The Monday Mail returns from its holiday vacation today (and look for a Monday Mail feedback post next week). We're starting off the new year with Kristen, who discovered Boucheron Jaïpur Saphir in Paris back in 1999 and has worn it ever since. Now that it's discontinued, she'd like to find a new fragrance for special occasions. If she can find the perfect scent, she's happy to pay whatever it costs, and she has excellent access to perfume stores. Here is what we know about Kristen:
She's in her mid-40s and teaches mathematics.
She says she is fun-loving, romantic, and leads an active lifestyle.
She likes classic but stylish clothing.
Kristin loves notes of orange, jasmine, vanilla and cardamom. Other fragrances she has worn in the past include Hermès 24 Faubourg, Chanel No. 5 and Chanel No. 19.
What say you?
Note: image is lettres by jenny downing at flickr; some rights reserved.
Hi Kristin, and a very happy new scent year to you. Theo Fennell Scent might be worthy of a tryout, it’s quite unusual in my opinion, and it won’t break the bank either.
Top notes: saffron, cardamom, lily, rose, orchid.
Middle notes: jasmine, sambac, orange flower, cumin, cinnamon.
Base Notes: patchouli, labdanum, sandalwood, benzoin.
AFAICR Theo Fennell Scent is discontinued! Stock up if you like it!
Woohoo, I’m first on the list.
Hi Kristen. Happy New Year to you and here’s hoping you find a fragrance that will become a new love though I know it isn’t easy when a cherished fragrance is discontinued.
Here’s what came to mind:
Estee Lauder Jasmine White Moss – has a lovely citrus opening and is actually fairly light despite the notes
Guerlain Mandarine-Basilic – One of my favorite orange fragrances with a gorgeous base of gentle herbs
Either Dior Pure Poison–a lovely white floral with citrus–or Midnight Poison–more unisex with orange, rose, patchouli and vanilla
I’m sure there are many I’m missing, but I’m just dipping a toe into the jasmine category and have a lot of exploring to do. Annick Goutal’s Le Jasmin seems to get a lot of love, so perhaps add that to the list?
Best of luck to you and happy sniffing!
Second on Mandarine-Basilic! It’s rich and light/fresh at the same time and very elegant in my opinion. My mother is wearing for a couple of years now and it doesn’t get boring!
Alien or some of its flankers (EDT, Liqueur); Voyage D’Hermès; Sisley line (they’re not numerous). Good luck.
I just started thinking about sweet redemption (By Kilian) reading about your preferred notes, I have no idea if it is similar to Jaïpur saphir though, if that’s what you’re looking for.
Seconded! BK’s Sweet Redemption was my first thought, with the orange blossom, vanilla and spices. It’s fairly sweet. . .but I believe the Jaipur /Saphir was sweet, if memory serves. I generally do not like big, sweet perfumes, but this one won me over. It never ventures into sugary, as there are enough herbal notes to keep it from being edible. Very distinctive. There are nice reviews here at NST and at Grain de Musc, if you’d like more information. Happy hunting!
Hi Kristen, I saw Jaipur Saphir described as an oriental vanilla (the full description really sounded nice). What about Shalimar Parfum Initial? (Or the original of course, but I actually find the PI easier and more enjoyable to wear.) Looking at the notes you like, I thought of The Different Company Jasmin de Nuit. I’m not sure if you’ve had much chance to explore the different Serges – it sounds like there might be several fragrances there that speak to you.
Seconding Jasmin de Nuit.
second Shalimar, the good old one
Given her taste for classic chanel, has she tried any of the boutique only perfumes? No 22, Cuir de Russie and Bois des Iles are all stunning, elegant, and timeless. For cardamom, there’s also Hermes Voyage.
Loving Bois des Iles these days! It would qualify as romantic and special for sure!
Since Kristen seems to like pretty classic fragrances I think she might like the original Divine by Divine and Gold and Dia by Amouage.
Oooh yes, the original Divine is a white floral masterpiece! Absolutely stunning and elegant, especially the very reasonably priced extrait. L’Ame Soeur is also just beautiful and reminds me a lot of No. 5 with a hint of blackcurrant. It is probably my second favorite from the line and I love most of them. Also, L’Ame Soeur just came out as an extrait and just smelling it on the card made me swoon.
