Happy Friday the 13th, and happy Cheap Thrill Friday! Our community project for today: as we head into the holiday spending period, wear a fragrance that would not break the bank even in a full size. Today's topic was suggested by reader Bardot.
What fragrance did you choose? As always, do chime in with your scent of the day even if you’re not participating in the community project.
I'm wearing Old Spice, the original version. I would say I smell like a man, man, but really I smell like spicy carnation goodness.
Reminder: next Friday, 11/20, wear something from Yves Saint Laurent.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2015, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
You smell like a man, man.
I am in Elixir Orient from Rituals. I got a small sample for free when I splurged on some bath foams. So free is as cheap as it gets for me. I think I full bottle is about 70 bucks. If I still had a bottle of Noa hanging around or Anais Anais I would of picked one of those- but they are finished and not expensive.
Free is pretty cheap
Well if you smell like a man man, I’m smelling like a woman, woman. I’m actually wearing an old favourite of mine Biagiotti’s Roma. I rediscovered my bottle a couple of months ago. It had hidden itself. It’s like a sunnier and easier version of Dune, and comforting on this suddenly gray and rainy day.
Nice!
I love Roma! Dune sometimes smells like stale beer to me, but Roma has none of that pub carpet seediness. If I wasnt now bathing in Mitsouko Id go put some on..
To continue with the theme of smelling like a man (only once), I’m in Cologne by Thierry Mugler today.
You smell great!
SOTD is HdP Ambre 114. I got a small bottle on Amazon for $36.
A gorgeous amber!
Those little 14mls are great arent they? Ambre 114 is one of my favourite ambers too.
Oooh, I’ll have to look into these small bottles.
Nice! Love that one.
Loves baby Soft Jasmine, baby! 40 years later I still love it, and wear it quite often. I believe I paid well under 10 US dollars for my last full bottle.
And you smell mahvelous, Robin! Old Spice, Grey Flannel and good ol’ Drakkar Noir are all in my arsenal, plus I have completely forgotten that Yatagan is supposed to be for men. I wear the heck out of it this time of year.
Can you still buy that? I should really try it.
(And wish I had a bottle of vintage Grey Flannel, that was great stuff)
Oh, me too – I wore Grey Flannel for a short period in high school and thought I was very avant garde at the time. I keep meaning to try the current version, but fear of disappointment holds me back.
Don’t be afraid! I’ve never smelled the vintage, but I enjoy the current version. The BdJ review may also help assuage your fears since they compared both versions.
Yeah, Grey Flannel’s nice even now.
Thank you both for the encouragement – I think you may have gotten me over the Fear Hump!
Grey Flannel is a TJMaxx staple…
Heck, it’s 15 bucks for 4oz on amazon. Splurge!
Okay, I went, I ordered … enabler pins all around!
Good afternoon!
I’m wearing Deep red from Hugo Boss. It’s pretty affordable, about 25 euro for 30 ml. I loved and finished 100 ml of this in maybe 2002, and have recently bought a new bottle. It’s still an nice blood orange/vanilla/cassis/cedar- combo, but it feels thinner nowadays.
Deep Red is very nice, I wore and loved it when it first came out. Sorry to hear it is thinner now.
Deep Red is great! I still have my bottle, probably from 2002 as well. Haven’t worn it in ages, but I will soon!
Wearing The Bug from Lush. Discontinued now but wasn’t terribly expensive when I bought it
I thought about wearing Lush Silky Underwear, likewise discontinued.
Love Lush! So sad they only have such a limited selection of perfumes in the U.S.
Agree!
Me 3!
Wearing L’Occitane’s Verveine edc. Not sure if they are still selling it on the website. I have a 10mL bottle which I got for $1 at a street fair. I’ve seen the same 10 mL bottle going for under $15 online on ‘bay. Full size is certainly more expensive, but still under $75 I think.
Runners up for today were Lush’s Flowers Barrow (again, don’t think it’s still available, but the Lush scents are quite reasonably priced) and Bulgari Black.
$1! That’s better than free.
I think I saw Verveine in the shop window when I walked past the other day. I loved their Linden scent, but I can’t find it now. Haven’t scoured the Bay thoroughly however.
I’m always amazed that the blogosphere generally seems to regard Lush’s scents as cheapies … in Germany they charge you around 2€ / ml even if you buy the biggest bottle available, which is considerably more than I am usually prepared to pay! In fact, if I haven’t forgotten anything else, I’ve only ever bought one scent at such a rate (a 10ml decant of Serge Lutens’s bell bottle exclusive Iris Silver Mist) and even only came close to it one other time (a full bottle of Byredo’s Inez & Vinoodh, which I got at a slight discount and which therefore worked out at around 1,70-1,80€ / ml).
I agree that per ml they ARE expensive, but they come in 10ml packages too and so the lay out is not so bad.
The original men’s Perry Ellis scent, usually called Signature because his signature was on the box, was reissued a while back (and reformulated, of course) in a massive 5-ounce anniversary edition: I got mine a few years back for $19.99 and it can still be had, because even though it’s discontinued, they produced about a billion bottles. The new stuff is not as great as it used to be, but it’s still a good, serviceable men’s leather fougere scent.
