When I was pregnant with my daughter, my husband and I attended prenatal classes. Discussing strategies for birthing pains, the instructor asked us to practice visualizing our so-called "happy place", the location in each of our lives that felt the most comforting, peaceful and self-affirming. She suggested mentally escaping the delivery to a favorite beach, a summer cottage or a honeymoon hotel in Europe. My husband frowned at me sternly. "Are you visualizing being in bed?" My guilty look confirmed this. "Not helpful. You're going to be in a bed," he said, shaking his head, "and it won't be restful." I try to make a point of acknowledging the occasions when he is right, and boy, he was spot-on that time.
Luckily, no labor, viral illness or bout of the vivid nightmares to which I am prone has ever lastingly tainted the experience of my bed for me. It seems only natural to perfume that place of refuge, my land of dreams. Sometimes, close friends or relatives ask why I bother spritzing or dabbing scent on at night, just before I fall as insensible as a stone. It is hard to describe to someone who is not a fragrance fanatic the secret joy of waking in the wee hours, when the world is black and hushed, to snuffle at your wrist. Or the feeling of well-being that comes over you on a sun-washed weekend morning when you wake up under a gently-scented duvet.
Before today and to those outside my family, I had never confessed that perfume has found a way to invade my REM sleep. Just last week, my alarm woke me from a dream in which I was attending a very surreal launch for Humiecki & Graef's new fragrance, Clemency. Despite the fact that this is a perfume created to communicate "the exaltation of the mother figure", my unconscious produced a fashion-show style video montage of Tom of Finland images to accompany the distribution of samples. While the two of us went through our early morning routines, I described the unusual content of the dream to my husband and voiced the fond, not unreasonable hope that whatever bizarre promotion my brain had come up with for Clemency, Humiecki & Graef would best it with some website content that was crazier. It has only dawned on me now that it is strange that any spouse would listen to this without expressing dismay, disinterest or surprise.
To pay tribute to his patience with my fragrance obsession, then, as well as to explain something about my sleep-scenting habits, I should point out that my husband has moderate to severe asthma. It is embarrassing to admit that before his disease was well-controlled, a few unwise sample choices I made at bedtime caused him to have nerve-rattling nighttime attacks. For his sake, I no longer test any new or sillage-heavy fragrances before heading to bed, and I use very discrete amounts of what I do wear.
Humiecki & Graef Geste: Returning to the subject of my favorite wacky Germans: Geste is a perfume "about intensity" inspired by a "mature woman in love with a young man" and it is supposed to evoke young and supple skin, warm bread, crisp white shirts and the mystery cougars bring to love. It contains soft amber, soft violets, soft petal (?!) and soft fir resin along with a considerable quantity of musks; these musks, while almost inevitably soft, also smell a bit like butt. Played off the soapy tickle of dryer sheets and a sweet, woody violet, the intimacy of the butt note gives the whole thing a pleasingly puzzling quality, so that I often drift off in a cozy cloud of Geste thinking "What the...?" Highly recommended to fans of perfumer Christophe Laudamiel.
Serge Lutens Santal Blanc: Several bloggers, including Kevin, have recently (re)considered this one. For me, it seems to be the sort of sneaky fragrance that rewards multiple wearings. Released in 2001, Santal Blanc is the high-water mark of two contrasting themes Mr. Lutens has further explored (less successfully, in my opinion) in subsequent export releases: the buttery pastry of his orientalist desserts (export end-point: Rousse) and his nods to the sweetness and light of mainstream glowers like ck One (i.e. Clair de Musc). The heart is warm and richly sour, like the baking bread mentioned by its creator, and once the initial blast of fenugreek is over, the scent approaches the stupefyingly restful quality of pre-restriction Mysore sandalwood fragrances like Diptyque Tam Dao or 10 Corso Como. Still, there is something thoughtful about it, too, so that Santal Blanc is just as interesting when you wake up as it is when you greet the sheets.
L'Artisan Parfumeur Côte d'Amour: I remember trying this ECOCERT-approved scent when it first launched in 2009, on the recommendation of one of the co-owners of my favorite local perfume store. My reaction was something like: very well done, good power and complexity for an all-natural scent, with the beachy salt-air and coconut accord the thing will no doubt sell well, but L'Eau de Jatamansi is more my style. I briefly pondered the connection to The Different Company's more strident, smokier Sel de Vetiver, also created by Celine Ellena, and then I moved on to sample some weird Comme des Garçons release. Relatively recently, the same owner encouraged a perfume-blogging friend of mine to wear Côte d'Amour and then my friend wrote the sort of well-timed, ridiculously enticing review that strikes a note of inevitable, thrilling financial doom into the fragrance collector's heart. Last spring, as the weather warmed, I craved scents I can only describe as belonging to the genre of baked-good-iced-with-suntan-lotion: Thierry Mugler Miroir des Envies, Dior Hypnotic Poison, etc. Côte d'Amour falls squarely into this category, and my new bottle fills me with the sort of peace generally encountered during spa resort vacations or in television commercials for dryer sheets.
Heeley Cuir Pleine Fleur: With listed notes of violet, mimosa, birch, vetiver and soft leather, Cuir Pleine Fleur is that mental escape to a cottage heated by wood-stove and blessed by early morning birdsong. Like almost all the Heeleys, it is velvety smooth and quiet. There are early, freshening touches of licorice, mimosa and violet leaf before it settles into a warm hum that reminds me of Etro's Shaal Nur: smoky and lightly sweet, both airy and earthy, a scent to be contemplated at leisure.
Donna Karan Signature: Formerly called Donna Karan and housed in the robotic duck bottle, this was re-released as part of Karan's eponymous collection in 2008. After an intense, dramatic start of jasmine and dark, syrupy plum, Signature hushes to the soft, sueded base that seems to tie the best scents from this line together. As in Fuel for Men, there is both a paper-like flatness and a gasoline bloom and the oiled wood feel recalls that of Black Cashmere. It is rich and saturated, but dry enough to be very elegant on a man, and while it's the perfect scent for the midnight hour, it has none of the come-hither quality of other orientals. Addictive and highly recommended.
Note: image is self portrait: still life. by fore.sight at flickr; some rights reserved.
This is fantastic, Erin! Really love the writing here, as well as the ideas, and you’ve named some of my favorites right next to things I’ve never smelled. Totally agree about Santal Blanc.
My bedtime perfumes vary according to company and mood. Sometimes I want to promote sweet dreams, sometimes I’d rather be, er, awake. In the early days of my perfume obsession I had a rather intense affair with Coco, but it seemed so strong to me that I would only wear it when my husband was out of town, and even then, mostly to bed. You know, maybe, how Coco permeates all it touches, and how it lingers. After awhile I noticed I didn’t have to put it on–I could just lie there in the dark and conjure it up in my mind…
Oh, Coco is one of my fav’s for many many years! I don’t wear it to bed, but I do have an intense “old flame” fragrance that I like to wear every once in a while ….
