Samantha has been wearing Gucci Flora, and is getting tired of its floral aspect. She wants to find a perfect everyday fall/winter fragrance, preferably one that costs $70 or less. Here is what we know about Samantha:
She's in her early 20s and lives in Oregon.
She says she is fairly introverted, but has a small, close group of family and friends.
She's something of a homebody — she loves to hang around and watch movies with her boyfriend or play with her cat — but she wants to be clear that she doesn't want a plain fragrance just because she's a homebody!
Samantha likes perfumes that she thinks of as "hearty", and that have musk or sandalwood notes. Some of her favorites are Hanae Mori (the original), Miss Dior Cherie (the older version) and Tocca Stella (her favorite).
Samantha doesn't like perfumes that are too light and airy, too strongly floral, or water-y and/or citrus-y. She dislikes Aquolina Pink Sugar and anything by Clean, Fresh, Juicy Couture or Ralph Lauren.
What say you?
Note: image is Richmond Green by Mike_fleming at flickr; some rights reserved.
What about Sinfonia di Note Fleur de Santal? A decant would be within her price range, and it is a lovely comfort/sandalwood scent.
What about amber? Either the Prada L’Eau Ambree or Parfum d’Empire’s Ambre Russe would be within (or close to) her price range, and would make a cozy cold weather scent. She likes musk, so maybe Narciso Rodriguez would be a good option, too.
i second Prada L’Eau Ambree and either NR’s For women or the Musc scent would be good ideas as well. KenzoAmour is also a great scent for cooler weather, and has presence without being overpowering. I say Chanel’s Bois des Iles would be a good choice too, except for the price limitations – a decant maybe? Good luck Samantha!
I’d recommend exploring the Sonoma Scent Studio line. Plenty of autumn and winter offerings there, and airy or watery florals are generally not the SSS style (as far as I;m aware, I have not tried them all). You can get samples and the FB prices are very reasonable. The perfume is usually extrait strength so the value for money is fantastic.
Strongly seconding the Sonoma Scent Studio line Just from reading the description of Samantha’s likes, I thought SSS Champagne de Bois would be perfect for her.
rapple, there are two bottles left in hong kong…i will take one. do u want me to see if u can purchase diretle from harvey nicks over here?
HK Mom – I doubt you’ll see this as I’m late, but email me at rappleyea11 at yahoo dot com. Thanks!
Yep, SSS is the way to go! Champagne de Bois was my first thought too, but Ambre Noir would be a good choice too.
definitely champagne de bois..and for musk try the khiels
Parfums de Nicolai Sacrebleu, Sonoma Scent Studio Bois Epices, Etat Libre d’Orange Like This, Pacifica Tibetan Mountain Temple, Marc Jacobs Winter Amber, or Parfums Gres Cabaret all are reasonably priced and worth a shot.
A homebody who loves to hang out with her cat — you are a girl after my own heart!
These are all great recommendations and I’ll add Yves Rocher Voile d’Ambre — it’s a really nice fall/winter scent and I pick up some vague sandalwood in the drydown.
I second the Voile d’Ambre. Definitely worth a try!
To the great suggestions above I would add Estee Lauder’s Sensuous.
My thoughts exactly!
Third! I really think Sensuous does not get enough love.
10 Corso Como is a nice feminine sandlewood scent, and you might try Perfect Veil or Musc Bleu for a light musk scent.
PdN Sacrebleu; Annick Goutal Songes
I agree with Kenzo Amour and add The Body Shop- White Musk (the perfume oil)
I second (third?, maybe fourth) Prada L’Eau Ambree. oh…maybe a decant of Traversee du Bosphore—that stuff is just addictive!!!
Good to know about the Traversee du Bosphore. I ordered a sample over the weekend and it should be here tomorrow. Can’t wait to try this one.
Re: TdB
Oh man, I’m addicted too! I’m wearing it *again* today.
Samantha, you should try a sample, at the very least. It’s so cozy
ohmigosh! yes! so addictive! If BH has a big, fat coupon this holiday season I might have to spring for a back up bottle! Dee, have you tried the new Ineke Gilded Lily yet?? I just got a sample today and it’s got this green-pineapple opening and the chypre drydown keeps drawing the back of my hand to my nose….oh no! LEMMMMM!
I’m at work, and just about cackled myself out of my wheely-chair.
BH better watch out, because I’m making a list, and not bothering to check it twice!
I’ve missed all the Ineke’s so far (hung head in shame), but I did get my Ode a la vanille today! Thank you so much for the Fifi Chachnil’s! I’m going to wear them both tomorrow (for scientific purposes).
whats BH?
Pretty sure they’re talking about Beauty Habit.
yes, sorry….in my perfume fervor I tend to think everyone knows exactly what I know. BH= Beauty Habit and unlike most niche shops they occasionally have a nice coupon code that is really worth waiting and saving for. Keeping a list, checking on it twice, won’t matter whether I’m naughty or nice….
Thanks I will although the shipping normally cancels any form of discount!
Hi everyone! Samantha here.
I was looking at the SSS website and it seems a lot of their scents are temporarily unavailable. I did see one that interested me though, Tabac Aurea. What do you think? I am also going to check out L’Eau Ambree.
yeah, I see that the bottles for the exclusives are down right now…samples are still available though. BUT—I can easily send you samples of both Champagne de Bois and Prada L’Eau Ambree (CdB is one of my Holy Grails….and the Ambree is my 19 yr old’s favorite “stand-by” fragrance) Oh, also I have some vintage CSP Thé which has a wonderful sandalwood dry down….I also have some Traversee du Bosphore….what about Ambre Narguile? Okay, I know some of these are out of the stated price range for FBs but you could still do a couple sizeable decants for $70. If you’d like drop me an email at Daisyloo82 AT gmail dot com and I can gather some samples for you. I’m always happy to suck another innocent perfumista into our fragrance obsessed group…er , I mean …this lovely group of civic minded good smelling citizens…..
