Today we're helping Mo, who has been wearing vanilla musks for years and would like to find a new perfume with more "color", if that makes sense. Her ideal perfume will be fruity or berried, but in a warm and jammy way, like the filling of a pie that just came out of the oven rather than bright and sunny and fresh. It should be grounded by deeper, darker notes that give it depth. She can spend up to $150. Here is what we know about Mo:
She's in her mid 20s, and is partnered but not married.
Mo is an artist by day, activist by night.
Her friends describe her as eccentric and passionate.
She dresses in blacks and greys most of the time to counterbalance her retina-searing red hair, bright accessories and nails.
Mo likes any and all berries, black currant, plum, peach, grapefruit, amber, sandalwood, incense, musk, vanilla, spicy notes, lilac and violet. Favorite perfumes include Christian Dior Hypnotic Poison, Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Abricot, Floris China Rose and Paco Rabanne Ultrared.
Mo doesn't like sharp herbal notes or lavender; or too much apple or watermelon.
Mo has tried one fragrance so far in her search: Donna Karan DKNY Be Delicious Night. It is closer to what what she wants than many other fresh and candy-ish fruity scents, but still lacks the vibe she's going for, and is a bit too apple-centric.
What say you?
Note: top image is pink post [cropped] by jenny downing at flickr; some rights reserved.
Enchanted Forest jumps to mind — a rich blackcurrant (and a gorgeous bottle FWIW)
Trish McEvoy’s Blackberry & Vanilla Musk comes immediately to mind as something worth trying, given parameters!
Less precisely on the nose with the berries & vanilla musk, but Jo Malone’s Blackberry & Bay fits the bill for berries grounded with deeper notes (woods).
Perhaps Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir also, for dark fruit (although it may in fact not be fruity enough).
My first thought was the Trich McEvoy Blackberry and Musk scent. I liked it a lot and I’m not a real fan of berries in perfume! Nordstrom’s carries the line, and I’m sure other stores do as well.
Thanks so much to all who suggested fragrances for me! It was a busy day or I would have been in the comments chatting with everyone; I’m only seeing this just now, sadly.
A couple have been on my to-try list and you all have cemented my desire to seek those out. I’m gonna see if I can get my paws on some samples and I have no doubt that one of these – potentially MORE than one – will be exactly what I’m looking for. In looking these up I almost found myself salivating a few times (LOL) … thanks again, I am so excited to try all these.
We don’t seem to share many of the same likes so take my rec with a pinch of salt! A sophisticated berry fragrance I do enjoy is Quel Amour by Goutal.
How about Bois de Paradis by Parfums Delrae? Ripe, pulpy blackberries and figs with incense, spice and woods. Beautiful!
LOL by the time I posted you had beat me to it! Bois de Paradis sounds perfect, doesn’t it.
It does sound perfect! And now I think I know what my SOTD will be tomorrow!
First pick would be DelRae Bois de Paradis is rich fruits and berries on a warm sandalwood base.
Also, maybe Lolita Lempicka Eau de Minuit/Midnight (all of the different editions of which are the same scent except for Minuit Noir): cherry iris myrrh benzoin vanilla. Might not be jammy enough to fit the bill but the fruits-n-iris combo is like a darker, incense-laced Delicious Night sans Delicious Night’s “thin white floral” after-effect.
A lot of the Lutens have rich fruit accords and would be worth sampling.
Perfume that come to my mind are:
L’Artisan Safran Troublant
Histoires de Parfums Edition Rare Vici
Neela Vermeire Bombay Bling!
Parfum d’Empire Osmanthus Interdite
Perfumes Mo should try:
Estee Lauder Sensuous Noir
Kenzo Amour
Tom Ford Black Orchid
Hanae Mori Magical Moon
Thierry Mugler Angel
Chanel Coromandel
Lolita Lempicka
Bvlgari Omnia
I might be getting your mood wrong, but have you considered/tried Daim Blond or Bois et Fruits by Lutens? Or even Feminite du Bois or Bois de Violette? I find that several scents in the line have this syrupy fruitiness, and as you mention violet as well… Mary Greenwell Plum might also be worth trying.
My own recent fruity favourite is Bombay Bling, but it’s definitely bright. And I like Blackberry & Bay, already suggested by C.H. But I am afraid it may not be jammy enough.