Have you tried Krizia Teatro alla Scala? LT recommends it as a Coco alternative, but it’s hard to find now. Coco is a bit softer, and therefore better for bed, I think, but I do love TaS, too.
I have a vintage mini of Teatro alla Scalla – it is very nice!!!
Sweet/ahtx: Thanks very much! It seems we have very similar taste. I also love Coco and recently bought a full bottle of EdP after many years of surviving on decants of varying vintages. It is powerfully diffusive, so a little had gone a long way at night in the past for me, too. It’s funny you can mentally conjure it – I feel like I can bring actual scents to mind, but it’s hard to tell, smell is such an immediate sense. I feel similarly about “dreaming” smells.
My, er, awake scent is Gucci Rush. Hubby loves it and oddly, it doesn’t set off his “asthmar” (what we call that pesky problem at home, as in Lord of the Flies).
P.S. I have a sample of Cuir Plein that I haven’t tried yet and now I’m dying to do so. Just got to let this Parfum de Therese simmer down first.
P.P.S. I love the way you use the word “butt.” 😉
I was having a discussion with the same blogging friend I mentioned in the Cote d’Amour review and an SA/friend about butt accords. Somebody tried to assert that something smelled like butt… but clean butt. Then mild argument ensued about whether a clean butt smelled like anything. The kind of conversations you end up having as a perfume lover!!
Erin: I love Donna Karan and am lucky (er, unlucky?) to have it in that old goofy bottle. My husband really likes that fragrance, but I don’t wear it to bed. My fav bedtime scents are Shalimar (no brainer), or vintage Emeraude which is really the same thing almost, Montale Powder Flowers which is just the living end of super powdery fragrances, Diptych Eau Lente, Guerlain L’Heure Bleue, Sonoma Scent Studio Opal (a vanilla, ambrette musk), Chanel Coromandel (which my husband also likes), Chanel No 5 (ugh, what a cliche! but I love it), and LV Dilmun. There are others I wear off and on, but those are my favs.
BTW – when I was pregnant, the only perfumes I could wear were the original floral Gio, auric blends Amber, and then the good old drugstore Chantilly.
Shalimar is my bedtime perfume. I spray the pillow with it,or if it is cold, I spray the alpaca sweater I sleep with. It is such a soporific to me, and so associated with sleepy time, that I’m surprised I can wear it during the day and stay awake.
I always feel guilty if I used a dab of the Shalimar extrait before going to bed – it seems like such a waste of extrait – but it just smells so divine and sensual that I prefer it. It really is the best of the bedtime fragrances.
I wear Shalimar parfum to bed, often my vintage extrait. I wear fragrances for my own pleasure but I have to take other people’s taste (or lack thereof) into account during the day, especially if I am at work, so bedtime is when I can wear as much as I want of whatever I want. I have taken to spraying the pillowcases, but I often drift off to sleep with a wrist up close to my nose. Like Joe has said on recent threads, enjoy all the marvelous things you have. I think one of the reasons that there is so much vintage Shalimar available is that someone received it as a gift from spouse, kids, grandchildren, and then deemed it “too fancy” to wear and left it in the bottle only for it to eventually show up in an estate sale. Very sad. It is the same reason I use the silver as our everyday utensils – what “special occasion” is more important than feeding my family every day? Use it up I say! At my yarn store we often tell people that life is too short to knit with crappy yarn, and the same holds true for perfume.
I use my special things – including fragrance, jewelry, china, crystal, etc. – whenever I can. If you wait for the right moment, you may wait too long. I totally agree with your assertion as to why there is so much vintage Shalimar around. I believe the same is true for No 5 parfum. I’ve picked up a few bottles of gorgeous vintage No 5. I am sure a lot of it went unused, languishing in drawers and closests by women who were raised thinking that using fragrance was too fancy. I totally respect why that happened in a generation of women who either lived through the Great Depression or were raised by women who were. I often wonder about the women who originally owned the vintage bottles I now own, and even the men who most likely bought the fragrance for them.
Oy, I only knit and crochet with crappy yarn b/c I am a crappy knitter! LOL!!! I am not so very accomplished at knitting squares.
I so agree with the sentiment. I don’t know if Daisy will be along to say this herself, but she put it in a way that’s perfect to me and I love the quote: “Every day you wake up alive is a special occasion.” So use your perfume!!!
I knew I loved you guys!!! I especially enjoy “life is too short to knit with crappy yarn” !!! that’s perfect–really; I’m going to print it up in a sign and tape it to my yarn tub.
Joe — thanks for really listening to me 🙂
It’s true though, ‘saving things for good’ usually ends up meaning ‘saving things for someone else’. That said, I’m going to have an extra dab of my SOTD: Vintage Vol de Nuit extrait….and then go clean my bathrooms! 😉
Very true! And I agree that bedtime is a “me” time. Because I work at a hospital, and besides hubby’s sillage/intensity issues, I find nighttime is the best time for indulging in something personal, which may not be to everyone’s taste.
Good thoughts! Every day *should* be worthy of celebration!
Hear, hear to all sentiments on celebrating every moment above ground with luxuries!
See, there are about six good reasons why I totally love you guys in this one little section… I indiscriminately hand out kisses to all of you.
@AnnS – I have so many fragrances that I use a different one everyday so that they won’t turn, lol
Julia, I love your and Daisy’s proverbs and am writing them down for future reference. I also remember reading a variation on this theme in a magazine ad for the cable show Six Feet Under: “Every day above ground is a good one.” (This was said to be the motto of the National Undertakers Association!) That never fails to put things in perspective! LOL
Bravo Julia! I feel the same about “special” things, and I too wear Shalimar extrait to sleep at night. I also tied my great-grandmothers slik scarf around my toosh on the day of my wedding (before getting dressed so people wouldn’t have to view my thong-clad bottom), whereas previously it had been folded in a drawer (for 30 years or so?). Enjoy beautiful things!
My gran used to have a cupboard full of fine china, closet full of the finest linens and perfumes & other things reserved for “special” occasions. Her explanations then seemed perfectly sensible but when I started earning my own money I realized, what the heck – I bought it with my own money, why not use it for my own pleasure?
She still gives me “that” lecture from time to time but she now happily sprays on some perfume when she sees me do that before going to bed. (although she would still only use the less expensive ones. Lol)
Ann – drop me a line at julia941 at yahoo dot com. I will send you some yarn to make the best knitted squares you have ever felt. Stitch them together and you will have a lavish blanket or wrap. Needles, too, if you are using stuff from a craft store. I’m not kidding. I am a professional yarn enabler.
I have got to get some Opal. It is time for another order from Laurie. I also wear my new love, Coromandel, to bed frequently.
I find Opal to be very enjoyable, and it is one of the few musk scents of SSS that I can actually smell!!
