she's in Finland so Beautyhabit probably not an option.
Jonna, Jasmin et Cigarette is by Etat Libre d'Orange, and Hadrien is another by Annick Goutal.
I have also found Annick Goutal's at a discount on fragrancenet.com.
Oh good, there is some jasmine in the Un Zest De Rose! I must research before posting. '~)
What about Nicolai Sacrebleu?
Another one that comes to mind, given that she likes L'air du désert marocain, is Chanel Coromandel, which I find somewhat related but much smoother and versatile. It's over the price range, but decants of this at the Perfumed court aren't so pricey. Though I'm not sure they ship to Finland.
I agree with Thé pour une Été, it has that bright prettiness that sounds about right. In the same vein, how about Ava Luxe's Moroccan Mint Tea or Bvlgari's Eau Parfumée au Thé Rouge?
Another one that comes to mind is CdG's Ouarzazate from the incense series. It reminded me of Feminité du Bois somewhat: soft woods, sparkly and sweet, with a touch of incense to add interest. Sadly, I don't know how it compares to Passage d'Enfer, since she didn't like that much.
So far my purchases of AG frags from Fragrancenet haven't been sour or bad…always fingers crossed though with a discounter.
Any purchases from lukcyscent come with free samples, so it could be a good way for Jonna to pick up other samples.
If it weren't discontinued and expensive, I'd also have rec'd the L'Artisan La Haie Fleurie du Hameau, which I think is just beautiful and amazing….
I'm normally a pretty big jasmine & bergamot kind of gal, but I can't think of any soft enough for Jonna. My big jas & berg frags are Givenchy Organza 2007 Harvest Jasmine (not delicate), Boucheron Femme (absolutely not delicate unless only a pin drop is used!), and Magie by Lancome (NOT Magie Noir). But Magie is an aldehyde style and may not be easy to get.
I forgot to add Città di Kyoto by Santa Maria Novella and I second Tania's suggestion of Comme des Garçons 2 woman.
Oh! And for jasmine, I do love Marc Jacobs Blush.
How about Armani Prive Vetiver Babylonia (only a little over budget), or L'Artisan Jatamansi. ….also think Cristalle is a good suggestion.
How about Guerrilla 2 EdT by CdG? It's got Bergamot, Pink Pepper, & Ginger in the top, light spice/floral middle, and Vetyver, cedarwood, musk as the base? It is slightly over the price range at $115 though…
Hi Jonna,
My first thought was The Different Company Jasmine de Nuit, so I second that- It is very pretty- and I find it both soft and sturdy at the same time-(but may be a bit over budget)
Other ideas:
another vote for Le Chevrefuille
Ormand Jayne Frangipani
Habanita Parfum (smokey/lovely- but kind of a powerhouse)
Caron Parfum Sacre
Robert Piguet Baghari
happy hunting!
I was going to go with Jasper Conran (ginger, lemongrass etc) too, also second Cristalle and AG Chevrefeuille. I am loving Angela's rec for me of Diptyque Ofresia at the moment, though it is going in a slightly different direction notewise. Staying with jasmine, there is Givenchy Le De or Brousseau Jasmin-Lilas. You might want to get a decant of those – no idea what the bottles cost. Jardins de Bagatelles is pretty too (have that on right now) and my faithful standby of Jo Malone Kohdo Woods Day (if you can get your hands on it). Also TDC Parfum de Charme et Feuilles, which is floral and green, and if it doesn't actually have jasmin in it, has the right kind of vibe I would say. And why not Jasmin Noir indeed, which is my newest craze, as a sultry evening scent on the same theme!
I just noticed the previous poster suggested Le De too – great!
And I second The pour un Ete, wherever that was mentioned!
Or Ormonde Jayne Sampaquita indeed. And has anyone mentioned Osmanthe Yunnan, though it isn't cheap of course?
I think all of your recommendations for Jonna are solid ones, R. I love the AG recommendations, and would add to that Neroli or Chevrefeiulle.
Also, Cristalle is a great one, too. How about No. 5 Eau Premiere, or even No. 19 if she can find that one.
I love Osmanthus Interdite, but that one is above her price limit of $100.
Has anyone mentioned Hermes Eeu Des Mervielles edt yet? No jasmine or smoke, but the notes are elemi, bitter orange, Italian lemon, Indonesian pepper, pink pepper, ambergris accord, oak, cedar, vetiver, balsam of Peru and tears of Siam. I LOVE it!
