Today we're helping Jules, who is looking for a signature scent — something she can wear all day, every day. Jules has good access to perfume stores, and has not set a budget for her purchase. Here are a few details about Jules:
She's in her early 20s, and considers herself "fairly minimalist in aesthetic" — she likes clean, classic fashion that is "understated but still directional", and she "prefers monochromatic expression in clothing and photography".
Jules says she is shy, but she strives for deep relationships with people she knows.
She is a pianist, and and prefers early 20th Century classical music; her favorite composer is Prokofiev.
Jules says she is "a neophyte in terms of individual notes", but she's tried quite a few perfumes. Most of them are mainstream, and she would not mind some more obscure suggestions:
Issey Miyake L'eau d'Issey: her favorite so far (light but distinctive) but it has no lasting power, and she's not sure it should be her signature scent.
Issey Miyake L'eau d'Issey Reflets d'une gotte: less distinctive than the original.
Chance Chanel: not terrible, but a little too sweet and generic.
Allure Chanel: too thick and powdery, a little too feminine.
Christian Dior J'adore: too sweet and strong.
Calvin Klein CK One: unremarkable, no reaction to it.
DKNY Be Delicious: she used to like it, now it seems too sweet, too innocent and too young.
Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue: she likes it, but it isn't distinctive or long lasting enough.
Davidoff Cool Water: one of her first perfumes, and still one of her favorites, but she doesn't think of it as a signature scent.
Jil by Jil Sander: a scrubber.
Victoria's Secret Breathless: no appeal (unremarkable, too tame).
Ralph by Ralph Lauren: the original was her first perfume, but she now finds it unbearably sweet.
Ralph Hot by Ralph Lauren: better than the regular Ralph, but too floral.
Perry Ellis 360: too mature.
Agent Provocateur by Agent Provocateur: too old-fashioned.
Agent Provocateur Eau Emotionelle: better than the original Agent Provocateur, but not distinctive enough.
Yves Saint Laurent Opium and Thierry Mugler Angel: she does not like orientals or sweet fragrances, so neither of these worked for her.
What say you?
Note: image is you've got mail. [cropped] by e³°°° at flickr; some rights reserved.
Andree Putnam Preparation Parfumee, Escentric Molecules 01 or 02, Hermes Eau de Gentiane Blanche.
2nd the Andree Putman, that’s a great idea.
And several by Hermes come to mind…many listed below, and I’d add Eau des Merveilles.
Jules, definitely get yourself a squirt of Hermes’ Un Jardin sur le Nil. It’s beautifully androgynous, not sweet at all, and is insistently, quietly mesmerising. It’s ever so slightly fruity, but not in any over-ripe, vaguely emetic way. It’s more like the scent of the skin of a young green mango mixed with the smell of warm wind blowing across thousands of miles of desert.
It’s what I wear when I want simplicity and pared-down gracefulness, and I think you might really love it.
Second that Jardin sur le Nil..one of my faves! This is a little hard without much guidance on notes, so I’ll be unkind and direct Jules back to the Chanel counter to try out 31 Rue Cambon (it’s terrific but it’ll break ya). For some reason, Bulgari Black popped into mind. Not too $$ and the rubber note but rope in an artiste. Happy sniffing!
I’ll definitely add a vote to try Sur le Nil. It’s wonderful.
And I’ll add my vote. To me, the “green mango” note smells vegetal – almost like a carrot. I like it very much!
A classic alternative that turns up at discounters and on ebay is Bulgari Eau Parfumee de The Vert. It’s also by Jean Claude Ellena, and has a similar minimalist citrus theme, but with a tea glow tha’s very nice.
Chanterais,
that is one of the most beautiful descriptions of a scent I’ve ever read. Can’t wait to discover Un jardin! Jules
What an utterly lovely thing to say! Please, please come back to tell us what you think, Jules – even if you loathe it with all your disgusted soul. You sound like a woman of uniquely refined taste (hell, I’m in my late 20s and can’t even IMAGINE possessing such a well-ordered aesthetic). Anyway, I’d love to hear tales from your scent adventures as you go, so do keep us posted!
This is a hard one, given that she hasn’t mentioned any particular note preferences — that’s opening up to suggestions that range from soup to nuts. Get ready for a long list!
So what we have is that Jules likes L’Eau d’Issey, Light Blue, and Cool Water quite a bit. No orientals and nothing too sweet, but with good lasting power.