Opal is a great idea for a bedtime scent!
Opal is one of the SSS I haven’t tried. Didn’t Robin post about the re-issued Incense Pure/Tranquille yesterday or the day before? That sounded snuggly, too…
It’s a very comforting scent, but my comfort scent is Only by Givenchy – nice, sandalwood- floral. If I had to wear one scent everyday, this would be it.
Don’t remember this one!
I think the first half-hour of Coromandel after hours might do my spouse in. The drydown is so exquisitely powdered, though. Timing is all 🙂
Yes, so true about Coromandel. One day after I’d had it on for many hours my husband was all moony over it & me! Another day I’d just put some on and was like: smell – this is the one you said you like. And he got this wrinkly nose face. At that point I realize he likes most of the fragrances I wear long after they get to drydown.
Ah, the wrinkly nose face. My husband prefers drydowns, too. He always complains that the top notes are “too sharp” – to the point where I started to make fun of him about it, how it is his only commentary, and now if I let him smell anything (including the stew I’m making), he immediately pronounces it “too sharp”.
I’ve got some vintage Shalimar edc that I’ve taken to wearing at bedtime. It could be seen as a waste, but it settles me so quickly. Powdery scents do have that knack for me, it’s the same with Prada’s L’eau Ambreé and BPAL’s La Petit Mort. Conversely I found recently that wearing First by Van Cleef & Arpels is *cough* counterproductive to getting to sleep quickly O_o
There’s another thread: fragrances to wear for keeping awake!
La Petit Mort! A fragrance made for wearing to bed – I love it. Scared of the monstrous proliferation of BPAL scents on the website, though…
I found with BPAL that to start with I wanted to smell EVERYTHING!!! First themes I thought I’d love, then just general scents. After a while (and 90 imps later!) I calmed down. Now I search the website for notes I know I like and take it from there.
It’s easy to be dismissive/scared because Beth is so prolific, but when she gets it right (as she does a lot of the time) oh BOY does she get it right.
I can probably recommend a few things if you have specific favourite notes?
Er, how much time do you have? 🙂 Thanks for the generous offer of help navigating BPAL. I like just about anything done right, but some of my fave smells are: most citrus notes (particularly mandarin and bergamot), lavender, anise or fennel, herbal notes like bay and coriander, ylang-ylang, iris, immortelle, restrained/dry patchouli and vanilla, creamier musks and *oakmoss*.
Hmmm, could I take you up on this offer?
I absolutely love vanilla, so any nicely done, uncomplicated, not-too-sweet or gourmand vanillas are always on my radar. While I know that’s incredibly broad, think more Tihota or Kiehl’s vanilla perfume oil than Shalimar.
Does BPAL offer any nice vanilla oils?
I’ve also gotten carried away with imps. I found BPAL through my love for Neil Gaiman and went from there. They do MANY good vanilla scents. Musky vanilla scents are some of her best. Antique Lace is a nice vanilla, and I also like Sachs which is a special edition and the proceeds go towards legal defense of independant comic stores (yes, they still get sued for distributing profanity or pornography). Many of their lines go toward things like helping independant comic stores provide health insurance, etc. If you go to the site and type in the notes you like it will give you a list of the frags that have those notes. They also sell “scent lockets” based on Neil Gaiman books. They are sterling silver and you can soak a piece of cloth or a cotton ball in oil and then the heat of your body helps gently release the scent.
The lockets are a cute idea1
Oh, such lovely choices there. I, too, like Eau Lente and Shalimar (usually the Eau Legere) for bed time. The Diptyque is one of the few perfumes my husband has ever asked about upon waking, he thought the drydown was beautiful.
Many pregnant ladies tell me of their inability to wear much scent during pregnancy. I currently five months pregnant again, and feel very lucky to still be able to wear everything. I do notice I’m more aware of other people’s perfumes, though, which is strange…
It is really crazy how the nose (and skin too) changes with pregnancy. I couldn’t wear any of my long time fav’s including Coco, or even some lighter rose scents. And any intense smell made me feel not so good. Congrats on the new pregancy!!!
Yes, Erin, congrats!
Thank you!
Congrats indeed! It really isn’t strange though, if you think about it. Your sense of smell (and taste) gets so much stronger when pregnant to help keep you from ingesting or inhaling anything that would be harmful.
Yes, I suppose there is a logic to it. Right now I wish my sense of super-smell would keep me from eating anything fattening…..
Love this topic as I just thinking the other day about which scents lend themselves to night time (as opposed to night life) wear. The only one that speaks to me that way right now is L’Heure Bleu. It’s got an introspective feel to it that puts me in a quiet settling down sort of way. I’ll have to look into your other choices.
L’HB is a great night time choice. It always puts me in a reflective mood which is nice before bed.
I agree that the introspective ones are the best. You don’t want something with so little development that you conk out due to boredom.
Very well done and evocative, Erin. And I, too, loved your honest use of ‘butt’ to describe a note. Sometimes it seems like that is a scent that gets hinted at, but no one wants to come out and *say* it. 🙂
If I want a perfume that will linger on the blankets and sheets in the morning, I wear Pure Poison, Angel or Sweet Oriental Dream (SOD lingers on everything for quite a while, even if I wear it when just riding in the car). If I want something softer and more a scented veil to lull me to sweet dreams, I also reach for No. 5, as well as Strenesse, L’Instant, Bath and Body Works Sensual Amber over a bit of Botrytis or Angel Innocent. I love lounging about in Shalimar Light, but it is so bright and cheery it tends to wake me up more than calm me down. Fracas is another perfume I love to wear to bed, and it’s one of my sweetie’s favorites and always gets noticed.
While carrying the twins, I couldn’t even approach my perfume collection until late in my second trimester, and then I only wore TBS’s White Musk or Oceanus in light dabs because any more would get my stomach rolling. With my youngest, I was much luckier and aside from a disastrous attempt to sample two BPAL oils early on (I had to give them away because even months later I just couldn’t take them), I could wear most of my collection. I tended to gravitate toward Hanae Mori’s Butterfly, though, for a sweet tooth substitute whenever I was having a craving in the wee hours. It did the trick. 🙂
L’Instant is a very interesting suggestion. Have to go dig up my sample for tonight.
That you were able to wear anything during a multiple pregnancy is impressive! White Musk is very soothing, I’m glad it worked. I always find Butterfly pretty strong, but I imagine it would have the power to fight cravings. (Is there a perfume that smells like popcorn for late night spritzing?)
Lavendar is calming, so I reach for Brin de Reglisse every night. It has disappeared by the time I fall asleep. I don’t like smelling last night’s perfume on me first thing in the morning, then I feel like ho.
I find lavender soothing, too and Brin de Reglisse is smooth and quiet, an ideal sleeping scent.
