Today we're helping Melissa, who is looking for her holy grail comfort scent. Melissa has good access to department and discount stores, and can make it to Luckyscent's Scent Bar if need be. She can spend about $100, but is also happy to buy decants so price should not be a deterrent. So far, she has mostly tried mainstream perfumes, and she'd like to branch out into more sophisticated niche perfumes. Here is what we know about Melissa:
She's in her early 30s, and studying Human Development in college.
She says she's a bit of a nut and has an odd sense of humor.
Melissa loves dessert-type scents (almond, pistachio, sugar, vanilla, chocolate, spices, etc). She also likes many floral notes (rose, lily, jasmine). She likes Hilary Duff With Love, Stella McCartney Stella (she wishes it lasted longer) and Hermès Vanille Galante (she'd like something more dessert-like though). She'd love to find a nutty, boozy, candied rose type scent...preferably with sillage and lasting power.
Melissa doesn't like perfumes that are "too dirty", animalic or BO-like. She doesn't dislike many notes, but orange, aquatic notes, rubber, and smoky scents are not favorites.
Here are some of the perfumes Melissa has tried:
Estee Lauder Youth Dew: almost knocked her out.
Britney Spears Circus Fantasy: synthetic berry apocalypse.
Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb: great sillage, but but somewhat boring.
Chloe (original): too much.
Estee Lauder Pleasures Delight: ok, but smells a bit like plastic.
Thierry Mugler La Rose Angel, Lolita Lempicka Si Lolita, Guerlain Eau de Shalimar: all fine but she'd like something a little less mainstream, more sophisticated and interesting.
What say you?
Note: top image is Letterbox [cropped] by Roby Ferrari at flickr; some rights reserved.
Tocade (Rochas), Hanae Mori, Vanilia (L’Artisan Parfumeur), Ta’if (Ormonde Jayne) and Nahema (Guerlain) all come to mind.
Hmm… what about Kenzo Amour or Amaranthine for pudding-like, Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille for definite dessert vanilla, Lubin Idole for a sweet boozy scent, or Andy Tauer’s Une Rose Chypree for a gorgeous and nearly edible rose. I’m sure I’ll think of more, but those were the first to come to mind. Hopefully Daisy will peek in today, bc gourmand is her expertise!
Yes, Melissa definitely needs to try Amour. Rice pudding!
Make three, would also say Kenzo Amour.
ooh My mum’s got Amour but I don’t think it smells that sweet or dessert like, still nice though
oriental
and I love dessert perfumes, but I’m not very good at identifying them, sorry
I tried Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille a few weeks ago – very boozy. She might like that.
Hi Melissa,
I second the Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille – love at 1st sniff but be warned – very pricey.
These aren’t niche scents but I have some other recommendations for you:
I am also seconding the Prada and adding Prada L’eau Ambree EDP also.
You may want to re-visit Stella but do try the Stella Rose Absolute instead – has much better lasting power on me than Stella.
Another one you may want to try is Ralph Lauren Notorious only because I like the chocolate part of it. It does not have good lasting power on me, but it lasts forever on a friend of mine. It’s a very easy to wear “pleasant” scent that shouldn’t offend anyone.
Have fun sniffing!
Thirding the Guerlain SDV – a gorgeous gourmand vanilla (natural and slightly dry), with a touch of rose, booze, and wood. It’s my HG vanilla. The bottle is more expensive than you want to spend, but you should be able to find a decant on Scent Splits.
Amaranthine –excellent–yummy rice pudding.
Kenzo Amour seems perfect!
Though it is not rosy, Bois d’Arménie comes to mind–a lush, sophisticated scent with plenty of vanilla and huge staying power.
I think Bond No.9 New Haarlem is very lush desserty (coffee) scent, too. Likewise–not a rosy desert scent, but worth a sniff.
Both are pricey, but decant-worthy.
Seconding Amaranthine!
Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille Hermes Ambre Narguile and Serge Lutens Un Bois de Vanille, Parfumerie Generale Felanilla, L’Artisan Dzing! for vanilla/gourmand/comfort.
Amouage Lyric for a gorgeous, slightly more unusual rose. I find it more meaty than nutty though
Chanel 31 Rue Cambon is not a gourmand but it has a wonderful, fuzzy, nutty thing going on. And Coromandel is a refined chocolatey patchouli.