My best suggestion, since she has good access to perfume stores, is to take a couple of smelling field trips and start exploring niche lines like L’Artisan, Comme des Garçons, and so forth. All of the scents she listed are more department store fare, but I’m assuming Jules doesn’t mind getting into niche. Once some faves are identified, try to get a couple samples so that you can test the longevity.
Otherwise, scents that came to mind were L’Artisan Dzongkha, CdG Zagorsk, and my perennial recommendation, Terre d’Hermès. Good luck, Jules!
totally second Dzongkha
No kidding, Joe! I will go ahead and throw out Sacrebleue by Patricia di Nicolai, and suggest Black Cashmere by Donna Karan now that it is available again at N-M. I really love that one – warm, spicy, carnation, everything I love. I also like Onde Mystere by Armani, and while you are there it is worth smelling the other two in the set (the green and pink bottles).
Jules, I think you should also try ordering some sampler packs from the Perfumed Court and Sonoma Scent Studios. You can order sets from PC and other sample & decant sellers by note (amber, musk, vanilla) best of year, French Classics, FiFi award winners, perfume house, etc. and try a lot of things then decide on what you really like. I agree with Joe about exploring niche fragrances and also try some classics like Guerlain’s Jicky and Shalimar, Chanel No. 5, Caron Tabac Blond, etc. Good luck! I can’t wait to see all the suggestions you get!
Since Jules seems to like lighter and cleaner scents, I also rec the Un Jardin Sur Le Nil, and would add; Parfum de Nicolai’s Eau d’Ete – which I wear all year long, though some here would say it’s a “summer” scent, and from the Perfumed Court for a sample -“Recently re-released by Givenchy, Givenchy III Parfum is a stunning, complex, classic. Top notes include galbanum (“green” notes), bergamot, aldehydes, and gardenia. Middle notes include jasmine, carnation, rose, lily of the valley, and orris. The base notes include amber, patchouli, oakmoss, myrrh, and vetiver.” Exquisite.
I think Heeley would be a great house for her to explore – I particularly recommend Iris de Nuit and Menthe Fraiche, also Figuier and Cardinal (if she’s interested in incense). Light but lasting, minimalist, unique and sophisticated – Heeley hits all of those.
I was thinking similar to those comments above – there is a lot of homework to do on this one! But all that can be so much fun Jules, as you learn about notes, etc. Even after what might be suggested to you today that you research these next few months, be prepared as your tastes may begin to change as you smell and learn more!
I will agree with above suggestion to keep things light. Definitely try out the L’Artisan house – there are a number of very well designed fragrances that are light and very lovely. I was thinking Mimosa pour Moi for you – light green very soft and pretty.
I was also thinking greens to given your taste for clean and light fragrances. You may want to try Chanel Bel Respiro which has one of the most beautiful “green” openings I’ve ever smelled (dare I say more than even Chamade or Chanel No 19?), but then it quickly dries down to a very soft almost clean soapy white and green flowers mix that lasts for many hours. It is very distinctive and yet very soft. It could easily be a very beautiful every day signature scent. Also may want to try the current Chanel No 19 which is a lovely green iris-floral that keeps a nice clean vetiver drydown. (Very different from the original No 19 – that is more leathery and has a lot of distinctive characteristics.) Current 19 is very soft and easy to wear with a beautiful iris accord.
Similarly wonderful and light and easy to wear are the Parfums de Nicola Eau d’Ete as mentioned above- something between a cologne and a light green floral. Also from PdN is the lovely Temps d’Une Fete – a lovely fresh green floral with some light lily of the valley. And Sacrebleue is indeed a gorgeous sheer vanilla oriental that is very easy to wear all year round and absolutely beautiful.
You may also want to try some of the lighter, very natural, Annick Goutals – Eau de Ciel, Eau de Charlotte, Eau d’Hadrien, Un Matin d’Orage (very much in your minimalist aesthetic), — even Mandragore with a cologne-tea accord is lovely, etc… Nothing sweet, artificial or syrupy in the house of Goutal!
Oy, I forgot to mention Gucci Envy which is sparkling, fresh, light, etc etc… great stuff.
I would suggest that she explore the work of Jean Claude Ellena — the first fragrances that came to mind when I read this was Hermès Jardin Après la Mousson, and Bvlgari’s Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert.
Next I would suggest the work of Olivia Giacobetti: Fréderic Malle’s En Passent, and the Honoré des Près line.
Anne Flipo, with La Chasse Aux Papillions, Mimosa Pour Moi and Barabara Bui le Parfum is another nose Jules should explore.
And finally, I would suggest two from Serge Lutens — Sa Majesté La Rose (the Prokofiev did it), as well as Nuit de Cellophane.