That sounds pleasant.
Silences pdt, a 100ml bottle for under $40. When I blind-bought it a few weeks ago and first tried it, it was like ‘oh! It’s Bandit!’ So I did a side by side. About 5/6 the same. The last 1/6 or so differs with Silences being a tiny bit greener and Bandit a tiny bit warmer/spicier. Both are very much heat of summer fragrances- and now I have a cheap back-up for Bandit!
It’s funny – I cannot deal with Bandit at all, but I really love Silences. I see the relationship, but the differences are where Bandit gets all sinister.
I tend to think of Silences as being No. 19’s witchier cousin.
That is funny that they’re poles apart for you and almost identical to me. I wish it was possible to find out formulas because I’d love to know how much perfume dna they do in fact share!
I feel the same way about those 2. Can’t do Bandit but love Silences. Although between No 19 and Silences, I find Silences to be the friendlier sister.
Scent twin who knows nothing about Bandit. I had to rescue Silences from its summer hideaway, and it’s my favorite cheap scent, although perhaps not the very cheapest. It’s a bit funny on this windy, chilly day, but only you NSTers know.
A lot of the bottles I actually own were pretty inexpensive but I thought I’d branch out from my usual cheap thrills to something I wear less often. Wearing Pacifica Spanish Amber, and will probably switch to Vanilla Flash (both inexpensive and thrilling!) when this wears off.
I like Vanilla Flash also- you smell fab
Ooh both killer choices!
I love that Pacifica Amber. Pacifica is a great source of excellent cheap thrills.
Does your Vanilla Flash have a strong rose note (almost dominating the vanilla)?
Yep, there’s definitely lots of rose in there. I like the balance between the notes, though, and this has emerged as one of my recent favorites even though, at the beginning, I did expect more vanilla.
I blind bought mine and everytime I think of wearing it when I feel like wearing a vanilla, I change my mind because it is not vanilla enough! I will layer it with either Vanille 44 or one of my other heavier vanillas.
I’m wearing Fleur de Mimosa Body Mist by & Other Stories. It cost me 7 euros and the bigger size might be something like 15. It has mimosa and musk and I like it.
I keep on being tempted by that but cannot face the huge queues to pay at the Regent Street branch whenever I pick it up. The do pretty good clothes too.
I walked past the Regent street branch the other day, the clothes did look really nice. Do you live in London?
The scent sounds lovely Annicky, and what a steal.
How does it compare to Mimosa and cardomom?
I do indeed – do you?
No, i’m a Londoner tho. I live in a village in East sussex now, but i do miss London, and try and visit every couple months. Where about’s do you
live?
Well, Mimosa & Cardamom is definitely the better scent and it’s spicier and creamier and the mimosa is more realistic. & Other Stories it’s a nice little soapy thing with a touch of mimosa. You have to keep in mind, though, that I have the body mist, not the EDT. The latter isn’t expensive either, but might smell different.
Thank’s, i’m hankering after a full bottle of mimosa & cardomom, and i’ll definitely give this one a whirl as well, thanks.
If you like the Scandinavian Blogger style (I do, sometimes), they are definitely worth checking out. Their scents are probably too one-dimensional for perfumistas, but the body products are nice (try the fig body scrub!) and the candles are decent as well.
This was a reply to SophieC. I’m having Fridaybrain.
One of those stores just opened not too far from my work place – I’ll have to check it out.
Worth a try in any case. It’s not a super cheap brand, but crazy cheap stuff makes me nervous anyway (you HAVE to cut corners somewhere to got to those prices).
Since you seem to love Mimosa so much did you ever try L’Infante? (I know, I know it’s a Divine, but so lovely and carefree and summery)
It’s completely OK to recommend Divine
I don’t think I have tried this one, but it’s also true that I keep mixing them up a bit…
Hijacking your post to say I adore L’Infante! So glad to see another fan! Love the entire house.
I love there body products! The shower gel doesn’t suds up as much I like – like lots and lots of bubbles, but for the price the options are worth taking a look at.
Recently purchased their new sandalwood hand lotion and I love it.
Also on the “smelling like a man, man” theme, I’m wearing Dior Homme. I got it at a discounter for $35.
I keep on meaning to try that one – do let me know what it’s like if you have a minute.
I’d describe it as unisex for sure. I’ve said that I think if you slapped a different name on it, you could market it to women and no one would know the difference. It’s basically an iris gourmand (dominant notes are iris and cacao) with a bit of lavender, which I guess is supposed to make it masculine, but the herbal part is over pretty quickly.
I’m thinking of getting hubby for christmas, based on all the great reviews, and some of my favourite notes, + i could ‘borrow’ it occasionally, as well as enjoying it on him!
Heh.. good thinking there.
Ooh… That’s on my list to buy! Which discounter? And you smell fabulous.
It wasn’t one online. Here in Houston there is a street called Harwin that has a lot of discount perfume shops (among other things, like knockoff purses and stuff like that). I got it at one of those.. a lot of them have names that are some variation on “discount perfumes”, so it can be hard to keep them straight.