You know, it’s so funny: lavender picks me up. And BdR lasts a good 6 hours on me. But I am glad to find another BdR lover! 😀
6 hours! My word – I’m lucky if I get one hour out of it….
Fantastic article, Erin. And very timely, as I’ve recently taken to spritzing on Jicky edt just before crawling into bed. There’s something very calming about the lavendar and vanilla notes in there that makes it seem like a perfect scent to lull me to sleep.
Thanks. Agreed on the lavender and vanilla – feel the same about Caron Pour un Homme.
Great article, Erin. I love my bed and enjoy spending time there lingering over the first cup of coffee or going to bed early to do a little reading or catch up on my knitting. The sheets usually smell of Shalimar, but I often spend as much time picking out my bedtime scent as I do my SOTD. Sometimes I really look forward to bedtime so I can change into the perfume I want and don’t have to take “office appropriate” into account. A warm shower then a lavish application of something just for me pleases me immensely. A deep rose or a warm, musky skin scent to snuggle into are just the thing I need to end my day. Thanks again for a great article – I’m going to try some of your nighttime fragrances and also some of the excellent suggestions that I know your readers will contribute.
Thanks, and I’m going to follow up on all the commenters’ suggestions, too. Getting all the wonderful recommendations is one of the very cool things about contributing here! I also like the late night (steaming hot) shower, but I hate blow-drying my hair, and my hair is long and thick enough that it stays damp forever, so I often have to deal with the early morning crazy hair.
I have long, thick hair too, and I don’t like to use heat on it. I don’t usually wash it at night, but rather pin it up and let it steam a little. I might use the dryer on it a little then, just to freshen it up. I would like to scent my hair, but the alcohol is drying. I usually put it under my hair at the nape of my neck, then I can smell it in my own little space.
Hello everyone, this is the first time I post a comment and so I do it with a little bit of apprehension as I feel intimidated next to so many fellow perfume lovers with a lot more knowledge than me. Alas I must put that aside and throw myself in since I just adore this community and what you guys have been doing.
I am an avid reader and very grateful that this community full of support and love for our favorite topic is available.
The love of perfume has been with me since I was about 8 years old (I am now the young age of 32), but only recently it has taken me to the next level where I think about it, I talk about it and I am driving my husband and everyone around me insane. Having this outlet has saved my sanity.
Unfortunately my lack of knowledge of niche lines makes me feel a bit out of place but I will say that scenting myself before going to bed has been a nightly ritual for me for many many years. There is nothing better than to look over all your choices and decide right before going to bed whether you want to be sexy, sensual, soft, fresh, mysterious or maybe all of the above! (if that perfume is available, please let me know)!!!
Lately I have been scenting myself with SJP Lovely and the new Gap scent called CLOSE. Before that I used to grab Prada Infusion D ‘Iris , Philosophy’s Unconditional Love and Amazing Grace.
I will definitely try some of the options listed on the post Erin. Thank you for a great article!
~Alexandra~
Welcome Alexandra! Don’t ever hesitate to jump in as we are all at different levels of knowledge and experience. Love of perfume unites us all.
Hello & welcome! When I was just getting into all the wonderful online fragrance resources, especially to learn about niche, I found basenotes to be very helpful. It is like a reference resource. There is just so much to learn about the wonderful non-mainstream fragrances and it takes a while. I still don’t think I know very much about Serge Lutens, Frederic Malle, etc.
Welcome, Alexandra, and I think your before bed perfume choices sound lovely. Don’t worry about not knowing all the fragrances out there. Growing and exploring the various lines and houses is half the fun. And of course, there are some fabulous “mainstream” perfumes out there that were/are really well made and ground-breaking. SJP’s Lovely is really gorgeous stuff and I’ve been meaning to try the Philosophy perfumes as well.
Thanks for the suggestions. 🙂
You can comment next to me. I know absolutely nothing, beyond what smells good to me…. and I comment away. 🙂
Welcome! I’m very glad you de-lurked. I’m exactly your age, and you have about five times as many years of loving perfume than me, so always feel that you have enough knowledge to comment here! Lovely is an excellent choice, and if you ever find that sensual, soft, fresh, mysterious or all of the above scent, let me know! I’m not sure I have a good suggestion that covers all the bases, but… hmm.. if you’re going to try those on the list, maybe start with Santal Blanc?
Thank you for this! It’s dusk as I write and I’m getting that velvety, cozy feeling and beginning to yawn, just by reading this!
I like SL Louve or Rahat Loukoum for bed, maybe because I can imagine bedding down on a soft, almond scented and powdered sugar dusted cushion of Turkish Delight.
Chergui is another Lutens I like for bed. Like drifting of in a bed of sweet hay.
Rahat and Chergui are both great suggestions.
Wonderful topic and article, Erin! I usually spritz on Dzongkha before going to bed … it just smells so good, soothing and relaxing. I want to try some of the other fragrances suggested now!
And I always awake to the same “smell” – a blast of kitteh bref, courtesy of my fatcat Falco. There’s a hint of “butt” there too :-)!
Dzongka was one that just didn’t wow me on release, but the last time I tried it, I thought: How beautiful! It definitely seems like a great bedtime scent. I’ll have to get a decant.
I’m lucky if I don’t wake up to my cat Gary whacking me on the nose. She gets impatient for her breakfast lately.
Hi Erin. Great topic!
I invariably go to bed lately wearing several dabs of things on my arms — because if I don’t test several samples per night, I’ll never get through the pile I have. Plus, I sometimes just like to sniff my wrist or arm while I relax in the evening. Usually, anything I just have a tiny bit of on my arm is rubbed off soon by the bedclothes after I get in bed anyway, so I don’t get to enjoy it as much. However, I also occasionally enjoy making a bigger production of scenting my tshirt or the linen (especially pillowcases). I love smelling scent before I go to sleep!
Some faves have been mentioned, including Rahat Loukoum (love) and Santal Blanc. Others range from the cozy to the unexpected:
– Bois Farine: like being wrapped in a sweet nutty pastry. CdG Palisander has a similar effect.
– DK Gold: just got a full bottle of this and scenting the linen with it is like being on a bed of lillies.
– ELdO Vierges et Toreros: this is a strongly animalic floral leather, and I don’t know if it’s some primal collective unconscious thing about sleeping under animal hide OR the fact that it is so musky/sexy like warm skin that just is awesome. I love this scent.
– Finally…. Mitsouko! Yes! Believe it or not, it can be *such* a comfort scent for me at bedtime once a month or so. Sounds odd even to me, but it works so well. In fact, bed is the only time I really feel comfortable wearing enough of it to get sillage– it’s a bit much for going about daily business, really… at least for me!
Thanks again. This is fun and I can’t wait to read the comments.
YEA Joe! Mitsouko has *always* been a comfort scent for me – to the point that it sometimes feels weird to wear it out.
Absolutely with you on Bois Farine. One of my faves for bedtime.
