Today we're helping Jen, who wants to find a long lasting, artistic, uplifting and vibrant scent to replace her signature, which used to be Christian Dior's Tendre Poison but is currently Balmain Vent Vert. She's willing to shop online, and she might pay as much as $125 for something absolutely perfect. Here is what we know about Jen:
She's in her early 40s.
She's an artist and uses perfume as mood enhancer.
She's also a runner and an indie movie lover.
Jen likes bright fragrances, and notes of ginger, grass, bergamot, mandarin and fresh florals. Perfumes she has worn in the past include Cacharel Anaïs Anaïs, Clinique Happy, Estee Lauder Knowing and Estee Lauder Beautiful.
Jen dislikes patchouli and spicy orientals. Perfumes that don't work for her include Christian Dior Poison, Lolita Lempicka, Thierry Mugler Angel, Evyan White Shoulders, Estee Lauder White Linen, Estee Lauder Sensuous Nude and Estee Lauder Estee.
Jen trid Nautica for Women, but says "there is something about it that makes me think of someone trying to mask cigarette smoke". She also tried The Body Shop White Musk, but it seemed to be geared too young for her.
What say you?
Note: image is lettres by jenny downing at flickr; some rights reserved.
Have you tried Estee Lauder Private Collection? Lots of fresh cut grass, with moss and incense. I think Angela had it exactly right when she said Margot Tenenbaum would wear it.
Hi Jen! I think you might like Ineke Balmy Days & Sundays; it’s my favorite summery grass scent.
Perfumes Jen should try:
Giorgio Armani Armani Code
Estee Lauder Private Collection Jasmine White Moss
Chanel No. 19
Christian Dior Pure Poison
Bvlgari Pour Femme
Gucci Flora
I was thinking of Bvlgari too, but Blv, actually, has a ginger note going on
I’d suggest Mandragore. It’s bright, and it has that ginger note. Another great vibrant green, a little above her price point, but worth it in my opinion, is Miller & Bertaux’ No. 3: Green, green, green and green.
I absolutely agree on Mandragore. See my comment below.
Mandragore, yes.
Goutal: Ninfeo Mio, Eau du Sud, Mandragore (?)
L’Artisan Parfumeur: Thé pour un été(?), Premier Figuier
Diptyque: Philosykos, Do Son
Hermès: Un Jardin sur le Nil
Parfums de Nicolaï: Le Temps d’une Fête, Weekend à Deauville
Apart from Hermès, these are all niche perfumes, but I think most can be found for a reasonable price online. Also you could order samples for most of them from I think Luckyscent and Beautyhabit. I don’t live in the US but they seem to sell samples from most of these lines. The ones with the (?) are very bright and uplifting but don’t last particularly long. Still, you can always reapply.
Have fun trying!
I came here to suggest Le Temps d’Une Fête, but I also totally agree on Ninféo Mio, Eau du Sud, Thé pour un Été, Do Son and Un Jardin sur le Nil!
Wow, I just realized I had bottles of all of those except for TPUÉ and UJSLN which have the two top places on my spring buylist. Do you have any other suggestions that I could explore, Austenfan? 🙂 I’ll definitely look into Weekend à Deauville!
From Parfums de Nicolaï try L’Eau Mixte, it’s lovely.
Maybe Parfums Delrae Début? The Delrae’s are on the whole a lot bolder and stronger than the Nicolaï line, but Début is very green and crisp as well.
From the Goutals I would suggest La Violette, quite a green violet, and Le Chèvrefeuille. But you may already be familiar with those.
The Different Company; Bergamote and De Bachmakoff.
And if you haven’t already try Chanel Cristalle EDT. It’s spring in a bottle.
Thanks! I actually have samples of L’Eau Mixte and Le Chèvrefeuille but didn’t seriously test them yet! As for De Bachmakoff, I don’t know what to think of it — sometimes I really liked it, other times it just didn’t really fit. But I’m adding all the others to my (already very long) sample wishlist!
Origins has a nice ginger perfume with lots of citrus very bright. Also check out the Demeter site…they are so affordable that you could buy several and have some fun layering.
Hmmm…I second the Origins Ginger Essence recommendation, it is a nice scent and has a wealth of ancillary body products. I also second Bvlgari pour Femme and the EL Jasmine and White Moss. Try Gucci Envy and Ralph Lauren Safari for green florals as well .