I love that one. Unfortunately, I don’t have any right now, but I think I need to buy a bottle soon. You smell great.
Thanks! It is good stuff.
Fantastic ad-certainly made me smile on a rainy Friday! I have completely forgotten about the theme today but just could qualify as I sprayed on Café Rose from a decant bought online – so certainly cheaper than the full bottle. It somehow didn’t manage to stop me falling asleep on the train this morning though…
I miss the Old Spice Man
I am wearing Guerlain Samsara on this sunny, windy, and cool perfect New York City Autumn day. Lots of sandalwood goodness.
Does samsara smell anything like Songes?- both are jasmine and sandlewood i think, so curious for any comparisons, thanks!
Hmm…no…but they’re both gorgeous. I’d say Songes is sweeter: flowers, there’s frangipani and tiare. It’s a melage of lovely, tropical creamy flowers and vanilla. I don’t get sandalwood, so maybe there’s way less (samsara is famously sandalwood-y)
My experience of Songes was definitely as a white floral, and I don’t think I’ve heard Samsara described in that way at all, despite the presence of jasmine.
I agree – Songes is lovely but very tropical, whereas Samsara always seems somehow warmer and definitely more sandalwood heavy – I like them both but would wear Songes on holiday somewhere tropical and Samsara more in the autumn and winter if that helps.
Thanks for all these comment’s- really helpful, looking forward to trying out samsara soon sounds perfect for this time of year!
*waves from Greenwich Village*
Ah! Nice. I just ordered a mini of 90’s EDP which I’m excited about, though I’ve only tried the current version.
90’s edp Samsara is fabulous! You may need to escape from yourself for the first half hour but it’s such a grand experience
Thanks for the warning and confirmation of fabulousness! Even the current sometimes requires a bit of mouth breathing and airing out before leaving the house. But it’s worth it.
Where did you order from? Jealous
EBay $15 for a 7.5ml mini. Check etsy as I’ve seen it there for not so much more but with shipping charges (nine of cups was the seller)
I got mine for $10.50 off of ebay!
Sandalwood loveliness.
Scent twins! I knew this would be my comfy, cheap thrills scent. It’s awesome.
Most of my bottles are from ebay uk,cheap thrills to a higher or lesser extent.
I was hoping my 100ml bottle of L’Ambre des merveilles would arrive today- it was a steal at £47.00, i won it by around £3.00, so feeling very pleased with myself!, but alas it was not to be.
Any way, i’m actually wearing Kenzo Flower, gorgeous violet powder, soft and pretty, but with enough character and presence for me to notice throughout the day.
I like it more each time i wear it. 30 mls set me back £9.00 i think.
Yes. Ebay is great. I discovered perfumes in Ebay and never looked back. I’ve had great cheap finds there. The craziest was a bottle of Feminite du Bois edp from Shiseido, unused, in box, for £37!!! Yes, £37.
Whaaaaat!
Wow, i’m so jealous!
You smell gorgeous! I like and appreciate Kenzo Flower the more I wear it. It’s just so pleasant, unique, and interesting.
The internet is crazy. I found a vintage full bottle of Shalimar edc that sold for $30 online!!! Unfortunately the auction closed on my birthday so I forgot about it (I know, I’m terrible), but I never thought it would close at that price!
Oh no, i hate it when that happens!, i too often forget when things are ending, then kick myself when they go for a song.
Oh no! I planned to spray Anais Anais but forgot…however, my SOTD is Fève Délicieuse but from a small 7ml bottle I bought off ebay for cheap (auction ended in morning, so not many bidders).
I’ve disqualified myself big time.
It’s nice though. I tested it in Selfridges and liked it enough to buy this mini, but wouldn’t splurge on a FB. I appreciate sweet ‘gourmand’y types, and I have been known to sprtiz Angel now and again, but…let’s say I keep it formal with these guys.
It’s more important to smell nice than to qualify
4711 Echt Kölnisch Wasser. Wirkt wahre Wunder! — Original Cologne Water. Works true wonder!
For $9.30, a cheap-thrill classic eau de cologne.
Yes! Nice to hear it mentioned.
To be honest, I am beginning to think that I am the only one who considers it a real cheap thrill, unless there are better eaux de cologne out there that sports performance at this price?
Though I’m sure everyone would expect me to be wearing Natori, I decided to surprise you all – I’m wearing Laura Biagiotti Venezia, which I got for something like $20 on Fragrancenet. It actually has a fair amount in common with Natori and smells, to me, like the 90s. I don’t know what it is about this scent but it makes me think of being a kid at that time and smelling this on everyone older than me. Something about its plummy vanilla-ness to put me in mind of that decade.
Are you wearing the old Venezia or the reissue?
Just checked – the bottle appears to be the reissue. I never smelled the original, but it still smells like that time to me.
I haven’t tried the reissue. I had a bottle of Venezia in the mid-nineties. I enjoyed it but never made a repurchase, whereas I’m on my third or fourth bottle of Roma.
