Happy Black Friday! And happy Cheap Thrills Friday. Our community project for today: wear something that costs $50 or below, double bonus points if it costs $25 or below. No points for wearing something expensive that you bought cheaply via a sample or decant or somesuch! We're trying to find real bargains here.
As always, do chime in with your scent of the day even if you aren’t participating in the community project.
I'm wearing The Body Shop White Musk Libertine. It is $24 for 30 ml, but only if you don't wait for one of The Body Shop's frequent sales. I paid $12 for my bottle.
Reminder: next Friday, 12/5, is Friday At The Mall: wear something from a mall chain (Lush, The Body Shop, Victoria's Secret, L'Occitane, etc & etc).
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2014, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Quite a number of years ago I bought a bottle of Molecule 01 from evilbay. It arrived and I noticed the ingredients listed on the box – ISO E Super, alcohol, water – and thought to myself “I bet I could make this.” So I did a bit of research and over the next few months gathered together everything I needed. I mixed everything together and after letting it stand for another couple of months I was ready to try it against the real stuff. And you know what, apart from a little blast of alcohol in the opening it was exactly the same. I have been mixing it up in 50ml batches ever since. So today I present to you:
Pretendyou’recool 01!
And the cost. Well 50ml (including the atomiser bottle) comes in at a whopping (drum roll please) £3.85 or about 6 dollars. Bargain.
Good lord. I had no idea. I see the Perfumer’s Apprentice is selling pure Iso E Super for $48 a half-litre. That’s just amazing.
DIY — triple bonus points!
Wow, impressive work
Wow! Good on you!
Maybe we will have a DIY post one day (I know how to make perfumed bath salts) and you can post your recipe.
Wow, that would be awesome!
Ooh, yes, please!
Oh my gosh, I would love that recipe!
Today I’m wearing Jacomo Silences which put me back $35.00. For 100 ml. It makes me kind of wonder why anything actually costs more. It is lovely.
Nice!
Oh, Silences has been on my ‘to-try’ list for ever. Intrigued to see how it compares to Chanel 19.
Is it the EDP or the EDT? I’v seen the EDT in a kind of aerosol spray and it smelled really nice but seemed a little weak… I haven’t yet come across the EDP.
EDP. As a long time No 19 lover, Silences EdP is a pretty sister of 19. Obviously different but related and both pretty in that same sort of way.
Cool thank you! I think I prefer Silences to no.19… I’ll hold out for the Edp though
That’s a favorite. Quite a bargain.
Mini’s can be found very cheaply on line, a little goes a long way, a nice one.
Today is cold and nasty and the city is digging out from under a snowstorm, but I have the day off, and I am wearing my favourite cheap thrill, very cheap and very thrilling: Tabu, which at this time of year you can get in a stocking-stuffer half-ounce spray for six or eight bucks. Dirty-sexy floral amber with buckets of patchouli, the ancestor of the once-great Obsession: in their current incarnations, I would argue that Tabu is the better scent.
I saw Tabu minis at Sears, I think. I may brave the mall later today and check it out.
I was so close to buying Tabu! The beauty supply store I go to has it in that hilariously fun violin bottle. Grrr, may need to buy that next time. Instead, I bought Samsara for today
Samsara is tremendous. You made the right choice! (Although Tabu is so cheap and so good that you should definitely consider buying some.)
It makes me so happy to hear people speak lovingly of Tabu! I bought some I’d found at Goodwill and have really enjoyed it, but I feel like I should be sheepish–maybe sort of apologize for having such tacky taste!
Good to know I’m in good company.
Count me in the Tabu Camp!
Score! I braved the mall and the line at Sears and got myself a gift set of Tabu perfume 35mL and matching body lotion for a total of $8.02. The body lotion will definitely be included in the freebiemeet and as for the perfume, it is currently unsniffed and untried and we’ll just have to wait and see if I like it or not.
Super Cheap thrill today is Bvlgari Black. I bought the monster size for about $30-35 a year or two ago and I love it. It suitable for any occasion and is a very interesting and unique scent. It’s present without holding olfactory hostages.