Yes, Coromandel or original Prada for that wonderful chocolate patch.
Oh, chocolate! Maybe Missoni would be a good one to try.
Ding ding ding! We have a winner! I bet she’d love that one, Boo.
I agree on the MIssoni!
ohmigosh! I can’t believe I left out Hermes Amber Narguile! or PG Felanilla! Amber Narguile has a bit of smokiness too it but not too much–and it’s definitely gourmand.
I agree with Felanilla!
Speaking of andy Tauer… he has a new perfume coming out soon (this fall?) called (for now) Une Rose Vermeille, and is a rose/raspberry scent. Haven’t smelled it yet, but it sounds like somewhat of a candied rose from the description. You can enter a draw for a sample on his blog:
http://www.tauerperfumes.com/blog/2010/06/21/after-dilution/
Lately, I have been wearing Divin’ Enfant, which supposedly has marshmallow… love it, it is not too gourmand or vanilla-y.
Thanks for that heads up, Tallulah Rose. I think I’d heard of that project before, but I’m looking forward to trying it!
Hi Melissa–
Maybe Parfumerie Generale Brulure de Rose? A definite dessert-y rose–that might work for you.
L’arte di Gucci is an incredible boozy rose that is available at the Perfumed Court but a little hard to find in full-bottle. Not gourmand per se, but delicious to smell and–applied lightly–very, very comforting (at least to me
).
Good luck!
I second BdR, it’s what I always reach for when I’m in the mood for an edible rose; jammy, coco-y, and delicious! I also feel like JHAG Miss Charming fits pretty well, but it is a tad more girlish (IMHO).
Oops! Meant to suggest the Hilde Soliani line…
For example, CiocoRosissimo, which consists of: Damascus rose, fresh grass, vanilla, bulgarian rose, chocolate, wood, English rose. Or maybe Doolciiisssimo, which features vanilla, cherry tobacco, patchouli and smells rather like nougat. It’s a fun line to explore!
or the HS Fraaagola Saalaaata, strawberries, salt, and a delicious vanilla yumminess underneath it all
not rosy, but conforting, quite a few around, the ones on my heavy rotation at the moment: Felanilla (parfumerie general, btw several PGs could actually fit your brief), Dzing! (mentioned above, artisan parfumeur, could be too rubbery), Vamp a NY (might not be available everywhere)
You tried the wrong Lolita Lempicka, honey! L de Lolita Lempicka will be right up your alley. Smells like snickerdoodle cookies! Maurice Roucel’s work in general has that rich feel you might like.
Ahhhhhh, gourmands…..my favorite! (Hi Boo!)
heading over to the cabinet to slide open the doors and start making a list….(I’m practically smacking my lips!) you know my cabinet is the mother-lode of desserts…although I should mention that chocolate is not my fave in fragrance…love to eat it…don’t love to wear it. With one exception: Calypso St. Barth Lea —it’s soft, fuzzy, delicious vanilla but sometimes it tricks your nose and comes off as chocolate.
Guerlain has a few you may need to try:
1. Spiritueuse Double Vanille–smoky, boozy, vanilla
2. Angelique Noire
3. Iris Ganache–note that this has a definite synthetic vibe but it’s very interesting.
4. Nahema for the rose although I don’t find it to be very gourmandish
5. Mazzolari Alessandro – the best almond scent in the universe
6. Fendi Theorema – delicious nutmeggy dessert
7. Frapin 1270 –boozy dessert, low sillage
8. Ginestet Botrytis—Frapin’s slightly boozier sister
9. Micallef Vanille Aoud – minimal aoud, lovely vanilla, lo-moderate sillage.
10. Micallef Note Vanillee–over the top, I’m-a-cookie vanilla–good stuff
11. CSP Vanille Abricot (vintage) –I’m gonna lick my arm vanilla
12. Micallef Rose Aoud—this is your candied rose, not too much aoud.
13. Micallef Pink Flowers–less obviously rose
14. L’Artisan Drole de Rose —rose wearing a pink cashmere sweater
15. FM Lipstick Rose —rose wearing a slightly darker pink cashmere sweater.
16. Fifi Chachnil —just because I’m now on a fuzzy sweater kick only this girl is smoking a cigarette and being naughty.
17. MPG Rose Muskissime–sweet musky roses
18.Jean Patou Joy –the edt has the least skank factorand most rose.