Yes, very much agreed! Great Serge ideas and def cosign forewarning that Blackberry & Bay isn’t jammy, per se. Suspect it may go over better if one knows that before testing.
Eau Suave by Parfum d’Empire is a fruity chypre with top notes of coriander, saffron, and rose.
Ume by Keiko Mecheri has notes of plum, jasmine, Chinese osmanthus, woods, patchouli, and moss.
Both of these fragrances are in your price range.
2nd both of these!
Lolita Lempicka
Kenzo Amour
Anne Pliska
Might not be deep and dark but still thought I’d mention: Dolce&Gabbana pour femme 2012
I’ve never smelled it myself, but I wonder if L’Artisan’s Mûre et Musc might appeal to you.
I am curious about this too; I get some apple juice from this but I don’t think that’s the case for everyone, so it def seems worth trying…
Misouko by Guerlain, or Sacrebleu by Nicolai. Both fruity in their top notes (and even well into their heart), and suited to a strong personality.
Seconding both!
Mo, I think you and I are scent twins! Perfumes that immediately came to mind:
Calvin Klein Euphoria edp
Angel edt
Kenzo Amour Indian Holi
Guerlain Insolence edp or edt
Seconding Mary Greenwell Plum
CSP Mora Bella
Chanel Coromandel
iPdF Violetta di Bosco
Badgley Mischka original
Lolita Lempicka L’eau en Blanc
L’Artisan Mure et Musc and MeM Extreme
Hanae Mori Couture Collection No. 1
Hanae Mori Red Butterfly
Parfums MDCI Peche Cardinale
Parfums de Nicolai Balkis (if it’s still available)
Annick Goutal Eau de Charlotte edp
Gabrielle Strehle Strenesse
Trish McEvoy Blackberry Vanilla Musk
Cacharel Promesse
Ligniappe Oaks/Bourbon French Mon Amour in extrait
Many by Serge Lutens
Ramon Monegal Cherry Musk
Happy sniffing and enjoy the hunt! There’s lots of great suggestions so far.
Philosophy Falling in Love.
Tauer Une Rose Vermeille
Cartier So Pretty (discontinued, but totally worth it if you can find it)
By Kilian Liaisons Dangeureuses (maybe muskier than you were hoping for though)
Ineke Briar Rose
Nez a Nez Amber a Sade (don’t let the name scare you, it’s a berry fragrance and a lovely one at that, possibly my fave!)
Perfumer Pharmer Strawberry Passion (there are two scents in this line, you can get samples on Etsy)
I’m going to throw in Rossy de Palma by Etat Libre d’Orange (also just called Eau de Protection on the ELdO website). It’s not a fruity scent per se, but I find the rose note to have a distinct raspberry feel, and the base is cacao, patchouli and incense.
You also might consider Serge Lutens Boxeuses. It’s kind of in the same vein as Feminite du Bois, with the stewed fruits and violet, but with a smoky leather base instead of wood.
Also, Evening Edged in Gold or Gilded Lily by Ineke might be worth a try too.
Ack! This is way out of my comfort zone. The only suggestion I can offer is Guerlain’s Chamade with it’s black current note backed by the Guerlainade.
Briar Rose, Ineke.. berries and currant
Blackberry and Bay Jo Malone..woody currant
Ellen Tracy Bronze for violet.
Some really nice suggestions here! I’ll second some of them.
Hanae Mori, preferably in parfum (red butterfly) if you can find it – I know I saw a 1 oz bottle on ebay for about $45 not too long ago, because I almost bought it for my daughter. Beautiful rich jammy berry notes, plus vanilla and woods.
Tauer Une Rose Vermeille is another gorgeous berry scent, very deep and rich. Yes, it has rose, but also a juicy orange note and everything backed by a salty ambery woody drydown.
(I adore Mary Greenwell Plum, but to me it’s primarily a white floral, bookended by unsugary fruit notes and a modern chypre base. Worth smelling, anyway.)
Badgley Mischka is intensely fruity in a joyous, boozy sort of way.
Aftelier’s Fig. It smells EXACTLY as you describe—like the bubbling juices of a delicious pie, reducing down to that thick, almost-smoky-but-not jammy richness. There’s actually no fig in it; it’s a combination of fir, pink grapefruit, jasmine, and Africa stone. Mo’s activist leanings will like the fact that it’s a natural perfume—yet still sophisticated and deep. I put it on yesterday when I came in from shoveling snow and it made me happy.