I waddled my turkey stuffed self to spin class this morning with a bit of this spritzed on my shirt and someone remarked vaguely “it smells good in here.” as opposed to the usual “Gah! It smells like feet in here!”
I’d consider that a Win-Win for everyone
Yes…one of the all time great cheap thrills!
LOL. We’re scent twins today, Deva!
I had the best turkey yesterday but I did not stuff myself with it since there were so many other goodies. My contribution was a nicely stacked tower of store-bought rugelach.
Be well.
I bought a back up bottle of Black at the Real Canadian Superstore a couple of years ago for $15…!
Oh, remember when they had huge fragrance departments with lots of things at really great prices? And then turfed the department and sold them off for ridiculously cheap? I got Cabochard for $5, Eau de Star (peppermint Angel, basically) and Samsara for less than $10 each, that Gaultier Classique set with three teeny sprays that clipped into a necklace for I think $15 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jean-Paul-Gaultier-Classique-Necklace/dp/B001AN4VWO), and a whole bunch of other things. They were such enablers!
Plus one more for Bvlgari Black! I found my bottle on ebay for $20, including shipping. See it at Nordstrom Rack regularly.
Is this scent in production? I want to make sure i have a lifetime supply if not.
Super cozy on this rainy, lazy day.
I believe it is still in production, but i hear rumors about it being discontinued periodically, and recently just gave in and bought two backup bottles because, why not at these prices?
I’m wearing Gres Cabaret, which always seems to be available at discounters for about £20 ($30-ish I think?) for a huge 100ml bottle. I was intrigued by reviews at I Scent You A Day and in the Guide, and snapped up a bottle online.
Luckily, it’s exactly the kind of scent I felt like wearing today, too. Cosy, rosy, warm and woody – but with a spicy edge to stop things becoming too comfortable.
I’m watching the rest of this thread with interest! I bet everyone smells as fabulous as usual in more budget-friendly picks – seems to be the true perfumistas who can appreciate a great scent no matter how much it cost, or didn’t cost
That’s a great one. It smells really wonderful on my husband, too.
I’m wearing Cabaret too!
I see this now and then at TJMaxx – maybe I will try it next time…
At Winners (the Canadian version of TJ Maxx) they had the Cabaret shower gel, and I somehow decided that it was a big oriental so I bought it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was this smart little citrusy rose thing. Never saw the actual scent but I probably would have bought that too. (And now I never will because the Winners scent department is horribly diminished and pretty worthless.)
I have the day off and I am in my cheap thrill scent Bvlgari Black. Online with a Mothers’ Day coupon (post Mothers’ Day) in 2013, it was $26, including shipping, for 40 mLs. It ends up being cheaper than my cheaper perfumes because I use it often whereas the other ones are just afterthoughts.
Funnily enough, I had to go in to have my car serviced this morning because my tire alert light went on and I don’t want to mess around with having a tire problem with winter upon us. The pressure was just a little low and all I can say is that there better not be a leak!
For those who are curious about Bvlgari Black (heh, because some of us who comment here salute it), I suggest spraying rather than dabbing. Also, you will likely get a rubber note — for me, it is temporary and the perfume dries down to a beautiful tea / vanilla which I like to call teanilla.
Scent Twin, I salute you!
They had tons of this at Chicago’s Nordstrom Rack this week – in case anyone wants to try…
Just out of curiosity (because of all the ‘salutes’ here), I will have to give this one a try again to find its appeal. Perhaps I’m the only one who doesn’t ‘get it’ but twice I tried it (but not in recent years) and I found the rubber note so off-putting I couldn’t stomach it beyond that point. Maybe I’m just more sensitive to that note, but rubber, metal, gasoline, even many leather notes, just don’t appeal to me.
My SOTD is Caldey Island Lavender which is a gorgeous albeit fleeting lavender eau de toilette. I’ve got a 50 ml bottle that is currently sells for £ 16,95. I can’t remember what I spent on it, a bit less I suppose. Too bad they don’t ship abroad anymore, as my bottle is nearly empty and I would love another one.
And Luca says this is the best lavender, too…
Beste Lavender soliflore yes. But he also calls Caron’s Pour un Homme probably the best Lavender perfume.