19. Hilde Soliani Il Tuo Tulipano –sweet creamy floral
20. Rosine Rose d’Homme
21. By Kilian Rose Oud –roses in leather
22. Attrape Coeur
and I’ll stop there since it’s already an obnoxiously long list.
Drop me a note at Daisyloo82 at gmail.com and I can send you samples of any of the above that sound interesting.
You are really something, Daisy!
Also, is there really “vintage” CSP Vanille Abricot? How is it different from the current version?
You know ,it’s been a while since I sniffed the newer version of Vanille Abricot—but I mostly remember that I got a bit of a plasticky/synthetic note. So while I lurve me some vanilla (shhh, it’s a secret, no one knows! hahahha) I didn’t feel moved to buy some even though it seems to get a lot of love on the straight up vanilla gourmand front. Then I was reading some reviews about it in it’s original form….and the salivating and lemming began…now I’ve got some and Ihave to say: the old stuff is some majorly deliciously fullbodied vanilla with a hint of juicy apricot. No plastic, no synthetic vibe….lasts forever….the CEO says it smells like cake….my daughter says it smells like cookies….how can you go wrong? want to try some?
heck, *I* want to try some! The apricot note is one of my favorite parts of Montale’s Vanilla Extasy / Vanille Extasy (I think I’m the only person on here who LOVES that one). I find it yummy and comforting and just sweet enough and fantastic!
I’ve smelled the current CSP Vanille Abricot and it did nothing for me. Nothing.
well, get thee over to gmail ! Daisyloo82 at gmail.com
oooo—can’t believe I forgot Guerlain Gourmand Coquin!
Amouage Lyric is one of my desert island fragrances—everyone says rose but on me it’s mostly about woods.
Une Rose Chypree is a big cinnamon rose….
I wonder if you’d like Diptyque Philosykos….so creamy and delicious…
or L’Artisan Havana Vanille…..or the now discontinued Vanilia….
or if you really want to drive yourself crazy—Guerlain 180 Ans de Creation which is murder to find but smells like yummy cookies….
Seconding the Philosykos! It reminds me of Jordan almonds, mmm…
Or L’Artisan Premier Figuier, for the fig AND the coconut!
mwahahahahaha yes, I’m enjoying that one very much this week. That sale at Bigelow about made my eyes roll back in my head. I made a mad dash to the phone to get my mitts on a bottle of Premiere Figuier !!!
Daisy – I finally ended up with a sample of Iris Ganache, and I’m happy to say that I *didn’t* get a plastic-y note – and if there’s a synthetic vibe to be had, it will magnify on my skin. Anyway, I love it.
YOU’RE KIDDING ME!!!!!! you love it???? egad—I’m speechless! ok–not speechless, when am I EVER speechless?? That is the very last Guerlain I thought you’d like…..so now are we looking for a bottle? hmmmm? Should we get out the “tracking dogs”? Actually, I think you already know the best place to look….
ROTFL! Actually, you made a good guess as it isn’t a JP Guerlain. I think Wasser did this one and I haven’t liked his stuff. Not sure I need a bottle, but a good sized decant. Did you mean the group or our friend in Eng.?
Oh good, so glad that sample didn’t go to waste! I feel positively sick any time someone sends me a pricey sample that I’m sure I’m going to hate…and so I cringed when I found this one in my Daisy package. Thank goodness for ESTs!
And I’m embarrassed that you’ve found out on here when I’ve been meaning to email you! But you *knew* I’d love it! Guerlain and expensive – what’s not to love!
Ugh, don’t be… life is too busy for embarrassment! I just last night responded to an email from last week…I thought. Then I looked at the date and discovered it was 2.5 weeks ago. :O
Daisy,
Your list is impressive. the Micallef Rose Oud is intriguing. Is is like Montale’s?
Huge 2nd for Rochas Tocade.
Adding a couple of Payard perfumes…. (only $42.00 a bottle)
Payard Pistachio Ganache –
~Notes: Milk chocolate, pistachio nougat, lavender honey and Egyptian jasmine
Payard Lychee Mousse –
~ Notes: White chocolate, lychee meringue, raspberry and Turkish rosewater
Both are wonderful, I agree!
