That’s a presumptuous title, isn’t it? Why should I know what perfume will lift your mood? I don’t, so here’s a list of five perfumes that make me happy. My criteria is that they be friendly, uplifting, and maybe a little wacky. No brooding orientals or pretentious oeuvres here. Maybe you’ll find something to perk you up, too.
Jean Patou Colony: On the top of the “happy because it’s wacky” list is Colony, a pineapple syrup-infused chypre. To me, Colony is like an elegantly dressed woman who knows how to burp on command or who does a spot-on imitation of Foghorn Leghorn — all without mussing a hair of her chignon. How can that not bring you joy? For a bohemian take on the same concept, L’Artisan Parfumeur Ananas Fizz (sadly discontinued) adds beach grass and sea air and begs for a seaside vacation. A note: another Jean Patou scent, Joy, is curiously wistful and not — to me, anyway — particularly mirth-producing.
Yves Saint Laurent Yvresse: Yvresse is another joyful light, fruity chypre. I rarely find that one spritz is enough. Oh, it’s potent enough to survive on minimal application, but I find I want to spritz and spritz and chuckle and inhale its nectarine-chypre goodness. It makes me feel like a princess — one of the lesser princesses, without a lot of public responsibility and only rare mentions in Paris Match. (Another note: Did you know Yves Saint Laurent Nu is back in production? Hurray!)
Revlon Jean Naté: What I love about Jean Naté is its cheerfulness. When I wear it, I smell like a vanilla-lemon sorbet in a plastic cup. Also, it’s inexpensive enough and has such a short life on skin that I can splash it on by the palmful. That makes me happy, too. I keep a big jug of it in the refrigerator next to the capers and mustard.
Parfums de Nicolaï Le Temps d’une Fête: So pretty, so lush, so easy. Le Temps d’une Fête feels like a purring cat on your lap while it’s raining outside, and the narcissus you rescued from the garden before the storm set in resting in a vase on the mantle. I find that Le Temps d’une Fête brings me comfort if I’m not already happy, but boosts my happiness if I’m on that path anyway. (This one has been a stalwart in my perfume collection, and I sob to see that it's discontinued. Penhaligon's Ostara, another narcissus I love, has been discontinued, too. Amouage Myths Woman or Masque Milano Romanza might work as substitutes, but they're a bit moody — gorgeously so, mind you — to be purely "happy" perfumes.)
Elizabeth Taylor Passion Extrait: Surprise, huh? Really, it’s not Passion that makes me happy, but dipping into this and other oddball, discontinued gems. Maybe it’s the storyteller in me. When the world feels bland and gray, I can splash on some Millot Crêpe de Chine Eau de Toilette, follow it up with a dab of the Extrait, and live in another world for a few hours — one that flickers in pre-code black and white. Vintage Pucci Zadig Extrait paints the day with Italian women in 1960s hairdos and miniskirts in Venetian palazzos. A splash of vintage Paco Rabanne Calandre is goofily Jetson-gorgeous, too, and makes me ache for go-go boots and Sassoon bangs. To get back to Passion, it’s so perfectly Elizabeth Taylor that it’s almost too ridiculously full-blown, to the point that it demands that you march into the world saying, “Yeah, I’m as beautiful as a dozen pink roses next to a flawlessly groomed white poodle next to a gold Rolls Royce next to a diamond and ruby parure, and I’m won't apologize for it, either. I’m not going to try to be ironic or hip about it.” It cracks me up. I love it. To me, that’s pure happiness.
I know these perfumes probably aren’t your choices. What fragrances do you count on to lift your mood? Please share!
Note: top image is Happy Color [cropped] by Waldemar Merger at flickr; some rights reserved.
Somehow today is more like a stress day then an international happy day for me! So I will share my favorites for staying in a zen state of mind, which will lead to happiness..right? Who knows..
1. Cristalle: crispy cheerfulness
2. 31 RC: because you can’t frown or slouch while wearing this. Peace in a bottle. The united nations should know about this juice.
3. Mon Précieux Nectar: Anything will orange blossom, almonds and some florals screams “oh sunny day to me” and you can go outside and face the cold.
4. Petit Guerlain: reminds me of those floral waters I got as a child in the tinker bell container. Makes me smile when I smell the small vial
If perfume can help achieve a zen state of mind, we definitely need to know about it! So, thank you for your suggestions. (I love the idea of a fly-by spray of 31 Rue Cambon on the United Nations, too.)