It may or may not be feminine enough for you, but can definitely be found on various discount sites for under $50.
Hi! I love roses “in real life”, but haven't come across a rose perfume that I loved yet… It probably wouldn't be the first flower I would run to in a search for perfume 🙂
I will have to try Fig Tea, love how you describe it! 🙂 And I like tea scents, as long as they're not too sweet.
Since we are mentioning the Ormande Jayne's, how about her Champaca?
I've spent a lot of time in the CB I hate perfume website! So it does really speak to me. I got a few samples from them, Fire from heaven (wich I like, but it's not the kind of scent I'm after now) and Just Breathe, wich I quite liked. To me it smelled exactly like a flower shop! I actually gave it away to a friend who I thought would love it.
I will definitely try your recommendations. I've read about Jasmin et Cigarette, and it sounds interesting. Although I've never worn anything with tobacco notes before.
Hi! I've tried Jasmine de Nuit once (sprayed it on in a big London department store 🙂 Too bad I don't live close to them anymore…) and I remember it being very spicy and quite heavy… but I might get a sample of it at some point. I like the look of the bottles and the general feel of The Different Company line. Even thought they are a little pricey.
Hullo!
How 'bout Mat by Matsaki Matsoushima? A lovely musky green floral that shares the aquatic note with L'Eau d'Issey which Jonna likes?
Those sound lovely…
AG Le Jasmin might be really nice for Jonna.
Also, how about Fleurs de Nuit from Badgley Mischka? I think this would be very pretty for a pixie to wear on a date. 🙂
I'm very curious about tea scents. I don't own any yet, but would love to try Creative Universe Te or the Aroma M teas. And I wil definitely try the CdG's!
Hi Jonna,
It seems like we have very similar taste in perfume, so I felt compelled to add my two cents–
Some of my favorites are the Miller et Bertaux scents previously mentioned, as well as Memory of Kindness by cb I hate perfume. You might also like Three Asfour by Colette, which is crisp iris; Hermes Osmanthe Yunnan; Miller Harris Fleur de Sel (very similar to TDC Sel de Vetiver, but a bit prettier); Chanel Bel Respiro; L'Artisan The Pour un Ete; and Tann Rokka Kisu. Just some ideas. Good luck!
I'd like to recommend Lierre Rose by Parfums 06130. I think it fits Jonna's requirements perfectly (to my nose anyway!) of being pretty and feminine but not girly. It's just the loveliest green floral. I'm new to the niche fragrance game and have learned a lot from this very blog, but I have to confess that my nose is still 'in training' and can't pick out all the notes listed for a particular fragrance. My verbal descriptions are also not as adept as many are on this site, but when I smell this I think: pretty, not prissy; feminine, not frilly; and unique, yet familiar all at the same time–in the sense that it smells so good, you wonder why no one has come up with this before.
Wow . . . I hope my rambling doesn't actually turn her off to the scent! It's available at luckyscent for $125, but I did find it on ebay recently for considerably less.
Hi! I will try to get some samples of these and will give them a try. What I've read about Memory of Kindness sounds lovely, as well as Osmanthe Yunnan. Bel Respiro, Three Asfour and Kisu are completely new to me. Thanks for the ideas!
Thank you for the ideas, they are all completely new to me! I actually looked at a miniature bottle of Caleche at a flea market last weekend, too bad I didn't buy or even smell it 🙂
Try the Tocca Fragrances – good for a pixie type. Florence is a very pretty floral – feminine and versatile.
Not sure if these have been mentioned yet, but what about
Hermes Elixir des merveilles
Hermes Kelly Caleche
Aroma M Geisha Blue
Juicy Couture
Bvlgari Omnia
The Hermes are above the price range but as has been suggested by others, do look at the decants sites!!
Have fun!
Bulgari's first Jasmin scent – light and with a tea note – might be a good idea for Jonna! She might also like Hermes 24 Faubourg Eau Delicate – it's quite a lovely flower, grounded rather than dominated by the amber note in the original. When I hear “pretty light floral” I think of this one!
I quite like Lierre Rose also, naxos94. I spilled a little of my sample on my pants and thought, oh know, but it smelled so good i left the pants on and 'enjoyed'!
Off to check ebay…'~)
Ooooh, Sariah. Florence IS very pretty.
I was just like you, but then I had a “Rose to Damascene” experience, and haven't looked back!
First of all, I have to say that Annick Goutal as a house in general absolutely comes to mind when reading Jonna's profile. And, as has been pointed out, a good chance of achieving price point objectives there.