My fave candied rose is OJ Ta’if, but I see someone beat me to it. If she likes foodie scents and she’s a bit of a quirky person, maybe she’d like Like This.
Hermes Amber Narguile, Guerlain Spriteuse Double Vanilla, Tokyo Milk Dead Sexy and Givenchy Organza Indecence are all very cozy.
Lots of great recommendations so far!
I’d like to add:
By Kilian Liaisons Dangereuses (jammy rose)
Guerlain L’Heure Bleue (cherry almond pastry)
Serge Lutens Borneo 1834 (cocoa dust)
All are long lasting with good projection. Decants or travel sizes would be adequate as these can all be applied very lightly and still have presence.
Serge Lutens’ Rahat Loukoum. It’s inspired by Turkish Delight and so it has a candied rose, cherry, almond, nutty, vanilla quality with a touch of boozy cherry thrown in for good measure! I reckon it is right up your street! It is sadly in the Exclusif collection ,however and so you’d need to get a sample from the perfumed court to try it first – then if you like it, they do decants.
Good suggestion! That Rahat Loukhoum is to die for!
Nobody has gone Caron yet…
Was just giving Or et Noir a whirl the other day…it is so dense, and sweet enough with the interest of spice that it strikes me it could serve as a particularly lush gourmand-ish rose.
To go simpler, less dense, and almond, I’d also suggest 06130 Lentisque, which should be at Scent Bar.
How about Sinfonia di Note Fleur de Santal? Cinnamon Rice Pudding with a touch of floral. One of my favorites. Good lasting power.
Well, as someone who only wear gourmands: Lately i’m loving Tocca’s Brigitte ( dessert with spices and a lovely sharpness avoiding the toothache effect, plus a rose note ) Bonds So New York and New Harleem ( amazing coffee vanilla combo ) and Kenzo Jungle ( indian chai with mango and milk)
I second Kenzo Amour (and Amour Indian Holi). Lovely. In the same vein as Serge Lutens Rahat Loukoum, I’d also add Montale Red Aoud (rose, saffron, sweet, delicious, gorgeous), and perhaps L’Artisan Safran Troublant. And People of the Labyrinths A*Maze, for a very nice, deep rose, though it’s perhaps not as much a confection. (A lot of South Asian and Middle Eastern sweets use rose and saffron as ingredients, so these all read like dessert to me.)
Ooh! I’ll second Safran Troublant!
3rd…and AMaze is wonderful too!
Third!
I don’t have any other recommendations, but the list in this thread is making me salivate!
I was just going to post this exact comment! What a yummy thread!
Hey Melissa, I hope you find your HG!
Try it when Laurie brings it back.
Looks like you have alot of great scents to test but can I mention my humble ones?
Have you tried any Keiko Mercheri Loukhoum’s yet?
It is also based on Turkish Delight but I feel is a much better take than S.L. or P.G.
And they have three kinds to choose from, the original (hawthorn blossom,bulgarian rose absolute, precious woods , vanilla, Comores flowers, white almond, musk) the Eau Poudree one also happans to be my fav.! ( white rose, orris powder, green of violets, narcissus, vanilla Madagascar, and crystalline musk) fluffy and so soft, it’s heaven but not synthetic or suffrocating. And the parfum du soir one , not a darker one but more smooth and closer to the skin it’s concentrated on the key notes of rose absolute, Wardia rose,oud,patchouli, white almond, vanilla Madagascar absolute , tonka bean and benzoin.
I also love Guerlain’s Irish Ganache more than alot of people, the drydown is soo good and if you like oud and can tolerate it Montale’s White Aoud is also a favorite of mine , as is Vanilla Absolu, lasts forever! I don’t recommend these in the heat of summer though obviously but they are all at the ScentBar except I.G. Oh yah Sonoma Scent Studio’s Opal is bad a** and I love it BUT is currently in reformulation (Waaah!) , it’s a powdery sweet puffy cloud wonder, (vanilla, sandalwood, musk and ambrette seed) it’s way more reasonable priced and also lasts for daysssssssssssss
Have fun huffin and don’t eat your arms.