Caldey is good and the price is just unbeatable. I wish I could just order some more.
I’m wearing B&BW Coconut Lime Breeze! Cheap and cheerful, and IMO it does the same job as the (much more expensive) Creed Virgin Island Water. Probably not the most fitting scent with the snowy weather here in Montreal, but I found it strangely satisfying in the cold dark morning! Makes me think of my holiday…
I have lotion of that-somewhere. Got it as a freebie. Also got a little Rain Kissed Leaves..found that one, so, that’s what I am wearing.
Tommy Bahama Set Sail St. Barts for Women edt (very inexpensive) has similar notes and layers beautifully over Coconut Lime Breeze or Coconut Lime Verbena – a wonderful, breezy summertime combo.
Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds…very nice scent! Had never tried before and now use it as a go-to!
White Diamonds really is great.
Pretty. It’s very smooth in the parfum (I picked up a mini at my drugstore for about $9).
Yes, I have a mini of the perfume I got free with something and it’s quite lovely, very smooth. I enjoy it occasionally even though White Diamonds is not my usual kind of scent.
Happy Black Friday to everyone!
I really never bought a cheap bottle of perfume. Fragrance is one of the things in my life that I splurge on. The only thing that I have that is cheap would be my body mists from The Body Shop. I have a grapefruit and a satsuma body mist. Both were under $20 each. So, today, my SOTD is Satsuma body mist. A nice, fresh burst of orange.
Satsuma isn’t bad. The body butter is good.
I am still on fence about Honeymania..I guess it’s not too bad.
You’re right. I love the body butter and the shower gel. When I wear all 3, the orange scent stays with me all day. Good stuff!
I really love the honeymania body butter but it’s not a literal honey scent; it reminds me of dessert wine, or maybe fruit macerated in honey.
Lucky you! We don’t get the Satsuma EDT or Bodymist in South Africa which is a real pity. I use the Body Oil very often and really love it. The butter is nice too but has a sweeter more amber-ey or creamy under-tone, and I like the effervescence of the oil better. They have a 3 for the price of two sale at the moment and I may go and get a trio of Satsuma soaps!
I decided I *needed* cistrus-y florals today and completely forgot about Cheap Thrills Friday. However, I have something that fits both categories: Nicolai l’Eau Mixte, which I have in the small bottle. Regularly priced below $50, and I was lucky enough to grab it on sale this summer. I believe I will just trot over to the perfume drawer and apply some of this tart little number…
Perfect!
So for once I am in on the game: wearing Madame Jolie which I bought recently for about $30. I had only tested it from a square bottle before and had found the top and heart notes a little too aloof. The day I bought it though, there was no tester available and I was in a ‘need to buy something’ state. (Which I usually do better at resisting). Anyway, it all turned out for the best because when I opened it, I was surprised to see a cylindrical bottle and I adore the whole trajectory of it: the older formula is much less chilly!
So lucky!
Wow–I’m not familiar with the bottle evolution, but is that to say you lucked into a vintage bottle?? Older Jolie Madame is one of my very favorites! I love the play between the pretty, frankly feminine florals and the animalic leather.
Available here for less than $50
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jolie-Madame-by-Pierre-Balmain-1-7oz-eau-de-toilette-spray-sealed-Original-pkg-/261670049521?pt=fragrance
Very lucky! I’m also wearing Jolie Madame today, also bought for about $30, but a recent formulation. Even this I enjoy, though it feels a little rough (I think that’s part of why I like it), but I’d love to smell an older version.
I realised as soon as I pressed post that it sounds like Iucked out rather than got a real cheapie! But I got it at a local discounter and they’d recently got a whole lot of stock of these. I wouldn’t go do far as to say they are actually vintage and I think they may be quite easily available still?
Round bottle with grey ribbon round neck…
I also have Jolie Madame, Ivoire (the original, not the new one), and Miss Balmain, all of which were no more than $30 online, and all of which are definitely lovely!
Oh, I love Jolie Madame and espelially Miss Balmain, which I received as a gift one Christmas in South Africa. They smelled lovely in the heat of Durban.