I haven’t spent enough time with my Bois Farine decant. I may try it tonight.
Ooh, I haven’t tried sleeping with Vierges et Toreros – I think it would make for some interesting erotic dreaming! I love that stuff. I don’t know if I want a bottle, but a dab now and then is definitely a good thing. My housemate really loves it, too.
I really like V et T, too, although I always wonder if I get something different from it than other people? Maybe I’m anosmiac to some very beastly ingredient in it. To me, it smells like gorgeous flowers giving way to oiled leather boots. Erotic enough, but not really schtinky.
oooh! Mitsouko. I can totally see that! I like wearing it anyway b/c it smells to me like I am curled up on a great leather chair near a roaring fire in a stoney cabin somewhere in the deep recesses of the woods. I think if I weren’t going to bed with my husband who might think it was too strong, I’d probably do that too!
Mitsouko is a comfort scent but it smells so good I think I’d have trouble falling asleep because I’d want to stay up just sniffing it!
That’s the trick with bedtime scents, isn’t it? Sometimes I put on something too good or new, and have trouble going to sleep because I want to keep smelling it!
True!
Ha Joe! Second the sample comment! I actually try to use up the ones I have ‘meh-d’, in case there are any lurking there that should be in the ‘maybes’…
But regularly I simply have to spray on one of the true loves, including Mitsouko…ah, those were the days, waking up with Mitsouko, cigarette smoke clinging to the long hair (from the days when everyone smoked liked chimneys on a night out), the ears ringing from the band that was playing… the mischief me and M got up to in our misspent youth!!!
You must have been a more sophisticated youth than me!
I find the drydown of Mitsuoko to be the best part and very comforting. Many other interesting suggestions in your comment, but tonight I may have to try Gold. Great scent! Do you have the EdT or EdP? I find the concentrations quite different, but I think I’m hard-pressed to say which I’d like better for bed.
Great article Erin. My bedtime scent has to be whatever I’ve worn that day as my skin is extremely tenacious. However, on days when maybe I haven’t put any perfume on and decide to test something in the evening when I get home from work, I’ve noticed that I get a truer idea of how I feel about a scent by being able to smell it overnight while I sleep.
I sometimes like to test overnight to see how tenacious a fragrance is. SSS Rose Musc is one of my fav overnight fragrances – by morning all that is left is the most wonderful warm labdanum. It is to die for!
Yes, I feel that way about her new Incense Pure that I’ve been one of the testers for. That’s a great night/weekend/down time scent with a wonderful drydown. I think Laurie specializes in drydowns.
R, sometimes this is true and then, OTOH, I sometimes completely misjudge a scent because I’m so happy to be going to bed and to be smelly. I’ve bought several bottles based on late night sniffings and then never really used them. Maybe I’m just not always a good judge at night of what suits me.
Nice article!!
I am often wearing a new sample to bed but when I really want to scent myself I have been turning to Bill Blass Nude (I like it but it is so not “me” I haven’t worn it during the day), BS Midnight Fantasy (can’t be caught in it in the daylight), Old Spice, Stetson, and some lavender oil I got somewhere. I rarely go to bed unscented.
Nude is an interesting choice. Especially if you’re sleeping in the nude! LOL
Seriously, I really enjoy Nude. It seems to be my go to scent when I can’t decide what kind of mood I’m in.
I just ordered a bottle of BB Nude( unsniffed based on Angela’s review a short while ago) so I was glad to hear it works at night if not during the day! Otherwise I like Il Profumo Vanille Bourbon- drifting off to sleep to that lovely vanilla scent…
Vanilla does seem to be a popular choice for the wee hours.
I’ve been wearing it to bed for weeks. I bought it unsniffed thanks to Angela’s review and I love it. I find I like it better as a night scent. It clings to my clothes and when I wake up I’m greeted by a whiff of it, which makes getting out of bed more pleasant.
Oh darn, there’s that Nude coming up again. I really have to get me a sample…
It’s nearly free, which is why we all bought it unsniffed after Angela reviewed it!
Nearly free sounds good to me!
I totally forgot to add the almond/musk/vanilla perfumes for bedtime a la Alessandro, Lea Extreme, Cara and Lady Evangeline, all of which seem designed for snuggling into soft cozy sheets. I love NR for musk as well, since it imparts such a subtle cloud of sexiness without overwhelming the wearer or others close by.
Ah, heliotrope – it’s an anytime note for me. I did consider Dior Cologne Blanche for this list and Alessandro would be a similar choice. Great for waking up to…
I also love applying perfume before I go to sleep. My current favorite is a BPAL Robin Goodfellow. It’s green and grassy at first and then settles down to a sweet scent. Perfect to lull me into REM sleep.
BPAL again! Like the name Robin Goodfellow.
My husband doesn’t really understand the habit of spritzing before bed either, but he’s kind of given up on trying to understand my obsession. Well, not true – I explained it as perfume being an art form that I enjoy and he seems to get that. But I still think that he thinks I’m a little nuts.
Anyway – several Guerlains fall into my night-time comfort scent niche, chief amongst them being Jicky because of the lavender, but also Shalimar and Mitsouko and sometime L’Heure Bleue, but only after it’s settled down. I also love 31 Rue Cambon, Epic Woman, Labdanum de Seville, and Kenzo Amour for sleeping.
Gald to see the Guerlains getting so much play today (tonight!) Kenzo Amour seems like it should be perfect for bedtime, but I’ve never gotten it to really work for me then – I’m envious. I love Amour, but there’s something slightly cool about it that makes it work better for me on a rainy Sunday or for a solitary walk. And need to try that L de S now – ’cause I’m a little nuts like that. 🙂
Thank you for the warm welcome! i will definitely be more active from now on. For someone who is new like me, what do you think is the sexiest perfume a woman can wear to bed? I know that what sexy means changes from individual to individual but for a “perfumista in training” like me, what is the no. 1 perfume i MUST have in my collection??
~Alexandra~
tough question—I guess it partly depends on if you are looking for a scent that makes YOU feel like “rarrrrr, look out baby, here it comes” or a scent that makes your partner say “mmmm, bring that over here!” because I think they’re different. If I put on some Epic woman or Jubilation 25 —well, I think I’m being pretty hot…..on the other hand, the CEO finds rose scents (Joy, Citizen Queen etc) and cookie/vanillic (Alessandro, 180 Ans, etc) things enticing—if I smell enough like the most delicious cookie ever: I can get anything I want!
Oooh.. Citizen Queen, I forgot about that one. That one is sexxxxxy – both of us like that one. The CEO took one of sniff of Epic Woman and was instantly smitten – I can only wear that one around him if I mean business. I think that Alien Liqueur is really sexy, but he hasn’t shown any inclination of agreeing – of course, I’m guessing that he’s all for anything that makes *me* feel sexy.