I love the original and I think it was pretty much all I wore for a time, then when I discovered the reissue in Venice airport a few years ago (but couldn’t buy it as they only had a tester) bought some online – I still really like it and to my mind certainly reminds me enough of the original to be good to wear.
That sounds like something to try
I got you covered on the Natori!
Haha – thanks Lizzie!
Wearing a free sample of The Noir 29.
Free is the best kind of cheap.
I realized that I have very few cheap thrill perfumes, so I’ll be following this thread with interest. Usually I go with decants of expensive thrills!
Today I’m wearing Lolita Lempicka, picked up from Nordstrom Rack for $40. I enjoy the odd savory scent.
I agree LL is very satisfying – it’s also the closest I can get to liking Angel. Now I’m wondering why I’ve never worn it to the office? Too girly? Hmm…
But you smell good!
I think this is my first time wearing it to the office. If it weren’t for cheap thrill day, I would have chosen something else. I tend to spray on LL when I’m curled up in bed reading a novel. But I’m enjoying it at my desk this morning!
LL was my runner-up for today. You smell great!
My cheap thrill is J. Crew No. 31. I purchased the roller-ball (and its sister, No. 57) on mega-sale for under $10 a month or so back.
What do you think of it? It got a little too sweet on my skin, but maybe I need to try it again.
I don’t find it too sweet. It does go a bit boozy though. There’s a base note that reminds me of JM Pomegrante Noir (sorry, still not great at identifying all notes). I like it, but I have to be in the right mood. I would not wear it in warm, sunny weather or to a job interview. It is getting me into weekend mode quite nicely, though. Again, that booziness.
I agree it’s pretty sweet because of the fruit, but what makes me like it is the boozy aspect – reminds me of cocktails! Perhaps it goes less sweet in the cold?
Glad you were able to spare the time for a rollerball!
You smell great.
LOL! I grabbed it and threw in my bag as suggested. Bonus: I can reapply later if needed!
Dark Horse from Dame Perfumery. I love this! Happened to be a free sample with my last order, but it’s great that they have the trial (5 mL) sizes for such a reasonable price.
Dame is really good for those prices.
I’m wearing Encre Noire; I’m planning on buying a bottle eventually, and when I do, it’ll be inexpensive. I’m hoping this scent brings good luck in an interview today.
Really? I found full bottles online at Target for about $20. You might want to check it on Black Friday, since Target usually has good sales on their beauty products.
Encre Noir is still on my list to try, but since it’s so cheap I’m very tempted to just blind buy it. What would you suggest?
We can enable each other ;).
Good luck on the interview!
If you generally like vetiver I think Encre Noir is a pretty safe blind buy – I bought it unsniffed and have been very happy (my husband and son wear it too).
Ooh, Black Friday’s a good idea. I think it’s the first vetiver I tried, and I love it.
Yessss….scent twin. Bexca, we are on a role….
Great minds think alike.
Encre Noire is such a fabulous cheap thrill, and a great choice for an interview! Good luck
Thanks! I think it worked, because I got an offer. :O
Congratulations!
Good luck, Bexca. I hope nothing goes cattywampus
I got there 40 minutes early, and nothing went cattywampus.
Good luck on the interview. Encore Noire is on my list, since I like vetiver a great deal. Good to know they have at Target.
It should be on every vetiver-lover’s list, says she with only a couple of years of perfumista-hood.
Good luck Bexca!
Thanks! All the good thoughts seemed to help.
Break a leg!
I did, I did! Well, not literally.
Ok, so when I want to feel girly, flirty and sexy in a tongue-in-cheek way, I love wearing Body Fantasies Cotton Candy body spray. (No judgment lol!) Normally a big 8 oz bottle is all of $7.99 at Walgreen’s, but recently on a trip to my local Family Dollar, I saw a Christmas gift set that had the 8 oz spray PLUS a full-size body lotion for FIVE dollars! I promptly snapped up two of them, and today I am thoroughly enjoying smelling like the fragrance equivalent of a pink angora sweater dotted with sequins
Hey, that’s a bargain and a half! No judgment here.
I’m wearing my most recent cheap thrill: Roberto Cavalli Oro, which I bought after reading Gaia’s review at The Non Blonde. It’s a whole lot of spicy, ambery, woody, oriental goodness and set me back a whopping $11.00 at one of the discounters. It’s so good that I went back and got a back up bottle!
I’m really glad we’re doing a cheap thrill community project, especially for those who are new to perfume. I often wonder if they think they have to spend a fortune to get a nice perfume collection and the good news is – No, you don’t!
I’m a big fan of Oro, Gaia’s review got me to dig out my bottle. It reminds me of L’Artisan Poivre Piquant with better lasting power to be honest. I got my bottle at TJMaxx years ago for $7 – on clearance because the plastic snake on the bottle was broken ????
Scent twins! I’m also wearing Oro. In some ways it’s like a much flashier Musc Ravageur (also Roucel). Might layer with Theorema later.
An enabler pin for you! Just bought 1.7 oz for 14.99. At that price, I can’t pass up spicy, ambery, woody, oriental goodness.