Today is Stetson, purchased in Walmart on a recent visit to the Pacific North West. Considering the exchange rate of the pound to the dollar, it is basically free.
Such a great scent.
I almost did Stetson today! It’s just fantastic, so good for what you’re paying for it. It’s way better than most men’s scents on the market.
Monoi Eau des Vahines by Yves Rocher. It’s $32 (but ALWAYS with Yves Rocher, you can no doubt get it on a discount
).
The creamy and lush Tiare flowers and Ylang Ylang is paired with warm and yummy vanilla.
Gotta love this “cheap ticket” to your fantasy tropical getaway!
Loved their sadly-missed Rose Absolute. Also love YR’s reliably regular sales.
Me, too. I adore Rose Absolue, glad I got a back-up bottle. It’s amazing what some of their d/c scents go for on eBay!
I love this one, too. They featured it a lot this year, I got 2 bottles for that price during one of their specials. It’s nice in the summer, the vanilla is not too strong, but yet the vanilla in it carries it over into the cooler weather quite nicely.
Shalimar Ode a la Vanilla…Mexique. The original Shalimar and I don’t get along, so I gave this one a try and it’s terrific, also the first bottle I ever bought with a backup because it was a limited edition and I don’t want to run out. I got mine at Fragrancenet with a 20% off coupon and it was $47. My other choice would have been something by Pacifica, linear scents but good-smelling to my nose and great for layering. All mine were less than $20.
Oh, this is encouraging, as I don’t get along with the original either (so diplomatically put!) Maybe I should give some of the flankers a shot. (Though indeed, the limited edition thing is a barrier!)
And totally agree about Pacifica! I think Mediterranean Fig and Spanish Amber are especially nice but I haven’t gotten around to trying them all. Looks like they are having a good sale today too–$10 off $50 orders, $25 off $100 (and free shipping over $50).
I had a hard time choosing but went with Breath of God (which I think is $9 for the solid) plus Karma Kream because they’re tranquil enough for the holiday chaos. Runners up were Tokyo Milk Tomorrow (brisk, forested shoreline) and Fresh Brown Sugar (which is my favorite of the sugar fragrances and smells sweet, foody and lemony without smelling like cleaning products).
Tokyo Milk Tomorrow sounds good…
I’m constantly on the fence about whether I should get Breathe of God although I would want the spray, I think. (Hm, maybe I need to get on that before the new ones come out–this catalogue I’m looking at seems to show only the solid (now $10.95 US), a dropper bottle–perfume oil maybe? doesn’t specify–for $15.95, and a 50ml bottle for $64.95. Might have to run in this weekend and try to find one of the travel sprays from the old packaging…)
It’s Black Friday and I’m wearing – what else? – Encre Noir. It’s from a carded sample, but it’s next on the FB list and I’ve seen it for less than $35…
Yes, that one is a bargain!
I think I’ve been a bit snobbish about fragrances so far, even though my first bottles were from L’Occitane, so those do count under the $50 range. Everything I’ve tested or gotten samples and even full bottles of have been over $50 (although not by too much – I got an Eau de Mervailles for $66 at Sephora). When I was little though I had a few cheapies: Navy, Exclamation and Incognito.
So I decided to blind-buy a cheap fragrance for today. Tuesday I went out and bought Samsara and it’s so lovely! I almost also grabbed Tabu and now think I need to go back and get it. Samsara was below $40 for me and the Tabu I need to back for is $15.
I am wearing some Halston Z-14. I think I spent between 12-15 dollars for the 4.2 oz. bottle. This is a nice zippy citrus fougere with some moss at the bottom.
That one is a delight for sure.
I love the top notes of this – especially the cinnamon, but it gets a little too dry afterwards…
Sometimes I layer it with Loccitane’s Citrus Verbena for ezra citrus sweetness!
Sotd is Jennifer Aniston’s original that I bought from Sephora for around $17. It’s the 50ml size and I knew when I first bought it that I’d run through it quickly. It’s a light, pretty blend of gardenia and jasmine without feeling too beachy, so I went back and bought another bottle. It is great stuff and I might go pick up the 75ml size if I can find it for a reasonable price somewhere. Happy Friday, everyone.