Citizen Queen is my no-fail Get Some Action scent. Bal a Versailles works too, but I have to put it on well ahead of time and let it settle, since those dense French florals in the first hour remind The CEO of all the older ladies at church when he was a kid (not persackly sexy, you understand).
😀
Sounds like I need to get a sample of Citizen Queen! 😉 In the veins of another sexy rose, L’Arte will draw the DH from where ever he is for an instant neck nuzzle and an “Oooh! You smell gooood. What is that one? Wait… I know it… Gucci!” It is one of the perfumes I own that he quickly put to memory and never fails to accurately name.
Didn’t you know that Beggin Strips has released the first faux bacon scent for women, simply called: Strip. Underneath an alluring combination of fresh florals and musks, Beggin Strips has developed an invisible scent blocking barrier that makes the alluring aroma of bacon only detectible to men. Look at the Beggin Strips, now look at me, now look at the Beggin Strips, now look at your new large engagement ring…
AWwwwmaaaan, you should have sent that one in for Prix Eau Faux!
I just had to put it out there for the good of all!
It’s still not too late – I think you should submit it! It has some really funny mental visuals!!
LMAO! You really should have…that was funny.
HA! God, you almost had me going for a moment. I thought if Burger King can have a scent, why not? Could have copyright issues with that name with the Agent Provaceteur people, though…
Oy, fair use people. I only want that gift cert to beauty habit for heaven’s sake!
Bal a Versailles is the sexiest fragrance for seduction or to wear to bed – but just a little bit. I think that is true of any of the fragrances people will suggest to you – just a little bit – you still want your skin smell to come through as that is what most partners will be essentially attracted to.
As stated in a thread above, I found (or rather best beloved found) First by Van Cleef & Arpels pretty damn sexy.
For me, something like Penhaligon’s Amarinthine or Agent Provocateur makes me all RAWR, both have a very “intimate”/carnal whiff about them.
My husband Loves it when I wear Bal a Versailles, or Fracas to bed, and combined with what he wears just creates a comforting aroma.
Now we must know – what does he wear?
HIs favorite to sleep in is Dzonghka, and Dzing.
Well, there you have it: two that have already been mentioned. Two excellent choices, you’re a lucky lady.
Thanks for a lovely post, Erin! (And congrats on the little one coming.) Funny, I just did a post on the Wear to Bed Scents about a month ago. I find that I just cannot bear to spritz something pricey lavishly when I’m going to sleep through a good portion of the experience. Luckily, I have some wonderful (cheap) things to spritz lavishly, so I don’t feel deprived.
I notice that the ones I love to wear to sleep (Wear to Bed for Seduction Purposes scents are different!) tend to have either a powdery-creamy benzoin effect or be simple florals, depending on the weather. All winter I slept in Shalimar Light or Mariella Burani, which I looove waking up to, with the occasional foray into Rumba, with its lovely hot dust note. When the weather gets warmer, I love Petite Cherie, the old Kenzo Parfum d’Ete, and DK Gold. Wore Gold last night, as a matter o’ fact.
Another vote for Gold! Cool! Is it discontinued everywhere by the way? Impossible to find here now, which is very sad. Rumba, I love, but that would definitely set off the DH’s asthma. Hot dust is heaven for me, hacking for him 🙂
Erin, I don’t know about general availability, but Gold is all over *bay (and probably discounters too) for a song. In answer to your question above, I have the edp, and I’m pretty sure that’s the only one I’ve ever tried. Unbelievable that this is apparently not in production any more.
I keep expecting them to add it to the exclusive/re-issue collection, like Signature and Fuel for Men, but no such luck. I avoid the ‘Bay, unfortunately….
By the way, Erin, you’ve inspired me to dig out my sample of Côte d’Amour. I remember liking it, but I LOVE the genre you coined: “baked good iced with suntan lotion.” That makes sense somehow, but my memory of CdA is a bit more watery than that sounds!
That was a tough one for me…couldn’t decide how I felt about it.
My blogging friend thought it was much more salt breeze/water, too. He didn’t get a lot of sun lotion effect. I found just enough salt to balance the sweetness for me – but I have high salt tolerance!
Not only will I lavish myself in a cloud of fragrance before going to bed (which one will be dependent upon mood) but how many of you reapply during the night should you be awakened by the need to visit the ceramic throne?
Ha! Now that’s extreme. I love it!
Well, I’m usually not awakened in the middle of the night by the call of nature, but considering my current condition, I might have to take this under advisement 🙂 Another spritzing opportunity….
Hi Everyone! Alexandra has inspired me to come out of hiding and introduce myself. Like her, I’ve been reading the blog for a little while now, completely enraptured that there is an entire community of folks who adore smells as much as I do. In all honesty I’m quite humbled by the fact that I really don’t know nearly as much as I thought I did, but reading the superb and often very humorous writing and replies has been such an inspiration! (I am still chuckling about the flanker suggestions for Akon’s Konvict!) In my quest to smell everything (I’m so not even close!) , I recently ordered a set of samples from Luckyscent and am wearing Dzhonghka for the first time right now. I saw that someone else in the post today had suggested this for bedtime wear. It’s a great suggestion! The smell takes me away and then takes me farther away, if that makes any sense. In any case, I’m Sandy and I’m delighted to have found you all! Thank you!
Hey Dzongha! My last F/B…when I first sniffed it last year as the obsession took hold (one year and I’m settling if its any help!);
(a) I could not tell it from Timbuktu which I got at the same time, (b) I thought, whaaat, its just dry dust and masculine!
Then, something happened and as autumn hinted, I was just craving it…and a bottle of Timbuktu is not far off!
Hi, Sandy! Isn’t Dzonghka amazing?! Sometimes an incense-based fragrance is perfect for bed, I think.
Hi Haunani!
OMG, yes! I’m finding it to be so amazing and so far on me the sileage is great AND I’m not getting a headache. Double bonus! : ) What are your other faves?
Sandy
For incense fragrances? Besides Dzongkha, I love L’Artisan’s Timbuktu, Comme des Garcons Kyoto, and The Different Company’s Un Parfum des Sens et Bois. I also adore two rose/incense combos, Eau d’Italie’s Paestum Rose and Gres Cabaret. I will also mention one of my favorite all-round fragrances, Etro Shaal Nur, because Iove it so much (apologies to those who have heard me rave about it once too many times!) It’s a subtle blend of citrus, florals, herbs, spices, vetiver, and incense.
Haunani, I don’t think it is possible to talk up Shaal Nur too much 🙂
Must try some of your other suggestions. I mean, since you have such excellent taste 😉
Yay Shaal Nur!
Haunani—umm, I don’t know….I don’t think you’ve mentioned Shaal Nur as many times as I’ve waxed poetic about Champagne de Bois! It’s about being “helpful” , right? hahahahaa or keeping our favorites in production!
Love you guys!