Nobody’s said Bond No. 9 chinatown?
I’ll say it.. chinatown! Spicy-licious!
Adding to all of the great recs – Guerlain Tonka Imperiale!
BTW – Tonka Imperiale ain’t rose at all (sorry!), but fits the gourmand dessert category. As to rose gourmands, I second Liaisons Dangereuses (though not really boozy or nutty, more candied rose/musky). And what about 100% Love? Combo chocolate and rose (again, not boozy or nutty, but interesting nonetheless!).
yuppers, Tonka Imperiale fits into the not-overly-sweet side of desserts, also very good stuff!
Oh…and mustn’t forget Delrae Bois de Paradis…..also very nice.
Espcially layered with SDV!
Er, *especially*. Why do I always spot my typos when it’s too late?
Ack, and that’s the BdP to layer with the SDV.
not only did I get the spelling….I also knew exactly what you meant by your layering comment…..lol, do I spend too much time at the blog?
Maybe you just know me and my scattered mind too well.
takes one to know one???
Oh, yes, Chinatown! I just got a decant in the mail and sprayed a bit on immediately upon getting home. Spicy-licious, indeed!
I LOVE Chinatown on a scent strip and on my cousin – i have always been disappointed that it turns to toilet-freshener when mixed with my own chemistry! Along with most other Bond No9’s I’ve tried. Not that I’m seriously complaining, as they are rather an expensive line to love!
Oh my goodness! So many wonderful recs! Thank you so much everyone. I am drafting plans for a massive sample order as we speak. <3 <3 <3 Love to all!
I love your bunny avatar!
I just tried the new Creed Vanilla Sublime (I think that’s what it’s called)… I think that would be a lovely comfort scent.
Melissa – you would, I believe, love, Love LOVE Possetts (www.possetts.com). Fabienne makes delightful perfume oils, mostly gourmand, with some wonderful roses (try Napoleon and Josephine!). The bottles are not expensive and samples are readily available. I love to blend these with unscented body lotion, as well as apply them in the usual way – these are my favorite comfort scents of all time!
So many good recommendations above!!! I don’t like foody or sweet fragrances. That being said, I do have a few that made the cut b/c they are particularly interesting, etc. My fav “dessert” picks are:
Badgley Mischka (rich, sweet, spicy, with great patch drydown)
Mauboussin (rich, not so sweet & spicy with great patch drydown -simply gorgeous, elegant oriental)
Kenzo Jungle L’Elephant (super, major dessert milky vanilla patchouli pudding, IMHO!)
Amaranthine (milk & banana pudding sexy)
Jean Patou Sira des Indes (banana milk vanilla pudding *very* similar to Amaranthine, but not as light or sexy)
Guerlain Angelique Noire (the best vanilla I’ve ever smelled – you will want to eat your arm off)
L’Heure Bleue (pastry aperitif par excellence)
Caron Aimez-Moi (ditto but with violets and tea)
L’Artisan Drole de Rose ( a very special rose scented pastry with violets and powdered sugar)
JHaG Miss Charming (super lovely sweet rose, nutty soft thing. It is hard to explain but worth testing. It is always languishing on my to buy list!)
Laura Mercier Neroli (excellent, light as air orange blossom, limoncello, and vanilla)
Lorenzo Villoresi Dilmun (richer, gourmand orange blossom with a light as air vanilla pastry drydown)
Good luck!
Lovely list Ann! If memory serves we seem to like a lot of similar things. I can’t really do foody scents as my skin tends to amplify sweetness but I do love Badgely Mischka, Angelique Noir, L’Heure Bleue,and LM Neroli. I am going to look out the other recommendations- my sample order is getting bigger and bigger!
Yes, I have a growing sample list from this thread too!! It’s fun when you find a fragrance twin!
Some months ago, I believe it was you who mentioned how great Mauboussin was so I ordered a sample. One of my new favorites this year–glad I listened!
You can thank Boojum – she was the one who turned me on to it in the first place. The rest is history. It is lovely!!
I’m not so much of a gourmandy sort of gal, but two beautiful scents that come to mind are Tendre Madeline by Laurence Dumont (almond cookie with cuddly spices) and Parfums Sacrebleu which balances what I think could be considered a gourmand level of vanilla and peach that’s combined with spices and a gentle incense drydown. My description doesn’t do it justice, but it is most comforting indeed.