Oh! And the Very Lovely Dee passed a couple of SSS samples on to me last week….I can pass those on to you now as well so you’d be getting samples from me and from Dee! (it’s a group effort!)
… and I’ll send you a sample of Tabac Aurea! Send me your address at deenicholsHowe at aol dot com.
Oops. Samantha, I mean. I’ll send Samantha some TA.
I think we both understood what you were saying.
So how has the SSS testing been going?Nothing pushes Champagne de Bois out of first place!
LOL in case you didn’t see my email buried in my comment:
Daisyloo82 at gmail dot com
I now possess 9 different SSS frags (1-2.5mL) and the only one I don’t like is the Jour Ensoleille (sp?). CdB and RM take top place, closely followed by AN & WW… but IP is soooo good too!
I keep them on my desk—they are the only perfumes to have that honor. Everything else is in the cabinet!
oh no! no traversee to be in HK
daisy, how come u never mention attrape? I would imagine it to be a love for you! I have attrape on one hand and bois de isle on the other and attrape is winning….
oops the
should have been a 
I LOVE Attrape Coeur….one of my prized Bee Bottles….and while I really like Bois des Iles as well—yeah, Attrape wins in a wrist-sniff-off. Luckily they fill slightly different spots for me. AC is cuddly indoors, it’s snowing and I think I’ll curl up with a glass of Amaretto and my Kindle…..Bois des Iles has a more “I might go outdoors” feel to it. Both good though! Bois des Iles in parfum is especially yummy
That one has lots of fans here. I found it vaguely nauseating, much to my dismay (I think something in her base disagrees w/my chemistry), but even then, I could see why everyone else raves about it. Give it a try, for sure!
Tabac Aurea to my nose is straight up dried tobacco leaves with a bit of a “patchouli punch”. Certainly not a run of the mill type scent, that’s for sure….a good thing to add to a perfume wardrobe but might be a lot of tobacco for every day sort of wearing. (unless you adore tobacco)
Keep an eye on the SSS blog for updates on availablility (and for a good read generally in perfume and perfume-related stuff). Anyway, at this stage, samples are probably all you need. Laurie at SSS is very happy to advise new customers making their first choices.
Tabac Aurea is my favorite in the SSS line, and is in my personal Top Ten. It is the one perfume I own that consistently gets compliments and it’s so warm and cozy on me. If Mals weren’t writing her novel right now, she’d be chiming in to tell you she loves it too.
I’d second the Champagne de Bois suggestion too. Laurie still has samples available on her website and bottles of Tabac Aurea can be found at indiescents.com.
I DO love Tabac Aurea – although I don’t wear it often enough for it to be anything like a signature scent, since it has such an emotional kick for me.
I have a half-patchouli version which Laurie concocted for me, back when her wrists were cooperating last December.
I do think, though, that Champagne de Bois is a friendlier fragrance, particularly if you’re used to wearing florals.
Hi Samantha! Tabac Aurea is a little much in the first blast, but after a few minutes, it’s gorgeous. Like all of the SSS’s that I’ve samples, the dry down is super long lasting and to die for. See my note above about getting a sample from me!
Oh! I see it’s been going well!
LOL, yes! I’m hooked.
Another one bites the dust…
How about Samsara by Guerlain? Try to get some vintage as I was informed that they re-form’d it. I received some vintage circa 1995 from one of my fellow NST people and it still had that wonderful mysore sandalwood. Or for full bodied spice, but even though floral because of the carnation, try one of my favorite florientals-CdG’s Red Carnation.
I think Samsara, too!
How about:
Etro Sandalo
Chanel Bois de Iles
and today I’m wearing Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan. Try a sniff of Ambre Sultan or Arabie!
I also agree with trying out Songes and what about Caron Parfum Sacre!
Happy sniffing!
Hmm, hearty:
I love Bois d”Ombrie- boozy leathery resiny earthy iris
and Costume Nation 21- honeyed incense w/ orange blossom, spices, milk etc- it’s sweet and smoky and strong
You should also try the wood/ incense fragrances of Ava Luxe you can get a small bottle for $25- $35.
Good call on the Ava Luxe wood/resin scents. Bois Exotique might be a good one to try. Try the Posh Peasant for a sample.
Sensi by Armani or Chopard Wish
Sensi is very sexy and modern! great suggestion.
Ok , here is my odball suggestion again…
I recommend Ysatis by Yves Saint Laurent,
Cheapety cheap and although quite strong, could be applied sparingly to great effect!!!
Ysatis is by GIVENCHY! my mistake
Am I the only person who loves Un Matin d’Orage by Annick Goutal? This one is not at all floral, Samantha, and it is fairly light, but it isn’t boring! The name means “stormy morning’ and I think that’s how it smells… Maybe in Oregon, maybe not, but you should try it!
you piqued my curiosity… I will try un matin d’orage.
This is why I like this posts, even though I wasn’t the one asking hehehehe
I recently received a decant of Brandy. It smells like warm apple cider with a hint of spice and it has just the right amount of sweetness. You might like that one, and it’s only $48 for a 50 ml bottle at Luckyscent. It’s inexpensive but doesn’t smell cheap. It actually smells quite lovely IMHO.
Try Chanel No.5 Eau Premiere, to me it’s like a liquid cashmere sweater–warm and cozy, but elegant and form-fitting. It’s more citrus-sandalwood and less floral-aldehyde than the other No.5 iterations. Since you like Stella I think you’ll enjoy the orange peel in the drydown. Sephora has a smaller bottler for $65.