Sandy, great to have you here. Timbuktu is one of my faves, and would make a nice counterpoint to Dzonghka – have you tried it? (I’ve just now realized that L’Artisan has two perfumes beginning with “Dz” – how odd. Dzing! is great, too. Try that one, also…) A further neat one to test alongside Dzongkha is Bond No. 9 Silver Factory. Not a personal fave of mine, but another interesting iris-musk-incense intersection.
Hi Sandy! and welcome ! If you’re going to delve into L’Artisan scents make sure you take a look at the sample program on their website—it’s a fab. deal. And if you like incense you might want to get a sample of Etro Messe de Minuit and CdG Avignon– verra verra nice.
Daisy, thanks for the tip that L’Artisan has a sample program. As soon as I post this note, I’m heading right there. Erin, I bought Dzing at the same time I bought the Dzhongkha. My first impression of Dzing (on unscented toilet paper, is that a lame way to do test strips?) was that it was a cross between baby lotion and, well, horse manure. In spite of thinking it was impressively awful, I put some on the other day and found that on my skin, I didn’t get strong senses of either of those notes (THANK GOD!) I need to give it a few more trial runs for sure. Another sample I grabbed was L’Artisan’s Al Oudh (based on the reviews I read here.) I am afraid to put that one on my skin on a day where I come into contact with other people. On the toilet paper test strip what I got was “foreign BO.” Not that foreign BO is bad, mind you, just that I don’t necessarily want to smell like that. In any case, after reading additional recommendations, I need to check out Shaal Nur now too. Uh oh, I can see that this is going to be a really dangerous ($$) little obsession. Hey, it beats lots and lots of alternatives! : ) Oh, and just to round out the list of samples I bought, I picked up Diptyque’s Philosykos, Ninfeo Mio and Lyric Woman. I haven’t tried any of them on my skin yet, but I liked all of them on paper. I’m waiting for the weather to warm up to try Ninfeo Mio. Today might be Philosykos day. Thanks again to all of you guys for being out here. I could spend all day reading about smells and YOU make that possible!!!
Philosykos is only the MOST fabulous fig ever…love it.
And Lyric woman is one of my all-time faves—you might as well give your bank account a goodbye kiss right now…. 😉
Oh NO! Daisy, you were totally right on both counts! I put on the Philosykos and fell in LOVE! I already bounced to ebay and put a bid in for a bottle. I probably won’t win, but that’s how fast I knew this was a had-to-have! If it doesn’t pan out, there’s a Blue Mercury around the corner… I’m DOOOOOOMED!
Sandy
It’s not something I do regularly, but sometimes I spritz Agua de Lavanda (from the Spanish brand Agua de Sevilla) on my sheets and my pillow. I find it so relaxing… It is a very green lavender, fleeting and fresh.
DKNY Black Cashmere was the perfume I wore to bed some years ago, before it was discontinued. I did not own a bottle of it, but I had (still have) some samples and its heavenly scent created the perfect atmosphere to sleep. I have never smelt an incense-woody fragrance as good as it.
OMG, do you have access to Aqua de Sevilla? I bought Aqua de Naranjos while on my honeymoon in Seville 10 years ago and have been yearning for it ever since. I searched for years and recently discovered it could be ordered online from the store in Seville, but the shipping costs were more than the cost of the perfume.
Where do you find it?
…The reissued Donna Karan line, however, I can get fairly easily at Holt Renfrew in Toronto. Perhaps we could do a swap? 🙂
Here in Spain the line is available in the main department store, El Corte Inglés (you can find it in almost every single city) and in the three Agua de Sevilla boutiques, in Seville.
Two years ago Sephora carried the line too, but I have not seen it anymore, at least in the “sephoras” I usually go.
I don’t know if that will be of any use, but in the box of the Agua de Sevilla perfume it reads Seville-Paris-Rome-New York-Tokyo. I guess the brand is available in these cities. I could send an email and ask them for the retailers, if you are interested 🙂
That would be fantastic if it isn’t too much trouble.
Than you so much.
Glad to see the DKs coming up so frequently. Like Heeley, it’s a great line for bedtime. I’m interested in where you find the Selville brand, as well.
Hi Erin! I loved your article 🙂
As I told ScentRed, the brand Agua de Sevilla is relatively easy to find in Spain. In 1992, when the line was new, it was only available in Seville, but now it can be found in El Corte Inglés, which is the Spanish main department store. As everything is expensive in El Corte Inglés, I never buy perfumes there. Instead, I bought two 30ml bottles of Agua de Lavanda in Sephora sales. It was a bargain! Unfortunately, nowadays Sephora does not carry the line anymore 🙁
That is one of my few complaints about Sephora – they are forever getting rid of lines. Thanks for the info – guess I gotta go to Spain!
You’ll be welcome here 🙂
My first “4srs” bottle of perfume was Chinatown and I loved it so much I would spray my pillowcases before I went to bed every night. No wonder the bottle didn’t last long. It’s been years since I last wore it but man, if it’s anything like I remember, I’ll have to get some quick.
Another one I love for bed is Mitsouko, as mentioned above. It’s beautiful and haunting, yes, but it feels like the last embers of a campfire. Just because I never got more than three hours of rest while camping dis a whole other matter. 😛
Love, love, love Chinatown, campfires, etc. 🙂
For me Francis Kurkdjian’s Cologne Pour Le Soir is the ideal scent for bed… it does what it says, to feel enveloped in warmth… for this reason I also love wearing Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, Chanel Bois des Illes, Guerlain Habit Rouge so that by the time I get into bed I can catch a lingering trail of their wonderful basenotes…sandalwood, vanilla… mmmmmmmmm
Too true, Bois des Iles is missing from the list.
There is no finer bed fragrance than Arpege. It has great longevity and clings to pajamas and sheets very well. One can even smell it when the first blast of hot water hits the skin in the shower.
I’ve never worn Arpege to bed, but I can see your point – it does seem like it would be ideal.
I’ve got a vintage Arpege is coming from fleabay shortly. I’ll have to try your suggestion!
Hi Erin! Love your post! You have me ready to get out my Cote d’Amour sample again, and your description makes me *really* want to try the Cuir Pleine Fleur.
For bed, I seem to like ambers in the cool weather (Ambre Precieux and Blue Amber being faves for this purpose), vetiver for the hot weather (still experimenting with different ones), and lavender for any time. Last week we had a warm spell, and I wore Caron Pour Un Homme day and night for a couple of days. Wonderful!
H: Is Blue Amber a Montale? (lazy to look up) Amber can be very hit or miss for me; the sample of Ambre Precieux did not work for me the one and only time I sampled it — a bit sour somehow.
Joe, Blue Amber is the Montale. I think it is fairly close to Ambre Precieux, but the latter is more refined and a step “better” to my nose. AP is my favorite amber. Sorry it doesn’t work for you!