I haven’t picked a SOTD yet.
It might be easier if I were a dude. I could borrow that Halston Z-14 from my husband’s dresser – I love Z-14, it smells like Rainbath shower gel on steroids and testosterone shots, but it’s just too Dude for me to wear. I would be more comfortable in the hub’s tighty-whities than I would be in Z-14, but it is just so great and so cheap.
Think I’ll go with vintage Emeraude today – I paid $16 for a 3-oz bottle of 70s pdt on ebay several years ago. So gorgeous.
haha! The only men’s frag I can comfortably wear so far is vintage Eau Sauvage. The current version is too blunt and tenacious.
Someone mentioned Diva the other day, so that’s what I went with. It was a tough choice between that & the vintage Joy edt I got at an estate sale for super cheap.
I’m surprised you like Emeraude–isn’t it an oriental? Think that’s why I’ve shied away from sampling.
Oh. Excellent mental image! TWs vs Z-14! Makes me think we should play “Would you rather…” on NST one day! For those unfamiliar… it goes something like this: My 12 year old will ask, in all sincerity, “Mom, would you rather brush your hair with hundreds of smashed spiders or eat 25 smashed spiders?” Deep!
I’m wearing cheap-thrill Tokyo Milk Dark Bittersweet, one of my favorite cocoa scents as it’s not sweet and doesn’t smell like Cocoa Puffs, layered over Lush King of Skin body moisturizer. Cocoa buttery goodness!
Lovely. I get cocoa from TM Bulletproof, too. Do you remember that Origins chocolate body cream. I don’t know if they still make it but it was pretty amazing…if you like smelling like melted dark chocolate, that is.
My memory of Bulletproof is failing me, though I’ve smelled them all. Is that the one with smoked tea?
I haven’t shopped at Origins for over a decade but melted dark chocolate sounds tempting.
Yes…and coconut milk. But the smoked tea smells more like raw cacao to me.
And the origins was Cocoa Therapy…came out around the time of their ginger products
Y’all know how I love layering, so no surprise I’m wearing 2 perfumes; attars of sandalwood and rose. I found 2.5 ml attars for $3.50 each at a local Indian store – that’s cheap folks!
It’s also proof that you can find joy in unlikely places, so today I am encouraging everyone to go out, explore, and hopefully find some joy for yourselves.
Attars are concentrated perfume oils typically consisting of one note. If you can get your hands on them they are a pretty good way to determine what notes you like and do well on your skin.
I love going into the Middle Eastern and Indian shops and finding treasures! I like attars but I dilute them in avocado oil so I can place a few drops on my scalp when I do my hair. It’s awesome!
That sounds amazing! Two of my favorite notes. Hmm, wonder how late the Indian grocery store is open tonight….
I’m in a cheap thrill AND a “man’s” scent, Encre Noire. Getting my hair cut and colored (did I just write that? Apparently hair coloring is the biggest lie women routinely tell–not weight because nobody asks, but “no, it is natural” apparently roles off our tongues with surprising ease…ANYWAY). My hair dresser is picky about “florals” so I went for an uber-un-floral.
Last night for personal and global reasons (terrorism nearly eviscerating a community with whom I work) I was in a funk. But totally unexpected packet arrived from an angel NSTer of some wonderful samples… the loveliness of it cheered me up enormously. I love you guys!!
That was a timely delivery, for sure. Sorry to hear of your distress
So sorry — glad an angel cheered you up.
I am wearing Paul Smith Story, which I got for four or five dollars.
Love that one!! And nearly never hear it mentioned.
SOTD is Galaad (Lubin). Lovely resinous stuff…
Bal a Versailles, which can be found inexpensively enough at discounters that I think it counts. Or at least it used to be. Mine is one of those dime sized parfum de toilettes that I got off ebay for under $10.
How important do you think it is to have the vintage of this, or is the modern version also worthwhile? I love my tiny, ancient sample acquired at an antique store, but I’m open to trying the new if it smells enough like that.
I’d say they can be different – I have a modern EDT (gold rather than yellow box) and it dries down to a sweetish powdery leather. There’s a bit of a cola or root beer tinge to it, and the opening is slightly offputting. Whereas I’d say the vintage EDT has more dry, lightly honeyed hay and civet. I’ve never tried any of the other concentrations in modern, just vintage – if you ever find vintage pdt or parfum for a good price, snap those suckers up. They are fab, and luckily sample sizes pop up on the bay all the time for reasonable prices.
If you find a deal on the modern edt, I’d still say go for it – but it seems to have vanished from the discounters for some reason. Dunno why, it isn’t discontinued. I got mine for $40 or less.
I have one of those – it’s so great. And powerful, so you don’t need much.
My SOTD is Deseo by Jennifer Lopez. I paid like $10.00 for a FB. I bought a decant of this a few months ago from STC because I hadn’t worn it in years. I remembered how much I liked this one. Probably one of the only celebrity scents that I actually like and wear. So, after I ran out of the decant, I bought a FB. When it first came out, I remember paying a lot more than that, but now you can basically get it anywhere for the cheap-cheap. LOL! Glad that they (perfumers) didn’t mess this one up and left in its original form. Just like I remembered it.