Another line you may wish to try is Dawn Spencer Hurrowitz’s (DSH). Perhaps get some samples of Arnica and Celadon, part of her Green series.
The reason that I am not suggesting Un Jardin Sur la Nil is that it starts out very citrusy — at least on me — and so for the first little while almost gives a cologne feel, before it heads into the watery territory. Un Jardin Après la Mousson though, is more light and transparent — but very unusual — from the beginning.
I’d recommend Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle’s En passant. A beautiful and light perfume, wears nicely with a simple wardrobe. It is feminine, but not too so and it is not “girly pretty”. I’d say also timeless.
I second En Passant.
Ann covered most of what I would have suggested, particularly the l’Artisan and Annick Goutal lines. AG’s Chevrefeuille might be a nice one. Also, since she’s liked several IMs, maybe a scent by Issey Miyake would be the one.
Based on absolutely nothing, I am thinking Mandragore. (And seconding Ann on Chamade, Bel Respiro, and No. 19., and agreeing with the horde about Un Jardin Sur le Nil.)
Oops–I missed that Ann already covered Mandragore.
🙂 – just to clarify… I think Chamade itself would be a bit much for Jules if she doesn’t care for really perfumy fragrances… I was just comparing the gorgeous opening of Bel Respiro to it…
If the first 5 minutes of BR lastes for more than five minutes, BR would really give Chamade some serious competition on my HG list! But I need to retest BR in the summer when that clean green drydown might be an asset.
You owe to yourself to try Dior Jules just in case.
I would add the Commes des Garcons Series: Incense Kyoto, Series:Green Calumus, Series:Red Palisander, Monocle Hinoki, and Stephen Jones while you are testing. these are transparent fragrances, distinctive, and unisex. CB: I Hate Perfume is another great place to look. Gucci Pour Homme (the first one), Bulgari Omnia, and Eau d’Italia Paestum Rose.
Tee hee! You stole the words right out of my mouth!
I love Dior Jules! It has some of the fresh androgeny of Cool Water but spicier, more herbal, and weirder. It made me think of a moist forest floor on a warm day in October. I think it would be a great scent for winter.
Based on her current favourites,Chanel’s 28 La Pausa and Frederic Malle’s Eau d’Hiver come to mind. Fresh and clean, but also subtle, complicated, and interesting.
Also, based on her musical tastes, this passage from Luca Turin’s blog came to mind: “Does your heart hanker instead for the breezy elegance of early Modernism? Do you think Prokofief’s Peter tune eats the Wolf’s alive? Then wear Caron’s euphoric Royal Bain de Champagne or its modern reinterpretation Flower (Kenzo) and go fetch your monocle…”
Capillary: that’s great!
It’s a great blog. It’s not current, but you can download the whole thing as a PDF on the internet. The post on music and perfume is one of my favourites.
28 La Pausa is great…..fresh and airy. Love Bel Respiro as well…
capillary what inspiration!!!! royal bain de champagne is just gorgeous & 1 of my fave top 2 carons
that is gorgeous writing… thanks for sharing, Capillary. I downloaded the blog in pdf, actually!
I agree on the Giacobetti fragrances. I particularly recommend Passage D’Enfer in the L’Artisan range. It is very crisp and fresh, suitable for daytime and evening, light, airy, breezy – but with a touch of incense to give it a depth and darkness that keeps it interesting.
As people have mentioned, you seem to like quite clean scents, so I might suggest checking out vetiver perfumes. Guerlain’s being the most obvious. Andy Tauer has a vetiver fragrance too.
I recommend Ormonde Jayne’s Champaca for a good daytime/evening perfume. Their Osmanthus is quite a bright, clean, crisp scent too.
For a person her age, maybe she would like Child Perfume or something from Annik Goutal’s like, cherie or camille.
I’ll go out on a limb and recommend Hermes Un Jardin Apres La Mousson, as well as the Sur le Nil everyone else has mentioned from the same collection. It’s a love-it-or-hate-it scent, but it has that clean aquatic freshness along with some very distinctive dirt/vetiver/ginger/cardamom.
Also Hermes Hiris (a single-note iris that’s also odd but elegant, with an interesting metallic/ozonic background) and Chanel Sycomore (in their Exclusifs range, so it’ll hurt, but it’s so beautiful — I was about to suggest vetiver as a generally promising note, based on your interests, but Blimunda just beat me to it!)
Sycamore is a good one too!