H – just thinking of Amber Precieux makes me anxious. Are they distributing it again now? It was impossible to get for a while, and while I notice Luckyscent has the MPGs back again, AP is not listed. Gah! It’s so good.
Erin, I think I saw somewhere just in the last few days that it was back. I hope I’m remembering right. Isn’t it wonderful! BTW, out of all the wonderful NST writers, I think my taste is closest to yours.
Fragrance twin! We do seem to share a lot of loves (and the rare dislike…)
This is great — I’m finding so many similarities with others: Shalimar, Mitsouko, Opal, multiple samples up & down the arms. I need to add Kiehl’s Musk, Jubilation 25, and my personal mossy-woodsy campfire layering of AG Eau de Monsieur with SSS Fireside Intense (great on a damp night!). I can’t wait to try some of these suggestions. Perfume at night is oh-so delicious.
What a very interesting layering suggestion! I don’t think I’ve ever layered Eau de Monsieur with anything, but now I’m intrigued…
Jubilation 25 seems like a great idea, now that you mention it. Amouages being mentioned a lot in this context, which I find a little surprising – but perhaps only because I like Ubar so much, and wearing it to bed would be a bit like trying to sleep through an earthquake. One of my other faves is Lyric Woman, though, and that one could definitely work.
I’m thinking Robin’s “Lazy Thursday” or “Lazy Friday” poll this week should be “what perfume did you wear to bed last night.” However, my heart is sinking because I know she’s going to ask us to do The Reckoning soon. :O
Ohhhhhhhhhh dear. This will be my worst (best) one ever. Fortunately, there are just a few more I feel the need to have *now*, and then I think my pace will drop considerably. I hope.
The quarter is over already? Nooooo…..
OMG! why did you bring that up??? Do you have any idea the guilt that’s going to inspire….for at least a WEEK!? why, oh why can’t I have an unlimited perfume budget??
:running off to Hawai’i:
stowing away in your luggage…..
I always spritz at bedtime. Serene and meditative and unabashedly pretty, Shaal Nur is my current bedtime scent crush. Unfortunately I only have a small decant ;-( But I did order the Body Milk recently and may have to cave for a FB. Isn’t Mother’s Day coming up?…
Another one I like is Gucci Flora. It isn’t even in my top 10 daytime rotation, but it is simple, unencumbered, and easy – which is sometimes just what the Dr ordered at bedtime. In contrast, OJ Woman is so beautiful and complex that I’ve mostly stopped wearing it at night because it can be distracting. (Did I mention that I’m a LOUSY sleeper and insomnia has been rampant in the past 12 months).
Theorema and FdB also work well for me at bedtime. Bois des Iles too, but I need to spray at least 1 hour before bed for maximum comfort.
Sucks about the insomnia! Hope you get your Shaal Nur for Mother’s Day. (My birthday actually falls on Mother’s Day some years – although not this year – so it’s a great time of the year for me for perfume gifts. I’m hoping for JAR Golconda – hey, a girl can dream!) If you don’t get a FB – I’m not sure PIR cosmetics is carrying that one anymore and they’re the only Etro carriers in town that I know of – contact me and I’ll make you a tied-over decant.
A friend in need is a friend INDEED.
I’ll let you know. Thank you very much 🙂
Erin, great topic, and I haven’t tried most of your sleep favs yet, so I’ve got some new ideas, too.
I usually wear to bed whatever sample I have been testing in the evening, but that is sometimes a mistake if the scent is too good or too interesting, as I find myself staying awake to enjoy it. PdN Pour Homme is a wonderful lavender that I sometimes sleep with when I particularly want something soothing.
PdN Pour Homme!!! One of my all-time faves! I love you for mentioning it, since I sometimes feel like its only fan. I’m going to put on some right now in celebration…
Like some others here, I sometimes test new samples at night, sticking my arm under the pillow if they don’t work out! My go-to bedtime staples are Tauer’s L’Air — I think my pillows permanently smell like it — and Philosykos, which I find so comforting. Last night, however, I tested my new decant of Iris Silver Mist, and it was indeed lovely to give it a drowsy sniff from time to time during the night (this scent might just change my mind about Serge AND iris!).
Enjoy the ISM! It’s the sort of scent that could convert anybody.
whenever i go to sleep with perfume on, my eyes always are itchy and red when I wake up o__O
I used to sleep in Opium though.
Wow, that’s the first time I’ve heard of that problem, but that definitely sounds like some sort of reaction. I love Opium, but it is a scent that many people have difficulties with (usually migraines, I think).
The first time I wear a new perfume is to bed. I am one of the unfortunate ones that get headaches from most perfumes (but I love perfume too much to stop sampling them). If I have no new samples, then I wear a rose scent to bed. Lately it’s been TokyoMilk’s Scarlet solid perfume. Also Stella and Voleur de Roses. I love Habanita, but can only wear it to bed (very headache-inducing).
Habanita is one I find oddly faint on me. Maybe I have not tried the right concentration. It feels like the sort of thing that would be wonderful for bed time, though.
Oh, late to the party!
Agree with so many of the ones mentioned above. For me, anything with opoponax = evening/cuddle-upper/sleep scent. I had a decant of Impérial Opoponax that I used exclusively on my sheets. I felt so decadent. Other powdery and vanillic scents also work fine: Eau Lente, Kiehl’s Musk, L’Artisan Jour de Fête…
For spring/summer I like something more herbal though, so now I store a myrtle scented Nesti Dante soap bar along with my sheets, which gives them the subtlest mediterranean/rural vibe. Very nice.
I like the idea of the myrtle-scented soap, will have to try it. And Eau Lente again! I really ought to buy that one. Is Imperial Opoponax from Les Nereides? I liked their Patchouli Antique and have just ordered a decant of Musc Samarkand, which promises to be another Geste-like combo of dryer sheet-and-butt. They were a pleasant surprise as a line, I thought.
Oho, I see I am not the only one to experience this phenomenon called “Mitsouko in bed”! I can only wear Mitsouko when I go to sleep, not outside daytime, and I need it in order to be soothed and entoured by calm and luxury.
The other one is Patchouli from Lorenzo Villoresi, but for more sexy feelings.
I’ve never tried the LV. Drat. His line seems to be impossible to find around here anymore.
Totally forgot: I also really like AG Heure Exquise for sleeping. It’s like a fluffy olfactory down duvet.
I swear the Heure Exquise tester at my local AG counter is off. (I know her fragrances are sometimes known for turning, or they used to be anyways.) The iris smells skunky in this bottle. I should order a newer sample and fall in love….
I wear to bed a hint of Kelly Caleche EdT because it is very easy. Other scents I had tried before going to bed did not let me sleep.
Worst idea was to sample Angel in the afternoon. It was still in my nose and also during the whole night, I could not sleep and had a monster headache the next day. Trust me, there is a perfume hangover!
Agreed that you want something light and not too strident. I like Angel, but would never, ever wear it to bed.