Cheap thrills: I have a magpie like eye for a perfume/cologne that is very well priced and will carry me through the day! Sometimes on sale, sometimes the price is too good to pass up….
Today, a couple of cheap thrills: Showered with Smoky Poppy shower gel- very, very pleasant after a workout on a grey, foggy morning. Smoky, soapy, slightly licorice-peppery smelling and warm. It reminds me as a rounder, slightly sweeter Tramp but with spice taking the place of patchouli. I picked this up at TJ Maxx for $3.99 a couple of days ago. RUN, RUN, RUN and get this.
With that- Royal Apothic Dogwood Blossom from a couple of seasons back. it was exclusively at Anthropologie; they had on clearance and I picked up a travel spray size for $9.95. I get a warm, rich slight sweet, and spicy hug from this. Yet it is not heavy at all. It’s smells like tobacco cured with ginger, cocoa beans and tonka. It’s not heavy and very easy to wear. I can’t find it anymore and I am kicking myself for not buying the big bottle!
I had no idea there was a perfume named Tramp! Fantastic.
Also, I may see if my Body Shop still carries any Smoky Poppy stuff – I liked what I smelled.
I should clarify: Lush had a shower gel named Tramp, which was awesome but is now discontinued. It was a woody, smoky and patchouli rich scent – the essence of deep forest. Smoky Poppy is like this, but swaps out the patchouli for nutmeg and mace. But you don’t smell like Christmas morning at all!
The Body Shop has I think the body oil, and maybe cosmetics but all the Smoky Poppy body stuff, including the eau de toilette, is discontinued. You will have better luck with the TJ Maxx family of shops.
Amazon still has Smoky Poppy. (no affiliation, despite having plugged amazon TWICE today)
Enabler!
And an another enabler pin for Pixel!
Smoky Poppy was not on display at my local Body Shop but when I inquired, the SA knew which drawer housed their remaining inventory.
Adam Levine for Her, aka Lady Levine, is no more than $50 even at the full, drugstore price. At Winners it’s $13 for the small bottle and $20-25 for the large…
THat one I keep pondering buying a small bottle of. (Target online has it for $14.)
Today I’m wearing Nature by Yves Rocher. It is such a delightful green mossy fragrance! Super refreshing and invigorating while keeping a certain elegance.
Wearing Boucheron, a small bottle I got at my grocery store for about $37.00. This is lovely white florals, not heavy but with some intensity up close. I find myself wearing it more and more…
Boucheron reminds me of my Dad-when he was alive he wore the mens version and he always told me that the woman version was so beautiful and I should consider buying it for myself. I am sure you smell fab
SOTD is super cheap Bvlgari Omnia. Very affordable but smells like it cost a whole lot more. Happy Weekend!
I wasn’t prepared for this challenge, so I had to look around here at Mom’s for a qualifying scent. Ran across a splash bottle of Stetson aftershave that somebody abandoned in the guest bathroom and sloshed some on, lasted about half an hour but was rather fun.
Further digging unearthed my old bottle of Demeter Prune, which I love but neglect terribly. I smell like spiced raisins.
_That’s_ resourceful. Using someone else’s cheap purchase to meet a Friday project so your expenditure was free. Brilliant.
I like the sound of Prune. I was thinking about plum scents yesterday so might track this down. Happy start to the day thanks to you!
SOTD is Mauboussin – a fabulous oriental that can be purchased online (I got mine at fragrance net) for about $20 or so.
That’s a good one! It smells niche-y to me and have to say I love that pyramid bottle, I have a mini I don’t wear often enough.
I love Mauboussin, and actually prefer it to the more popular Christine Nagel, Theorema. The anise in Theorema wears on me after a while.
That one’s pretty great.
Bastet, you smell delicious.
my most memorable cheap thrill was a pristine vintage bottle of Lauren from the 80s (full bottle) for 20-something dollars. This is the square burgundy bottle with gold cap that us kids from the 80s wore all through the halls of our high schools while watching Pretty in Pink and Breakfast Club and Say Anything repeatedly.
sotd: Diptque IE Jasmine
Um….I still watch those movies repeatedly.
I had a total blast introducing my teenagers to those movies. (Ferris Bueller, too.)
Fantastic films- love ferris Bueller’s day off!
You’re getting me all nostalgic over here with those movies.
Although Lauren was a pretty sophisticated one for high school back then. All I remember was clouds of Georgio and Paloma Picasso.
My mother wore Lauren so I definitely associate that one with her. I used to think it smelled like vinegar but I’d probably like it now.
I’m in Sand & Sable today. I’ve seen it at drugstores/big box stores for $29.99 a bottle so it’s more like a “moderately affordable thrill,” but a few Christmases ago Walmart had .375 oz. bottles for $3. It was an easy purchase to make.
I got one of those! Blast from the past as well as cheap thrill.
I fell in love with a scent strip of S&S wayyyy back then. I collected several scent strips but never got a bottle. I guess the baby-sitting money didn’t cut it. Fun memory jog!