Hi Jules! I agree with those who recommended L’Artisan as a line, as it sounds like it fits with your general aesthetic. They have many beauties.
You might also like some of the Italian fragrances. Etro is one that’s not too hard to find, and they’re very good, IMO (try Anice, Shaal Nur, Dianthus). Also Acqua di Palma Iris Nobile would be nice to try (and sniff their Blue Mediterraneo line, too!)
Wishing you the best in your exploration!
Après L’ondée sounds like something right down your alley, and I guess if you can find the elusive parfum version then the longevity wont be as much of an issue. I also think rive gauche by ysl might be nice. Trying some classical eau de colognes might be something to think about too (eau de guerlain, eau de cologne imperiale, chanels’s new eau de cologne). OH! And cristalle by chanel, in fact!
2nd Apres L’Ondee, definitely order a sample.
I’d recommend you go to a Chanel boutique and find a fun sales assistant and give their Les Exclusifs collection a go. So many great perfumes that sound like they might be your sort of thing. Start with Bel Respiro and 28 La Pausa and go from there. (Also try Chanel No. 19 EDT)
My other recommendations would be L’Artisan Parfumeur Timbuktu. Frederic Malle Angeliques sous la pluie and En Passant. Hope we can help!
Jule might try these for a slice of minimal loveliness:
Hermès Eau des Merveilles
Christian Dior Escale à Pondichéry
Excellent recommendations so far, Jules. You’re in good hands here.
If I had to really restrict myself to three of the most likely scents to appeal to you (based on your current fave l’Eau d’Issey, with notes of osmanthus, ambrette, musk, light flowers and wood), I would name Osmanthus Yunnan from Hermes, Chanel Les Exclusifs No. 18 (and do try 28 La Pausa and Bel Respiro while you’re there) and Ailleurs et Fleurs from The Different Company. They’re all fresh, well-balanced, all-day, everyday scents that are beautifully composed and unique, and they steer well clear of the thick, heavy sweetness you don’t like.
Best of luck.
What about Eau de Sisley 1 or 2? They are both very restrained fragrances with a classic feel. Neither 1 or 2 is too sweet or overpowering.
Perhaps Prescriptives Calyx? It strikes me as a kindred spirit to L’Eau d’Issey.
The Vert (Bulgari) came to my mind, see above, nobody has mentioned Fleur de sel (Miller Harris) , it could be worth a try too (is very dry, not sweet at all)… but who knows, you might end up with a full blast flowery scent, you just never dared to go there 🙂
(that’s why I think you should try out tuberoses, just for the fun of it, e.g. fracas (Piguet), tubereuse criminelle (Serge Lutens)..
I was thinking Fleur de Sel too, but was too shy to say so since no one else brought it up. 🙂 And I too used to be a big fan of Cool Water.
Comme des Garcons 2 is a must try. Indescribable and so good.
You beat me to it! I was just thinking CdG 2 Woman (I’m not as familiar with the 2 Man). It’s a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it scent, but it’s utterly uncategorizable in terms of age, gender, occasion, etc. Serious lasting power, too.
Christian Dior Escale à Pondichéry is a very good suggestion, I always think that if someone likes Issey Miyake L’eau d’Issey, there is somewhere a hidden confusion about freshness.
But still there is hope! Jules please try some of the Diptyque perfumes they are romantic but also plain and minimalistic with an exotic edge. Tam Dao, Olene , Ofresia…… They are great.
Air: maybe there is! what is your opinion on L’eau d’Issey, and on freshness?
Hermes: Un Jardin Sur Le Nil, Hiris, Terre de Hermes (unisex, but wonderful, smells like flint and minerals and gunpowder)
L’Artisan: Dzonghka (a smell so unique and delicious I could eat it), and Dzing (supposed to smell like the circus, but makes me think of pink patent leather).
Givenchy: Eau de Givenchy – fresh clean floral green and Givenchy III, a more tart mix of floral and woods.
There are so many great suggestions given already that you are going to have a blast sniffing them all! Good luck!
Tresor by Lancome and Pleasures by Estee Lauder. I think these may work well for her.
Hello everyone,
I can’t say how thankful I am for all your thoughtful suggestions! It is so kind of you.
I will definitely be paying a trip to several counters in the coming days, with a nice long list to go from. I’ll let you know if I find success (!), and of course, any thoughts from you are always appreciated.
Jules
What about good old Daisy- if I was still in my 20s it would be one mainstream I would wear. Light, not too sweet and easy to wear.