Great choice! I almost picked this one today, too. I really like JA, even if I have to reapply every other hour or so. It’s an easy choice when the weather is warm, and is one of the only jasmine scents I can wear. It’s also very office-friendly. I’ve gotten several compliments on it, which always makes me chuckle, since people rarely say boo when I wear perfumes that cost 10-15x more! I’ve hoarded 3-4 bottles of it (didn’t pay more than $20 for any of them), since it is one of the few bottles I’ve ever finished, and will be gone for good in the not too distant future.
Lisa, it really is great, isn’t it? It was a total blind buy for me and I figured for seventeen bucks, I really couldn’t go wrong. It was such a happy shock I ended up loving it as much as I do, and I definitely plan on stocking up. I’m especially curious about the gift sets.
Two years ago I bought a 30 ml bottle of Anais Anais at the drugstore for $20. This round I could only see the bigger bottles for ca. $60, but I am sure there’s going to be a jolly gift set somewhere, unless its popularity has declined..
My cheap thrill is Lust from Lush, and “thrill” is def the right term–LOTS of personality! Very sweet jasmine, won’t be for everyone, but if the “Jessica Rabbit” of jasmines (so well put, Candy Perfume Boy! http://thecandyperfumeboy.com/2011/07/14/holy-jasmine-batman-gorilla-perfume-lust-perfume-review/ ) sounds appealing to you, it’s def worth a shot. It’s some good fun. Has been out of stores recently for repackaging, but my local Lush store reports it’ll be available again December 8th, and the price of the solid’s only gone up $1–$11.95. Still a great deal–given how much “presence” it has, I def don’t feel a need to wear it in the higher concentration spray forms (that cost a little more.)
New packaging is very cute too–Lust is now represented by a pinup girl
http://www.ineedsunshine.de/2014/09/lush-parfum-neue-flakons-fur-die-lush.html
I love Lust! I think of it as the trashy cousin to Songes.
This summer I bought Elizabeth Taylor Gardenia at a discounter for $7.99. It is only a one ounce bottle, but I felt that it still was a good deal. And I really like it. To me, it smells very predominantly of gardenia; some perfumes with gardenia in their name smell of lots of other notes, too.
I have that one too. It’s a pretty solid gardenia for the price!
Wearing Rochas Femme, which is as satisfying as a good Lutens, and definitely a cheap thrill.
I’m having a great time reading everyone’s cheap thrills, and definitely making a list of things to keep an eye out for
As with Merlin, I’m wearing Lanvin’s Jolie Madame today, but a recent formulation in the rectangular bottle. Picked it up for about $30, as a blind buy. I was intrigued by the reviews I read on NST and elsewhere. If I remember, one of them described the recent formulation as a ‘clunky transmission’ moving from note to note, which is such a great image. I think the unrefined character of this version is what I like about it, or at least, fits when I want to wear it: kind of louche, kind of loud, almost a split personality perfume with the violet and leather. It is almost like becoming a different, bolder person for the day. Though all that said, I’d love to smell a vintage version at some point.
I posted a link above to where the version I have is for sale (less than $50). It’s a previous formulation but it’s not ‘vintage’ as that is an even earlier one. Some people prefer the one in the square bottle but I find the violet a little too cold in its opening. I think the one in the round bottle might be more linear; or in any case there is more warmth from the get go. I’ll post another link here but I can’t tell you whether its worth owning both…
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jolie-Madame-by-Pierre-Balmain-1-7oz-eau-de-toilette-spray-sealed-Original-pkg-/261670049521?pt=fragrance
It’s not a cheap thrill but I’m using up the last of my Tam Dao decant. Thanks swap partner! I need a full bottle now.
I have an off-topic question to pose–has anyone got a suggestion about which IUNX decant I should think about buying blind in the STC sale? Giacobetti’s really my favorite but I do like some more than others–favorites are En Passant, Dzing, Navegar, Lubin Idole and Costes; I also like Philosykos, Ofresia, Hiris, Tea for Two, The Pour Un Ete, and Fou d’Absinthe; I get on less well with Drole de Rose, Jour de Fete, Premier Figuier and Passage d’Enfer. ( I’m kind of indifferent to Safran Troublant. I know, blasphemy.)