Fig’s such a good idea. I haven’t smelled the Aftelier but Premier Figuier strikes me as another good option… and might as well add Wild Fig and Cassis (Jo Malone) and Philosykos (Diptyque) to list, to get a range of different ways of doing fruit + deeper notes.
I could be way off, but Memoir Woman is a huge, jammy spectacle. It’s pricey, but you could always get a decant. If you get the chance to sample it, do so. It’s gorgeous. And then I also agree with the Jo Malone Blackberry and Bay suggestions…Best of luck to you!
Ginestet Botrytis might be just the ticket. Deep, gently spiced, honeyed fruits, and a gorgeous bottle to boot. I’m pretty sure it’s under $150.
I’ll second that. And it is under $150. Last I looked on LuckyScent, I think it was around $110.
Guerlain’s La Petite Robe Noir – it’s fully ripe black cherries, warm, yummy, mouthwatering, but not a fruit bowl, rather very feminine!
Good luck
Safran
For a fun, playful and fruity young cassis, try Escada’s Sexy Graffiti.
For a ligher, more natural berry, I second Mure et Musc from L’Artisan Parfumeur. Possibly the Extreme vafiant
For the Grande Dame of all berries, it’s of course the original Poison by Dior
And for a light and playful summer berry, Sublime Balkiss from The Different Company should do the trick.
Enjoy!
Dunno if anyone’s suggested this already but how about Lalique Amethyst?
You guys are making me want to try Briar Rose, bummer it’s not in Anthropologies anymore. (…is it?)
It’s available on the Ineke site now.
Oh and no, it’s not at Anthro anymore…but by popular demand I think, it’s on her main site.
I immediate thought of L’Artisan’s Mure et Musc when I read your profile. Also, Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille.
You might try Caron’s L’Accord Code 119 (see Jessica’s review here https://nstperfume.com/2012/06/22/caron-laccord-code-119-fragrance-review/) and seconding (or thirding) Mitsouko, already suggested above.
I think that Red Cattleyea by Olympic Orchids is worth a sniff. It’s a fruity floral with some spicy notes. I’d call it jammy more than fresh. I’m not a huge fruit fan but I do like this one a lot.
I really like Ange ou Demon Le Secret–a pink flanker for sure, but it has a nice cranberry/citrus opening and a warm, friendly dry down. And it’s relatively inexpensive and easy to find at any department store–so worth a try!
Tauer’s Une Rose Vermeille has a rich, adult raspberry note that I personally don’t enjoy but I’m not a fruit person.
Guerlain Insolence. It includes notes of berry and fruit pulp, but dries down like a traditional Guerlain. It’s not discontinued, but getting harder to find. I saw it all over in Paris, but it seems that US stores took it off shelves to make room for La Petite Robe Noir, which is similar in its berry fruitiness. IMHO Insolence is the better fragrance, but you should check both out. I also think you should check out Le Parfum de Thérèse by Frederic Malle. There is melon in it and any spice isn’t dark, but it’s also juicy with berry, orange, and a glorious symphony of other notes. It is very special. Good luck!
I highly suggest Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady. Robin wrote a review of it here:
https://nstperfume.com/2010/12/15/frederic-malle-portrait-of-a-lady-perfume-review/
If you don’t have time to read through it, but you really should, the notes include: raspberry, cassis, rose, cinnamon, clove, benzoin, sandalwood, patchouli, frankincense, ambroxan and white musk
It starts of herbal which I know is a no…but trust me, the following stewed fruit mess (in a good way) and the peek-a-boo nature of this superb perfume is just perfect!
Bottega Veneta is deep jammy fruit grounded by suede and patchouli. It’s gorgeous.
I’m late to the party but you MUST, MUST try Byredo Pulp, it’s as fruity as it gets!!! Other great scents with berry or blackcurrant notes:
Rose Praline by Parfums de Rosine
DSH Pretty & Pink
L’Ombre dans L’Eau (Diptyque)
Clarins Par Amour
Moschino Funny! (also has grapefruit) and Couture! (more tart berries and woody vanilla)
Good luck!
Oh, yeah, Pulp! That was all melted juice bar on me, not at all my thing, but very realistic fruit.
Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne à l’Extrême
Also Desejo of Abinoam – it seems perfect for you, but I don’t know if it’s in your price range, sorry. They have a site, you can ask them (WE can ask them, I want it myself
)