I suspect Jules is a crisp green floral girl. I would have told her Diorissimo, only it’s not what it used to be. Also, she clearly likes an apple note (Be Delicious, Cool Water, Ralph). So for a crisp green floral gal, I recommend trying out Cristalle, Futur, Gucci Envy, Tommy Girl (I can’t believe he’s got me recommending Tommy Girl, but it really does work, esp. if you don’t tell anyone what it is), Chanel No. 19, Jacomo Silences, A Scent by Issey Miyake, Frangipani Absolute (Ormonde Jayne), and just for the hell of it, let’s throw in a few crisp/green thingies from left field—Noa, Philosykos, Calyx.
i love, love, love ur blue bottle logo on white….in fact it is one of the most fulfiiling/pleasing visuals i have seen (also the book cover)
Don’t think you’d NEED to tell anyone it was Tommy Girl. They could identify it from twenty paces. 😉
When checking out the Chanel Exclusifs please take a look at Beige. It does not get much love, but could be a winner.
Dyptique L’ombre dans l’eau and TDC Sublime Balkiss (they smell sort of similar to me) are very pretty.
I did not see too many clean musks in the other recommendations – they are not green/fresh but typically not very perfumey. Sonoma Scent Studio Egyptian Musk is a nice example, but I also like Laurence Dumont Musc Blanc.
I just went through my “tried” list looking for things that I could imagine wearing all day every day, and kept choosing smooth, low-key, un-girly, dry to only moderately sweet tea fragrances. So, just in case that sounds good:
Parfumerie Generale L’Eau Rare Matale
Parfumerie Generale Harmatan Noire
Comme des Garcons Series 1: Leaves: Tea
Bois 1920 Sandalo e The
A half-exception, the sweetest and most floral, but there’s still tea:
Hermessence Osmanthe Yunnan
Another half-exception, because it adds vanilla and clean tires to the tea:
Bvlgari Black
And the exception:
Annick Goutal Mandragore – more feminine, but still not ruffles-and-powder feminine. I suppose the bergamot reflects my continuing tea theme here. (I see that it’s already been suggested, and so as Osmanthe Yunnan.)
On a last scan of non-teas, more exceptions. I think my common factor here is a sort of self-contained dignity about all of these fragrances.
Chanel Cristalle EDT – One of the very best greens. Chanel No. 19 extrait is the very best green in my book, but I couldn’t wear it every day.
Hermessence Vetiver Tonka – Really hard to describe. Challenging enough that it makes me wish for something sweet, and then the next day I have something sweet and I really wish that I had Vetiver Tonka again.
Parfumerie Generale Iris Oriental (formerly Iris Taizo) – Spicier and woodier than any of the suggestions I’ve made so far, but it dries down to something quiet and lovely that I could wear very frequently.
Another vote for both Hermes Un Jardin sur le Nil and Bulgari The Vert. L’artisan The Pour un Ete might also be worth a try.
I’m leaving my comment before reading any of the others, Jules:
Feminite du Bois-
Iris Taizo-a great intoduction to Parfumerie Generale scents
Sublime Balkiss by The Different Company
Daim Blond by Serge Lutens
L’Air du Desert Marocain by Andy Tauer (you’ll love or hate this)
Chanel 19
Creed Love in White-a nice white floral with good longevity (on me at least)
Good Luck!
Jules, I recommend as an everyday scent: Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline, L’Artisan Fleur de Liane and Hermes Un Jardin en Mediterranee.
Much success in finding your signature scent.
Seems to me versace versense would be a scent jules may enjoy. I find it light and fresh, totally suitable for a 20 something.
actually it’s a fragrance that this screaming towards 50 person very much enjoys, especially in the lovely warm weather we have during our aussie summer
after loving l’eau de issy, about 15yrs ago…i have loved many different fragrances, but nothing in that aquatic family…except le jardin sur la nil, and for a watery rose…ecume de rosine
i think jules…u will surprise urself by reading and testing many of the above…i think you will be drawn into our wonderful(expensive and obsessive) world of scent…enjoy the journey
oh also, i dont know why, but sitting and listening to prokofiev either at a concert or i-pod…makes me think of l’heure bleue!!!!
How about Le Labo’s Bergamotte 22? Light, crisp, green, nice lasting power too.
Hearing her likes in fashion and music brings to mind Iris 39 or Rose 31, also by Le Labo. Both start a little perfumey but 30 minutes in are exquisite. Lasting power for both are excellent and sillage is medium-depending on application.
Jules, you sound like the perfect candidate for Chanel No 19, which happens to be my number one favourite fragrance on women! 🙂