Prescriptives Calyx has a really fruity opening that’s bright and vibrant with a wonderfully green and grassy drydown. Also, I thought a sample of L’Artisan Coeur de Vetiver Sacre as it wears more like a citrus ginger tea with a dash of vetiver on my skin and is anything but heavy. It is really lovely in the summer and the smaller bottle should fit the budget. Good luck and happy sniffing! 🙂
Calyx is a great suggestion — very bright.
Another bright green scent I think you’d love is Gucci Envy.
Some possibilities:
For artsy and oriental ginger: DSHperfumes Gingembre
For artsy and creamy green: DSHperfumes Celadon
For classy grassy: Parfums de Nicolai L’eau Chic
For green plus incense: MMM Untitled (Maison Martin Margiela)
For artsy, light and just because she might like it: Frederic Malle’s L’eau d’Hiver
Seconding the MMM Untitled–tried it yesterday and it’s quite lovely. Also seconding Blv although even on my fixative skin it lasted less than 6hrs before going poof and turning into a clean skin smel. Another gingery floral is TokyoMilk Dark’s Destiny.
Oops – just saw she dislikes spicy orientals – so maybe not the DSH Gingembre. The perfect one would be DSH Indochine, but I couldn’t find that one on her website any more.
when something inside shouts: hey, now you need something bright! I reach for Chanel Cristalle, but only the edt!
I was thinking Cristalle too.
The Different Company Bergamote is very bright, with notes you like:
bergamot (70% of natural bergamot), ginger, orange blossom, leaf green, rhubarb (wood), musk
My first thought when I saw green and bright was Clarins Eau des Jardins. I’m not sure how long-lasting it would be for you, bit it is grapefruit, green leaves, earth and flowers. Quite pretty!
For an arty green floral, maybe DSH dirty ROSE (although it does have patchouli, now that I review the notes. . .)
Going back to the garden theme, maybe one of the Hermes Garden series? Apres La Mousson had ginger, I think.
Or maybe an unusual Iris like PdE Equestrius? It has Iris with a vegetal heart.
Last thought, although it was really an early thought! is SSS Fig Tree, with that wonderful creamy, green heart! Now I think of it, I think I’m gonna wear that one today!
Happy sniffing!
I’m a big fan of Hermes Eau de Pamplemousse Rose. It starts bright and pretty much stays that way. Robin’s review likened it to Fresca. Make sure to sample it first though, grapefruit seems to be evil to many people. Also, I tried the new Jo Malone White Lilac and Rhubarb yesterday and that seems to fit the bright/fresh/light requirement too. Good luck!
I second Eau de Pamplemousse Rose.
pamplemousse rose! one of my desert island fragrances, for sure.
I love all te fragrances you listed and my current obsession is L’eau de Chloe. It’s very green!
For an unusual, and fruity, take on green, I’d recommend Olympic Orchids A Midsummer Day’s Dream, which smells like the happiest summer day in a bottle! 🙂
[Notes are: benzoin, vanilla, frankincense, atlas cedar, cistus, cypress, orange flower, blackcurrant, and fig]
A beautiful green floral that is bright and unusual is Vetiver pour Elle by Guerlain, if you can find it. Notes include bergamot, orange blossom, honeysuckle, muguet, nutmeg, vetiver, and tonka bean.
Also, if you feel like going back in history, check out some vintage Ma Griffe for a green floral. There’s a ton of it around on ebay, etc. because it used to be very popular back in the day. Ma Griffe features notes of gardenia, galbanum, aldehydes, clary sage, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, vetiver, styrax, cinnamon, benzoin and labdanum.
Jo Malone White Jasmine and Mint, maybe?
Seconding/thirding EL Private Collection (the original; I think I’m anosmic to something in Jasmine White Moss); Bvlgari Pour Femme; Origins Ginger Essence; AG Ninfeo Mio; DSH Dirty Rose; and Cristalle EDT.
Also, how about Robert Piguet Futur? It’s a lovely green jasmine, and its various phases cover damp/grassy, fresh floral, and a light but radiant cedar/vetiver base.
Whoops, I meant the other DSH that somebody mentioned (Celadon); Marjorie Rose is right, Dirty Rose may not be great if Jen isn’t into patchouli.
Not sure if they fit the “artistic” criterion — or the “long-lasting” one, for that matter — but O de Lancome and its Orangerie flanker also come to mind.