Aren’t those Divine Extraits stunning?
I own a bottle of L’Eternel Féminin, and sniffed the L’Ame Soeur on a card. I want some of that too in a small bottle.
For a modern twist to classical fragrances Kristen may wish to try:
Agent Provocateur – Maitresse
La Prairie – Silver Rain
both are fancy enough for special occasions.
If all else fails, just try Poison, the classic one in the violet bottle.
Enjoy!
The Amouage line is worth checking out.
I know you didn’t mention rose, but Portrait of a Lady is just sumptuous.
Van Cleef and Arpels Oriens.
Mono di Orio is also worth checking out. Nuit Noire is a gorgeous animalic jasmine.
I 2nd Amouage line–I was especially thinking Ubar (for romantic floral) or Memoir (for spicy).
I recommend Amouage Opus I (cardamom and jasmine and lots of other nice stuff), it’s green and opulent with the cardamom on top (on me at least).
Etro Paisley is also quite glorious (bergamot, cardamom, blackcurrant leaf, ylang ylang, sambac jasmine, pink pepper, vanilla, patchouli and ambergris). Very sheer but with a distinct personality.
Jasmine and orange blossoms are usually not my favourites, but to my own surprise I enjoyed Elie Saab Le Parfum immensely, so that’s my 3d recommendation :).
Good luck in your perfume quest!
And I second Voyage d’Hermes and Shalimar Parfum Initial, two personal favourites :)!
I highly recommend what I’m wearing today – Sacrebleu by Nicolai!
I second PdN’s Sacrebleu. In fact that whole line is worth exploring. Apart from Sacrebleu, Number One and Juste un Rêve might be worth trying.
Sacrebleu is my signature scent. I found the intense at Lucky Scent. Its like nothing I have ever smelled also that house has kiss me tender and odalisque. They are favs!!
you might like anne pliska
I was thinking that, too. Its orange note is so full and juicy, and the amber underneath is very vanillic and rich.
Or Organza Indecence, though that’s harder to find these days.
Definitely Anne Pliska! (I was just scrolling through the comments to see if that had been suggested yet.) It has great presence without being a drama-queen scent — it’s both distinctive and versatile.
It’s available in an EDP and a parfum, and both are great bargains.
Adding my two-cents on Anné Pliska! It’s the first thing that came to mind, reading your taste preferences–it’s classy, timeless, and delicious.
I also happen to be wearing it right now, and feeling partial towards it!
you might also like Truth by Calvin Klein
Looking at the descriptions of what she likes, I’d recommend the Guerlains – both the classics and the newer L’Art et La Matiere series. Of course my favorite jasmine is Guerlain’s Samsara, but I’d recommend the auction site for an older bottle (clear bottle). You all are going to get tired of my recommending it!
Also, seconding the classic Chanels.
And finally, Sonoma Scent Studio has a new one coming out in a week or so – Nostalgie, which should fit the bill.
Nostalgie is lovely. A bit of aldehydes, a classic floral heart (rose/jasmine, IIRC), and a beautiful sandalwood.
She’s added mimosa absolute to the heart too, Mals. I think it’s ready to be released in the next week or so.
Yes to Nostalgie! Beautiful, beautiful fragrance.
I asked for a sample of Nostalgie with the SSS samples I ordered last week. She said it’d be available in a week or so. (PS Dee, she had a link to your review!
)
Kristen, give Nicolai’s New York a test drive: orange, amber, and woods…beautifully done and reasonable priced (approx. $70/3.4 ounces).
Sample Annick Goutal Songes — jasmine with a beautiful woody vanilla base.
You might also want to try Tauer Orange Star for a full-on orange bomb with ambery notes.
For a beatiful scent in a classical style I recommend Puredistance I . It’s one of the most wellcomposed scents I know, a seamless perfect floriental that always makes me feel like a true lady when I wear it!
Promesse de L’Aube by Parfumes MDCI is another beatiful scent with both plenty of jasmine and vanilla.
How about Baghari by Piguet? It’s reminiscent of No. 5, but with a twist of orange (no idea if that note is actually present in the scent, but that’s what I get from it, anyway).
Second Baghari.
For vanilla I would suggest Guerlain Jicky, or maybe Prada Candy (but is Candy a special occasion fragrance?)