The closest thing I have to a true Cheap Thrill (one where the fragrance and the price both actually thrill me) is Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile EDT – I found a 125ml bottle for $90. Not the steal of the century or anything, but not a fortune either … and the sight of that tall bottle on my perfume shelf makes me feel like I have enough to lavishly spray to my heart’s content.
So my cheap thrill was Lush’s solid Breath of God. Since it doesn’t last on me, toppec up with Chaos again ????
Dame Perfumery’s Leather for Man….at first sniff I thought it smelled very much like the original Giorgio for Men (which I really did not like) but Leather for Man I love!!!! It’s like the best of Giorgio for Man (or for me basically what Giorgio for Man should have been).
And with the 10% discount that came with the trial size, a 3.3 oz bottle was $58.50…Dame produces great fragrances at very affordable prices.
SOTD = Jacques Zolty Van-Ile
I’m continuing my Vanilla Week and today’s is also a. Cheap Thrill. I have a decant from a swap with clarissa who single-handedly increased the stock price of First in Fragrance, but I digress. Not taking i to account shipping cost and no VAT, a 100 mL bottle is ~ $135. The notes list on this one is all over the map but suffice it to say it is equal parts floral, citrusy, musky but all dominated by a cozy vanilla. It reportedly has heliotrope, one of my favorite notes, and it actually further lifts up the vanilla.
Bulgari Black, which I got at TJMaxx so long ago I no longer even remember the price, but I am sure it wasn’t expensive.
I am joining you in Black! This one amazes me the most for amount of $ compared with amount of awesome.
SOTD is Smell Bent Incensed, I think their whole line qualifies as cheap thrills, especially their generous samples.
I opened up all my swaps from the recent swap meet last night… SOOOOO fun! So many new things to try!
I love those samples. They’re basically purse sprays.
Smell Bent is good value, I think.
Madness … A Christine Nagel creation. Off-kilter sweetness. $NZ 20 ten years ago. Was this perfume a bit of a flop?
Is that Chopard? I don’t even know if it was a flop, Chopard is so poorly distributed in the US.
Yep Chopard. Maybe just a flop in the South Island of NZ! Snort!!
It’s kind of burnt sugar and raspberry
Yes, I think I may have heard that it was a flop. Cheap packaging, too hard to place between masculine and feminine. … something like that.
I have a bottle of this and I love it. Great in the colder weather. I find Nagel’s early orientals quite lovely and rich with stewed fruit notes yet somehow deftly rendered as savory rather than sweet. This and both Mauboissons, the original and the orange one excellent values.
I am wearing probably my favorite cheap thrill, Jessica Simpson Fancy Nights. It’s a delicious oriental perfect for the cold windy day today. I swapped for my bottle but it’s available at Walmart for under $20, I might look for a gift set since holiday stuff is out already.
That’s my go-to-bed-and-have-good-dreams scent.
I found my bottle at Ross, but just about every discounter has it. It’s such a wonderfully comforting chypre – you smell great!
My criteria for a cheap thrill is anything under $1/ml. Probably my best one is the 75% full bottle of vintage Norell I got at a house sale for $2. It’s the most fantastic chypre, chock full of oakmoss. For a widely available cheapie, my best buy was the Shalimar ode de vanille Mexique thingy that cost about $45. It smells wonderful on me and is one of the few scents I have backed up.
The Shalimar Mexique thingie will be my next purchase! I recently finished a sample and liked it more with each wearing. The scent is similar to the real thing but with a twist and softer, easier to wear. It will make an excellent companion piece to the vintage Shalimar EDT I got from the spring swap.
Wearing Pink Sugar Sensual. I blind bought it for ten dollars. I didn’t even expect to like it very much, but I do.
Paloma Picasso Mon Parfum EdP – there are unboxed 1.7-oz bottles on FragranceNet for under $25. Amazon has that in a boxed set with body lotion for $45.47. (No affiliation with either.)
Victoria gave it 5 stars on Bois de Jasmin in 2007. “The fragrance manages to retain a marvelous balance between its rich and ornate elements, presenting a strong signature and distinctive character. As a result, while being a true child of the 1980s, Paloma Picasso Mon Parfum does not feel dated.”
I love Paloma Picasso.
Ooooooh I have been enabled. I think I’ve heard this be compared to L’arte di Gucci, which I adore. For $25…..oy am I tempted.
I love Paloma too! A great, woody chypre.
I am wearing Arquiste for J. Crew No. 31, which I picked up at their website for $5.40, which included tax. They didn’t charge shipping, which was great. I am thinking about the No. 57, but it’s a full bottle, not a rollerball, and they are charging shipping and tax. Still, that only brings it up to just over $27. Would it be worth it?
I bought bottles of both (Arquiste for less than $30 – couldn’t resist) and like the 57 a bit better than the 31.
Also meant to say I am enjoying them both.
Other than the boozy notes, No.31 is a fruity floral, which is a genre I don’t typically enjoy. On the other hand, No. 57 is an woody oriental (with booze), my favorite genre, so it is my favorite of the two.