Happy hunting!
Yes, I completely agree with both suggestions. The Laurent Dumont is reasonably priced too.
I third Tendre Madeleine, it is lovely!
Sorry, meant Parfums de Nicolai Sacrebleu
For dessert I have to say Crazy Libellule and the Poppies l’Olfactive 129, and the Costamor Sugarwood and Dulcess. Dessert, but still adult.
*snaps fingers* Thanks for reminding me – I wasn’t going to say that particular stick, but Josephine Jonquille. Chocolate, exotic flowers, more than slightly sweet but not nasty… I highly recommend it!
ooo! Ooo! Candied rose! I have it! Yves Rocher Rose Absolute!
I also 2nd 3rd 4th Lyric Woman. Keiko Mercheri has a Damascena (rose) scent. and Ormonde Jayne has Taif for a more interesting/complex take on rose…but you must smell YR Rose Absolute if you like sweet rose….
Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille for another foody scent….
…one more! Montale Chocolate Greedy…..
I was SURE I ordered a sample of this… now you’re making me wonder where it is…
I’d agree that the Yves Roche is a good choice…and affordable enough that if you get it on sale, you can add a different bottle to your wardrobe.
Oh yes, thirding the YR Rose Absolue — a gentle, sophisticated rose cupcake in the best possible way. The trial sizes are super cheap and if you wait five minutes they’ll have a 50% off sale or a two-for-one…
Agree with the Yves Rocher Rose (all candied rose and vanilla to me). Also Organza Indecence and Annick Goutal Vanille Exquise (boozy vanilla).
IMVHO, I like Chanel Coromandel for a comfort scent. Also, for those days when you feel something a bit quirkier is in order, I love POTL’s Luctor et Emergo. I’m dying for a FB.
Second the LetE…forgot about that one, it’s a great comfort scent. Definitely quirky though.
Gourmand roses, yum
Le Parfums de Rosine has a few:
Rose de Feu- a spicy/ gingerbready rose
Rose Praline- a rose with spice, cocoa, and Lapsang Souchong tea (which is a smoky note but still worth trying)
Poussiere De Rose- sophisticated, spicy woody rose with luscious grown up fruit- has been compared with Le Parfum de Therese
Also echoing Parfumerie Generale Brulere de Rose (raspberry pastry rose), Ormonde Ta’if (sophisticated spicy rose w dates & orange blossom).
And echoing a Loukhoum/ Turkish Delight fragrance- lusciously sweet powdery rose/ almond/ vanilla combo, besides Serge Luten, Montale, and Keiko Mecheri have some good ones. Keiko has a darker, more femme fatale one with some patchouli and oud added- Loukhoum Parfum du Soir.
Good Luck!
I’ve recently discovered Yves Rocher Rose Absolute – while not very gourmand (it has vanilla, but is more in the oriental category, imo) it has many facets of rose from top to bottom with great longevity. I love it.
I also recently fell hard for Bond #9’s Broadway Nite. It has a wonderful sparkly top that segues into a delicious conversation between mimosa and violet – not much on the rose front, but it plays with gourmand but doesn’t fall face first into the birthday cake. It is surprisingly complex, delicious and also has great sillage and longevity. Maurice Roucel did this one.
You might also like some things by Sophia Grosjman. She did S-Perfume 100% Love which I’ve not smelled but is described as a marriage of roses and chocolate made in heaven. It’s on my to-try list and Perfumes The Guide rates it as a Masterpiece.
Oh also forgot:
The whole world loves a nut
the world loves a weirdo
the world’s in a rut but
everyone loves a nut
Haha, love it.
My mommy made me special.
I hear Bond No. 9 West Side is a boozy rose with vanilla. That might be right up your alley.
However, my favorite comfort scent is No. 5 Sensual Elixir. It’s like pulling on a comfy cashmere sweater. Mostly floral with a slightly vanillic base.
Oh good — THAT’S the Bond I was trying to think of–roses plus marshmallow! Not as good of a deal as the Yves Rocher, but definitely worth picking up a free samp!
Sickpuppy
you
are
a
cool
cat!