Haha, sorry I realize this is a highly specific question, but just in case this pattern rings any bells!
One of the favorites from the line is L’Ether and given your likes, I think you would like it too. It’s a spicy woody thing but so transparent – very Giacobetti.
Today I’m wearing Kate Walsh Boyfriend Body Oil, which I picked up almost 2 years ago from a sale on Hautelook for about $15. I bought 5 bottles at the time, and have since used up 2. I’m very sorry I didn’t buy a lot more!
I like the Body Oil so much better than the EDP, which has somewhat sharp edges from the myrrh and the wood notes. The Body Oil is a softer, smoother, and muskier myrrh. (I have yet to try combining the EDP with a musk oil or EDT like Jovan to see if that will tame it a bit). This is another ‘cheapie’ that wins me compliments (and yet when I wear my gorgeous and beloved La Myrrhe, I get….crickets).
I am going to be very sad when these are gone; I see them selling on ebay and Amazon for more than $40 now. I can’t understand why Boyfriend was d/c. It’s not a fragrance that was underappreciated until it was gone; it was well received, successful, and popular at its initial release, when it sold at its full price (Billionaire Boyfriend, on the other hand, was awful). Oh well, I shall be grateful what I have, I guess. As I’ve had other body oils go flat or rancid over time, I don’t ration this one, as I’d rather wear and enjoy it than be forced to toss it when it goes off.
Totally agree, love the oil, stocked up as soon as I figured out how much I adore it! For what it’s worth, keep an eye on HauteLook. I think I saw it on there again recently, so it may well circulate back through (as fragrances seem to do on that site–I’m guessing, if they don’t sell their whole stock in the first round, it comes up again.)
Thank you for the tip! I hadn’t realized that it had reappeared on Hautelook. I shall make a point to check there regularly!
I will be wearing Kate Walsh’s Boyfriend Dry Oil today also, a bottle of which I scored from HSN at $10.00. It’s not my favorite, but I like it a lot and it’s just right some days. Maybe it’s a Colorado thing – I live up near Boulder!
Every once in a while I see it on the sephora website as a gift set – with the oil, edp, and a body cream. It’s always in limited quantities but they have it for a great price if you can get it before it’s gone again. It’s like they lost a batch or something and every once in a while someone finds a stash of them. I think I’ll get it the next time it’s available because my edp is almost gone.
Just ordered a 5 ml of boyfriend edp for 5.99 from Surrender to Chance from their Black Friday Fragrance bargains. It was a favorite bedtime perfume for me last winter.
Lisa, you smell wonderful! I bought a Boyfriend set from Sephora after getting and loving a sample in a previous order, and I really like everything in the set. The body oil is particularly nice straight out of the shower.
I love Billionaire Boyfriend
and just got two backup bottles of it because it appears to be discounted at Sephora, which usually means they’re going to stop carrying it.
I also don’t know what the problem is with this line – as you say, it’s popular and sells well. Ingredient supply problem? I don’t know, it makes me sad – this has become one of my go-to cheap thrills.
I’m wearing DK Gold EDP. Got a 30ml on Amazon for $14 (full bottle but no box). I’ve seen others on there in the $20 neighborhood too.
Classic!
Oh, fun. I think I’ll dab on some Yves Rocher Rose Absolue. I own a mini-bottle, which was gifted to me by the lovely Elizabeth, so it was a *very* cheap thrill!
Today when I go in to work I will be wearing B&BW Gardenia. Found this great bargain when the chain decided to discontinue it, so I snatched a whole bagful of bottles for 5 dollars a bottle. And I didn’t even go past fifty bucks, so I guess that’s double points for me?
SOTD is True Love perfume oil from Valentina’s Home Brew. It was around $15 at whole foods. Scent is cardamom, roses, and chocolate. Cheap thrill indeed!
That sounds like a really good combination. I adore cardamom; I’ll have to see if they carry it at my Whole Foods!