I bought Arquiste only in the FB and like it very much, but I can’t compare it to 31 or even describe it. Big help, duh. ????
Someone commented here a while back (probably a couple of years ago – time always passes faster than I realise) that $100 was the new free in the niche world, and I have enthusiastically taken that to heart
Of course, that is more like $65US when I factor in the exchange rate, but that certainly brings a lot of nice stuff at the online discounters into the realm of “they’re practically giving it away – can’t pass that up”! If I start thinking in US dollars, there’ll be even more bargains…
Current Vent Vert, which can be bought for a song at most discounters and would make a heck of a holliday gift for a non perfumista who favours fresh scents – I keep suffering with its lack of true galbanum, but I don´t think this would bother normal people. it´s unoffensive, very elegant, office appropiate and the square bottle with the disco ball cap is sturdy and truly awesome.
Roger et Gallet dry oil in Bois d’Orange…I found a full bottle of this yesterday for 10$ when ducking into a vintage store, to dawdle out of the rain. It had just been mentioned here, so I picked it up without testing.
Checked online, and even at full price it can be had under $50. I will probably top this up later with something like Theorema to play off the orange, but for now it’s pretty subtle and soothing (and for the record, a nice oil than say the Nuxe oil, which I got for 7$, and wouldn’t pay more for…not nearly so nice as Aftelier, which is around 40$).
Inspired by Robin, I’m wearing Eau Lente from Diptyque, one of my favorite spicy scent. I got one of the old square bottles for $40 when they dumped them as they transitioned to the new oval (uglier) bottles. (If you catch something just as it is discontinued, it’s often cheap for a brief time.) And since I love carnation and have good memories of Old Spice, I really should check that out. Robin, is your bottle the current formulation? Or do you have some vintage? And is there even a difference?
I have a decant of vintage and new, and hard to say — the newer is lighter and fresher, but they’re both decants so aging is a factor, right? I would not want to say without smelling from bottles. And even my “new” is several years old, and probably predates the IFRA restrictions on clove. Don’t see how Old Spice could still be making a really good carnation when nobody else can…
Plus adding — don’t know the date of my “vintage” — just that’s it’s supposed to be old.
Hi, everyone! I’m sitting in a cafe in Whanganui (about 250 miles south of Auckland) drinking latte and girding myself up for The Visit. As I said yesterday, my cheap(ish) thrill is Rahat Loukoum. Its gourmand glory is soothing but interesting, and the temperature here is much lower than Ak, so it’s all working well. So. About to leave and approach the m-I-l. Wish me luck and self-control, everyone: I’m about to leave the trenches and go out into no-man’s land!
Good luck!
P.S. Your post reminded me of Byredo Rose of No Man’s Land.
May I suggest Ativan? It slows reaction time, but the punches don’t hurt as much…
Buena suerte!
I think intravenous gin might the best right now…possibly for both of us!
It’s slightly morbid, but I count myself lucky that my husband’s mother passed away before we got married – she would have been a holy terror as a MIL! I’m dedicating my bourbon-based cocktail to you tonight. Bon chance!
Love your description!
Sorry – meant about the effect of Ativan…
We have a sudden return to winter here so I’m wearing Obsession, for which I paid $20.
I might have worn Amarige ($30) but that would make it three days in a row. I know, I know, ‘wear at home with the windows taped shut’. Well, I don’t.
I don’t either! I love Amarige!
Yay! We Amarige wearers need to stick together.
Wearing Bodycology’s Pretty in Paris. $3.99 from Kroger! Appropriate tonight, as we pray for Paris during the terror happening right now.
Gosh, I did not even know about Paris until I was driving home from the train station! I kind of feel jerky that I was out shopping and enjoying myself while all this was happening! My prayers are with Paris…
Joining the I smell like a man, man contingent! The ever beautiful and criminally underrated Davidoff Zino is my cheap choice. You too could be trailing delicious wafts of tobacco, rosewood and patchouli. All this for under 20 clams!
Oh my god, that sounds fabulous.
Comme des Garcons’ Vettiveru. One of the best fresh, light, uncomplicated vetivers on the market.
Even though 85 € for a full bottle at first glance doesn’t look that cheap, one mustn’t forget that that gets you 500 ml of the stuff!
500 mls … an entire bathtub’s worth! I salute you.
Today’s cheap thrill – Ava Luxe Love’s True Bluish Light.
This house makes some beautiful oils.
25 USD for 5 ml of oil which lasts forever
I love Ava Luxe and I love Love’s True Bluish Light. Nice choice.
Missed the Friday but I am chiming in to report I have been wearing the hell out of Dita von Teese’s fragrances lately. They’re getting harder to find in the U.S.; I don’t know if she’s discontinuing distribution here (HSN used to carry them, now only has them remaindered). But they’re all really good. Rouge is a nice amber, the original is a white floral bouquet to do white floral bouquets proud, FleurTeese is a lovely purple bouquet and Erotique, I must say, has turned out to be a lighter cousin to Amouage Memoir Woman and I’ve been wearing it (Erotique) quite a bit.