Ahah!
I love your brain<3
I bet you smell good too..
Melissa, according to your profile we have similar taste and I must say that I love Bond No 9 New Haarlem as well as L’Artisan Safran Troublant. I Also really like Angel for men – but I know that’s a bit mainstream.
I haven’t read the other comments yet, but I HIGHLY recommend:
– SL Rahat Loukhoum (non-export, so decant will be best bet)
– Parfums de Nicolai Balkis (yummy candied rose/raspberry/coffee)
I think I saw Tonka Imperiale mentioned and that’s also delicious almond pastry with an herbal edge that keeps it from being too sweet; pricey though! Balkis is a relative bargain.
Second the Parfums de Nicolai Balkis. Most of that line doesn’t work for me but this was nice.
I third for Balkis. Incredibly comforting.
Serge Lutens “Louve” – smells like cherry candy. Also ELdO “Tilda Swinton Like This”. It is a maple and ginger comfort scent that lasts all day on me. I sprayed it at about 7:30 AM and I can still smell it loud and proud at 5:55 PM… fabulous!
Given her name, shouldn’t Melissa try a honey scent?
Ava Luxe Honey
Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey
Miele Rosa
others?
Oh, and Ginestet Botrytis!!!
Oh, Botrytis is beautiful.
Late to the party….. Has anyone mentioned HdP 1969? Not dirty hippie but a fun/ chocolate rose. Also, LM’s Nuits Enchantees is a wonderful mace-based comfort scent. Happy hunting Melissa!
So many wonderful suggestions and great sounding scents on here–beginning to think I need to spend more time exploring the gourmand category.
Someone up above mentioned SSS Opal–any idea on when Laurie expects to have that ready? That’s one I really wanted when I ordered a bunch of samples a while back but it was out of stock (and still is).
A lone voice (? didn’t see it listed in posts above) for Serge Lutens Chergui, one of my all time favourtie comfort scents with the wonderful combination of honey, musk, incense, tobacco leaf, hay sugar, amber, iris, rose and sandalwood – a hint of it on a pillow or soft sweater makes you instantly want to snuggle into it…
That one is terrific too, as is PdE’s Ambre Russe.
I know these have already been mentioned, but Safran Troublant and Un Bois Vanille both hit that “umami” chord for me….
Yves Rocher Cocoon-Chocolate, Vanilla, and Patch-a great comfort scent.
Le Labo Rose 31-just amazing for a rose.
L’Artisan Voleur de Rose- a darker rose than Drole de Rose but so lovely.
Profumo Aqua E Zucchero-a long lasting vanilla. Some say this smells like Aquolina Pink Sugar, but I don’t smell the cotton candy accord so much. Very expensive, but I bought a split off scentsplits.
I also liked Osmanthus Inderdite by Parfum D’Empire: luckyscent lists the notes as Chinese tea, osmanthus, rose, jasmine, and musk. On me, it is very gourmand, with a crisp tea note on top and then after ten minutes or so, LOTS of yummy honey alongside a soft bouquet of roses and jasmine–delicious! And much cheaper, when it’s too hot for much anything, I like Fresh’ Sugar Lychee: light sweet citrus and lychee on top, white flowers in the middle, and tonka bean underneath, very yummy but not overpowering
Don’t know much about non-mainstream. But what about Dior’s Midnight Poison Elixir? It has rose, vanilla and “toasted caramel” notes.
Definitely, definitely Malle’s Lipstick Rose! A sweet gourmand rose with notes of raspberry and lots of vanilla. (and yes, the top notes smell like lipstick)
(really late to the party): I second (or fourth or fifth) the L’Artisan Safran troublant; Terra cotta by Guerlain is similar if a little less sweet. A really jammy rose is La Mome by Balmain, a raspberry rose candy; Balmain’s Ambre gris is similar, a sweet, foody amber. Aqaba by Aqaba is an interesting spicy rose candy. Do try Jo Malone Blue agava and cacao (I can’t remember if that’s been listed yet); JM’s Nectarine Blossom and Honey is the exact smell of Japanese plum wine. Tocca Brigitte also had a lot of floral-gourmand notes. Just for fun, Madera by Omnia struck me as a pina colada in a spritz–not rosy, but cute. Have fun!