I like that one. I got it from an on-line vendor that sells stuff you would find at a health food store and that has free shipping for orders over $49. I think that it was Lucky Vitamin? That name sounds so silly to me. Anyway, I got tons of fragranced stuff — perfume oil, body spray, and aftershave — for about $50. I’m still working my way through my box of goodies.
Oh, that sounds really nice! Will have definitely have to check out my local Whole Foods.
I am wearing Sabon musk oil, one of my favorite chip thrills. It is one of my favorite musks actually.
My idea of a cheap thrill is to get free perfume samples. I love spotting new things at my favorite shops and trying them. I am currently trying PHI Une Rose De Kandahr which will probably not be going on my FB list.
If I was home, I’d be in vintage White Shoulders for Cheap Thrills Friday. I got mine as part of a vintage lot off ebay. Since the entire lot of more than 20 bottles was $48, that means that it was less than $3/bottle. Anyone can get a full size vintage bottle for less than $20 though which is still less than White Shoulders currently goes for
The Diesel Loverdose 30 ml just makes it in under $30, at least here in Sweden. It is way sweeter than anything else I own, but the licorice candy vibe is surprisingly cheerful and holds up well in this cold and grey weather.
My nose is a hopeless snob, but I did take a chance on Basile, a 1986 perfume that I came across on ebay a few years ago. I had seen it advertised in Architectural Digest back in the day but never in stores, so I was curious, and the 1.7-oz EdP size was listed as “Italian designer perfume” (no name) for under $10. Reviews on Fragrantica compare it to Opium or Youth Dew, but it’s softer and lighter than either. I like it very much and have a back-up bottle tucked away.
That incredible bargain listing is now gone, and the 1.7-oz size sells for $59.99. I’m seeing some cute little 1.0-oz EdT bottles for $19.00 to $25.99 that appear to be the same vintage, as well as cute 5-ml minis for $11.99). (Black plastic “shoulder pads” – could anything be more 80s?)
There also appears to be a new version with a white cap. It can’t possibly be as rich as the original but might be worth testing if you see it around. I have no affiliation with any of the above.
Since no one else has mentioned it yet, I’ll add that I also took a chance on Krazy Krizia for around $25. It’s the subject of many positive reviews and comments, and very good.
In general though, I’m more into travel sizes and minis of more expensive perfumes, such as FM, BK, Aftelier and La Via del Profumo.
I love Basile. I ended up buying a vintage bottle for less than $20 on ebay a year or so ago…I don’t know why there isn’t more about it on the interwebs, but it has definitely been one of my favorite cheap thrills
It is weirdly under the radar, isn’t it? Not even a review on basenotes. It must have been impossible to find and virtually unadvertised, apart from those mysterious ads in the back of Architectural Digest. A search on ebay turns up only an ad for furs: 1988 Print Ad – Goldin-Feldman – “My Dance: The Boogaloo, My Mink: Basile.” Woman in slacks dancing in a gorgeous long mink coat with a shawl collar.
I’m wearing Jessica Simpson Fancy nights. I bought it online, a 100 ml tester for aprox 22 usd, maybe four years ago.
It’s a really good oriental, sexy and quite dressy.
I have this one, too, smells more expensive than it is, great if you’re a patchouli lover (I am.)
I’ve got to get myself a bottle of this – I keep hearing y’all talk about how surprisingly good it is, and I love a strong, lush oriental.
Fancy Nights lovers: keep your eyes open for the Freebie Meet in January. My FN will be up for grabs!
Husband gets full marks today for wearing Kanon Norwegian Wood, which I got at TJ Maxx in Franklin TN for $6.99 a year or so ago. I bought it as a joke for his birthday – he’s a Beatles fan – but we both really like it.
Today I’m wearing Tokyo Milk’s Dead Sexy. Warm and spicy and vanilla-y. All of the Tokyo Milk stuff (not the dark line) is priced at around $30 and they have some fun scents. Most of them don’t have a lot of staying power, but I’m very fond of the Dead Sexy and it lasts well into the day!
I like Tokyo Milk’s Honey and the Moon. The same perfumer does Library of Flowers (LoF). LoF’s Honeycomb and Linden perfumes smelled good on paper.
I was going to wear Lust from Lush, but decided on Noa by Cacharel instead. It is lovely! 30 ml for $21. Ebay .