For orange – O d’Azur or O de L’orangerie, both from Lancome
I just sniffed Prada Candy at Epcot. It smelled similar to Pink Sugar. Does any one else notice this or had I had too much to drink? My husband and I were drinking our way around Epcot and of course I have to sniff the perfumes!
I don’t know Pink Sugar. But, what I want to ask, did you like Candy?
I found it very wearable and enjoyable.
Yes, I’m there with you, Dixie (and I wasn’t drinking when I sniffed it, LOL!) I can kinda get how people might like Candy better than Pink Sugar, but they share that sweet caramelly top note, which I personally don’t like.
Some random ideas:
Spicy vanilla: Bois 1920 Sushi Imperiale
Transparent oriental vanilla: TDC Oriental Lounge (very wearable)
Amazing natural jasmine: Aftelier Cacao (jasmine with chocolate and orange)
Cardamom: Kenzo Jungle L’Elephant
And I strongly second Sacrebleu for a gorgeous vanilla orange blossom oriental.
How about Penhaligon’s Amaranthine or Orange Blossom? They are both distinctive and beautiful florientals that include yummy cardamom!
how about :
Guerlain Mitsouko or Apree L’Ondee
Hermes Eau De Merveilles
Shalimar (pure perfume) smells much more velvety than the edp
YSL Belle D’Opium
Bvlgari Man- very spiced vanila but not too woodsy- could be unisex
Maybe ELDO Like This? Orange all the way and so easy to wear.
Years ago I would have thrown Theorema in the mix, if you are up for some searching on the net.
Love the Sacrebleu. I also think that Opal from SSS reminds me of No. 5 – worth a try.
On the Vanilla I think L’artisan Vanilla Absolute (the old Havanna Vanille), Yves Rocher Vanille Noire for a cheap thrill and Mona di Orio Nobres d’Or Vanille are nice variations on the theme.
Shalimar Initial is a new favorite of mine too.
I am all over the place with this.
Yes, Like This is a great idea. I just tried it out for the first time yesterday — still getting to know it, but am loving it so far.
For Orange:Santa Maria Novella’s ZAGARA, it can be found at LAFCO. LAFCO.com
For Vanilla: there are three that come to mind, serge Luten’s bois de Vanille, and Mona di Orio’s Vanille, also thought you might like L’Artisan’s Havana Vanille it’s buttery and ivehad it on all day you won’t get the, Vanilla? From everyone which the serge you will. I love the one I last mentioned. This might sound very out of place but have you ever tried Guerlain’s L’Huere Bleu? It’s stunning and you’ll never forget it that’s in place for your Chanels.
A few more is go through the Serge Luten’s line and I actually thought Fabout Hot Couture by Givenchy. Or Olene by Diptyque. Have fun darling.
Can’t believe I’m the first to suggest Serge Lutens’ Fleur D’Orange!! Spicy, opulent orange blossom.
Also Hermes Vanilla Galante for a soft play between vanilla and lily. And you might like Beige in the Chanel les Exclusifs range. Happy sniffing.
I think these are all good recommendations, too!
Oh! An amazing jasmine that’s perfect for special occasions is DelRae Amoureuse. Read Robin’s review here: https://nstperfume.com/2006/11/15/parfums-delrae-amoureuse-fragrance-review [edited link]
Oh! A beautiful jasmine fragrance that’s perfect for special occasions: DelRae Amoureuse. Here is Robin’s review right here at NST: https://nstperfume.com/2006/11/15/parfums-delrae-amoureuse-fragrance-review/
I agree with Amaranthine and Like This.
If you like Chanel 19, you will love AG Heure Exquise!
Puredistance Antonia is a green-queen with a cozy, vanillic base; definitely worth sampling
I’m going to suggest Fendi Theorema: top notes are nutmeg, orange blossom, pepper, jasmine, citruses, brazilian rosewood, cardamom and rose hip; middle notes are carnation, cinnamon, osmanthus, ylang-ylang, rose and spices; base notes are siam benzoin, guaiac wood, sandalwood, amber and patchouli. I personally love this one!
And for something more light, I think you could also try Le Labo Neroli 36, which features neroli, mandarin orange, rose, jasmine, calone, musk, tonka bean and vanilla.
Happy sniffing!