Yeah, Dirty Rose is a patchouli BOMB.
I second Hermes Jardin sur le Nil and Guerlain’s Vetiver pour Elle (hard to find, that one, but very, very nice). Chanel’s Cristalle Eau Vert is also a good one, fresh and light – I love it for spring. Good luck Jen – have fun sampling!
I second the vote for Le Temps de Une Fete.
It can be found at luckyscent.com
How about Annick Goutal Chevrefeuille? (honeysuckle) I love it in summer, it’s got a bit of green in it with light, soft florals, not too heady for honeysuckle.
I would recommend L’Artisan’s in translation “chase of the butterflies,” it has a light pink sticker.
And not green but a surprise love SL Violet and PdN KISS ME TENDER, it ends with a greenish hay base. Just love that house. PdN.
Hermes Concentre d’Orange Verte
Comme des Garcons 3
Chanel Bel Respiro (maybe not long lasting)
Odalisque Parfum de Nicolai
Lys Méditerranée Frederick Malle
good luck!
Thank you so much, Cybele.
Eau d’Italie’s Jardin du Poete instantly came to mind when thinking of a bright and uplifting fragrance. The bitter orange and grapefruit (which I mistook for a juicy mandarin at first) is a little intense but still quite beautiful and transportive!
I suggest the stunning Un Jardin Sur le Nil by Hermes. Or from the same range Un Jardin Apres la Mousson if she likes ginger and spicy and fresh at the same time.
Maybe Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca by Guerlain. Its fresh and green, grassy, with a sweet spearmint chewing gum touch.
Maybe Un Ombre Dans L´Eau by diptyque…
Un Jardin is an excellent choice. As a matter of fact, I wore it yesterday to brighten the wintery, cloudy day.
Bond No. 9 High Line is very bright, floral and grassy.
Have fun!
the new L’Eau de Chloe- all grassy and lovely
Has anyone mentioned Yosh’s Ginger Ciao?
Well, you and I seem to have lots in common in life occupations and interests! So fingers crossed my suggestions are useful……..
Mood enhancers – I find Bigarade Concentree makes me so happy! Not super long lasting though, as it’s a citrus. Eva from Santa Maria Novella is absolutely gorgeous and makes me euphoric! Another one that makes me instantly feel ‘zingy’ is Heeley’s Verveine Eugenie, a floral lemon verbena scent which is very unusual. Other uplifting mood enhancers for me are orange blossom based, the best one being Tubereuse from Le Labo, which is expensive but worth every penny as is VERY long lasting! (if it’s too expensive, you could get a split or a decant. But do try a sample whatever! It’s only available in the NYC store though.)
Green, grassy fragrances for me tend to be mostly vetiver – Sel de Vetyver from The Different Company is my all time favourite. You might also like to try Champaca from Ormonde Jayne – it is deeply artistic and uses green tea, basmati rice and bamboo. Ormonde Jayne also does Isfarkand and Frangipani, which are most uplifting and beautiful!
Since we have so much in common, I’m going to start with your suggestions…you descriptions are beautiful. I can hardly wait to try Tubereuse from Le Labo.
Jasper Conran Woman sprang to mind immediately, as it is bright and citrus-y with ginger. A sort of poor man’s Cristalle EDT, but less mossy, if that makes sense. Do you have that over there?
I also second TDC Bergamote – they don’t come more uplifting than that one and you’ve gotta love a rhubarb note too!
Thanks to all of you who took the time to make these thoughtful suggestions–and to Robin who posted my query. Clearly there is a world of perfume beyond what I have been exposed to and I’m so excited to explore. Love and thanks, Jen
I think the new L’eau de Chloe would fit this category the best, blast of bergamot bomb and beautiful floral in the heart though a bit of patchouli in the base but not strong, really well constructed and longlasting but definitely not a monster.
I think you’re right, second this suggestion
Ah and sorry a totally different suggestion, if Jen wants something a bit more unique she could try some Le Labo fumes, I think Neroli 36 would be a great fit for example, I am a fan of Le Labo and they do beautiful fragrances in my opinion. It is definitely different from the Chloe, costs a lot more and is less readily available too.
Do we ever get to find out the resolution for these? I want to know what she chose! I suppose it takes time.
We post follow-ups three times a year — here’s the most recent:
https://nstperfume.com/2012/01/15/the-monday-mail-open-thread-for-feedback-may-through-august-2011/