I debated today between Silences, which I got on eBay for about $20 and The Perfumer’s Workshop Tea Rose, which I got at Marshall’s for $7.99. I wore the Tea Rose because I think it will be nice to layer later. My husband joined in the fun and is wearing Marc Jacobs Bang, which I found on clearance at TJ Maxx for about $12!
Love Tea Rose! I like to spritz it on linens, on a scarf, or on a tissue for my pocket or purse.
Tea Rose layers nicely with so many things.
My SOTD will probably be Smell Bent’s Ice Station Pineapple (I described it near the top of the comments at https://nstperfume.com/2014/11/18/tuesday-scent-of-the-day-1118/). The largest size is $50. I am not in the mood for anything sweet or heavy, so ISP should work nicely.
Another inexpensive treat: I wore Golden Cattleya by Olympic Orchids yesterday. This stuff is heavenly from beginning to end, IMHO, and quite potent, so the 15 ml bottle that I purchased for $35 will last forever. I wore it to Thanksgiving with my in-laws to see if my mother-in-law still loves it. Well … I got a compliment when she hugged me hello, and during a walk three hours later, she started in again about how great it smelled. She said that it smelled dusty and like incense. I’ll have to get a small bottle for her
How much did I apply? I tipped the bottle once onto my fingertip and dabbed behind each ear.
I’m wearing Ambre de Cabochard – I bought a 3.4 ounce tester bottle a couple of years ago for less than $25. I dug it out of the “not wearing these so much” box in my closet just for today! I was actually looking for my bottle of Mauboussin Histoire d’Eau, which is a frankly fantastic and cheap-as-all-get-out leather scent. I couldn’t find it, though, so I settled for the Ambre (I’m going to hunt the Mauboussin down, though, cuz this post has made me remember just how much I like it, and it’s perfect for winter). The Ambre is a smooth, warm but light amber, with some berry notes that brighten it up a bit.
I think the Mauboissin is fantastic and one of my favorite orientals.
Isn’t it great? It kind of reminds me of Cuir de Lancome, but less leathery, and with much more spice and variety. I think I bought my bottle on Amazon a few years back for something like $12. Okay, now I really have to find that bottle…..
Caron pour Un Homme, huge bottle for 30.00. A very nice scent for a stressful day.
The lavender in Pour Un Homme makes me smile me every time I smell it. Simply wonderful.
Cheap thrill of the day is Rihanna Rogue, the ginormous 125 ml bottle from Walgreens online, 20% off discount, free shipping, plus points I needed to use up, cost me $6.41 total. A nice plum/suede/patchouli/woods combo, a little sweet but not too much.
Just got back from vacation and forgot to check the theme for today, so I am wearing the decidedly not cheap Amouage Memoir. I did buy it discounted off Fragrancenet. but even on sale it was not cheap.
My favorite cheap scent is Philosophy Falling in Love. I am a sweet blackberry musk fan from way back!
Oh, I love Falling in Love too! This time of year I crave it for some reason. Fortunately I have plenty.
My cheap thrill is a 3.4 oz. tester of Casmir (back-up bottle) that I bought online for $21.59. But I forgot to wear it today!
Instead, I’m wearing Sacrebleu by Parfums de Nicolai, which although not exactly a cheap thrill, is one of the better priced niche lines.
You smell wonderful, I love Sacrebleu.
Actually braved Target with Tokyomilk’s Dead Sexy…but got overpowered by sweaty shoppers and much too much Starbucks whafting in the air…escape!
Old Spice. $9.99 for 180 ml. I made my family sniff it blind. My seven year old perfumina daughter practically chewed my wrist off and shouted “Yum!” My husband and son said “Candy floss. Yuk”, so my husband fell over when he saw the bottle. I can’t get past my own memories of it on friends’ dads in the 70s, so much as I love carnations I guess my daughter gets the bottle. Everything smells like a million bucks on her.
Wearing Pacifica’s Mediterranean Fig, the 10ml rollerball sells for about $12, but I got it on sale, and only paid about $6 for it! Like this one a lot. Better than the other cheap thrills I was wearing this week.