That said…L'Artisan's new one, Fleur de Liane strikes me as a good amount of green in a not heavy floral for this particular pixie.
I'm thinking there's something “across the aisle” here, as in, found in the men's scents…am I wrong?
A little heavier, and less green…but we are heading into fall…and fairly easy to pick up online is Guerlain Champs Elysses.
How about …
Laila by Geir Ness (if available)
Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline
Annick Goutals, as mentioned above
Champs Elysees, strongly seconded
Versace Signature
Somehow I'd highly recommend Blvgaris, especially rose essentielle. I know she likes jasmine so I'm not sure whether she's tried Voile de Jasmin – a very nice, fresh, super light and feminine scent. Rose Essentielle is a little deeper with a sparkling rose and beautiful notes to accent it.
Hi Naxos 94! Thank you for this recommendation! It sounds lovely. I often like or dislike a scent more based on the “feel” than on any particular notes. I will definitely try it when I have a chance.
Hi Scentscelf! I'm definitely also open to men's scent suggestions. I wear Paul Smith Story a lot. I'm sure there can be a men's scent (or at least unisex) that can be perfectly pretty on me… Although maybe they wouldn't fit the “feminine” criteria 🙂
I second this…
IrisNobile, as soon as I read the pretty&Feminine, the Bulgaris came to mind…. from the classic pour femme, to the new versions.
🙂
Regards
P.
I third the Jasper Contran. I adore this scent but it is, to my nose, quite masculine which may not be to Jonna's taste.
Ah, well, Jonna said she was open to masculine scents too and I reckon she is a “pixie with edge” : – )
For the UK-based folk out there, Jasper Conran giftsets have been reduced to £9.99 in Boots, Passion for Perfume and selected supermarkets, goodness knows why, as this is a serious, classy scent. If you feel like risking a tenner on something unsniffed, this would be it, for it is a great bargain – you get body lotion too in the box! I have already prompted two friends to buy them and they are delighted.
Hi, if you are open to men's scents this will open up a whole new world of choices. Often, you can pick a mainstream scent and make it smell unique and different. Men's scents that are better on a woman than a man are Amen by Thierry Mugler, Lolita Lempicka for men and my personal favourite, Egoiste by Chanel. I cannot say enough nice things about this slightly spicy perfume and always get compliments, mostly from men, when wearing it.
Oh too bad I don't have access to the UK shops anymore. I will try to find a way to try Jasper Conran. I like the sound of ginger and lemongrass. “Pixie with edge” how lovely and flattering! 🙂
I sent my remaining carded sample to a member in the US – if I had had another, you would have been welcome to it!
When I think “pixie”, I think feminine but in a quirky, mischevious way. A pixie's fragrance should be pretty but ever so slightly off-kilter, enough to catch people unawares so they stop and think “hmm, what a fascinating scent”—or personality, for that matter :). I'd suggest, given her lifestyle and budget:
1. “Violetta de Parma” by Borsari. I know I seem to always suggest this, but it's such an unexpected scent and I think it might suit her.
2. The “Inis” fragrances, both the cologne and “Inis Arose”. “Inis” is a good choice for anyone who's ever liked “Eau d'Issey”. It seems to be your stereotypical fresh aquatic but enters a sweet, mossy territory that you wouldn't anticipate upon its opening.
3. Prada's “Infusion d'Iris”. It's sweet, but features that off-kilter “iris” note again. There's something so “fooled you!” about an iris note–just when you think you've entered super-feminine territory with it, another aspect unfolds and you're in a compleely different world. This is a subtle enough scent to wear in different environments.
4. “Kai”. It's not for everyone, but Kai's fresh, “island flower-with-unusual-sweetness” sillage might suit her.
5. “Stella” by Stella McCartney. Sort of a sad rose story but very fresh and distinctive.
6. “Alien” by Theirry Mugler. An oddball of their collection but the better for it. A pistachio/solar/jasmine weirdo that idealizes open skies. It's worth a try!
Above budget testers!
1. Serge Luten's “Clair de Musc” and “Fleurs de Citronnier”.
2. Creed's “Spring Flower”.
Cheap “steals”
1. Avon's “Haiku”
2. Yves Rocher's “Ode au Reve”
Two others that were alreay suggested that I'll add my vote on:
1. Marc Jacob's “Blush”
2.”Laila” by Geir Neiss (I wore this once–it has a “kick” that sets it apart from many other fresh-florals.)