Very interesting post, Angela! Hmm… happy scents for me are two Guerlains: Samsara and Cologne du 68. I’m not sure why, but even just smelling Samsara makes me grin. And Cologne du 68 makes me happy because on my skin it initially smells like Ambush – and I mean from jr. high ages ago!
I’m surprised you didn’t mention Chamade as a substitute for Le Temps d’une Fete. I, perhaps unkindly, always felt that Nicolai was trying to make a version of Chamade with her fragrance.
Samsara is another happy fragrance for me as well
Cologne du 68 is a wonderfully happy fragrance.
Two votes of approbation! Thanks!
putting that on my to try list!
There’s something really comforting about Samsara to me, which is certainly a road to happiness. I really do love Chamade–not doubt about it. But to me it’s different from Le Temps d’une Fete in that it focuses on hyacinth rather than narcissus. But I love them both!
Thank you for the fun list.
I often forget how much I like a batty perfume. Here are some of mine:
Kenzo King Kong (long discontinued): a banana chutney chypre with with a Scope chaser–mint, coriander, ginger, cloves, banana, oakmoss, birch tar, and probably a million other things banned by the IFRA. As weird as the weirdest Zoologist scents (a good thing).
CdG Garage: It smells like a garage curated at the Whitney Biennial.
LL Patchouli 24: The world’s sexiest essence of creosote treated lumber. The smell of making out with the hottie who rescued you from a tire fire while the screen fades out.
Demeter Gingerale: Does what it says on the tin and cheap enough to respray every hour for the fizzy pick me up.
Diptyque Virgilio: the smell of a warm day in the herb garden, which for me is the scent of happiness and comfort.
Love love love your selection of “batty” perfumes! (And love the word “batty” too!) The descriptions are priceless. Thanks!
I am lol at your description of LL Patchouli 24! That’s a classic!
It is! I like the others, too.
Laughing out loud! I Love your descriptions and have to try Virgilio if it smells of sun and herb gardens!
I know. Kind of irresistible, isn’t it?
De-lurking just to say how HAPPY I was to see your first choice be Colony!I treasure my bit of vintage,that pineapple-note is ridiculously good.
My scent of Happiness:Bendelirious.Always Bendelirious.Champagne and cherry lollipops.It fills me with joy.I really should wear it more often,and not only as my party-scent.
Portrait of a lady brings me joy too,but in a very different manner.It was one of the first perfumes that made me cry,because it was-to me anyway-so heartbreakingly beautiful on first sniff,and still is!The happiness comes from the fact that a perfume can evoke that much emotion in me.
P.S and lists!!Lists of any kind,Top ten of this and that…Goodness,I love lists.It makes the world less confusing.Lol.x
I agree! Lists are fun.
I’m glad to see another Colony lover! Bendelirious has a cherry note, doesn’t it? That sounds equally happy-making. And I know just what you mean by a perfume that evokes emotion as Portrait of a Lady does.
Angela, thanks for this post. You made me smile.
Happy scents of the top of my head: Eau des Merveilles, Jour d’Hermes, Atelier Cologne Grand Neroli, Chanel Eau de Cologne and 4711, Eau de Guerlain, Infusion d’Iris EdT, Parfums DelRae Wit and Debut.
I love Jean Nate. It has made me happy since childhood. It also makes a great cat repellent. Years ago I would spritz an old pillow with Jean Nate and put it on a couch to keep kitty from clawing it.
“off” not “of”!
That’s hilarious about using Jean Naté as cat repellant! I’ll have to add that to my arsenal. Maybe I should sprinkle some around my big ficus–the one the cat loves to dig in.
She’s right; cats hate citrus!
I have a bottle of BBW White Citrus that I like, but never wear. Wonder if that would work?
It is quite the citrus bomb.
Give it a try and report back!
I’m going to try it. (Sorry, Squeaky, no more digging for you!)
I’m going to try it, too!
For years now my ultimate happy scent has been vamp a NY
How fabulous it is to have a happy scent that endures….
Bombay Bling makes me ridiculously happy. So does Fille de Berlin; the name is all wrong on that one.
Bombay Bling is over-the-top silly and delicious. I agree with you about Fille de Berlin, too–it doesn’t smell to me as sad as it seems like it would.
Completely agree! I consider this one my fave NV (a hard choice, to be sure).
I haven’t tried the latest two, but I will, eventually. I like her first three a lot.
I loved reading this list. And so happy to see Colony on there. I like this one so much, I have a full bottle.
For me, I think my smile-inducing perfumes are Temps d’une Fete (also sobbing that it’s discontinued), Eau de Camille, Jean Nate, White Linen and Herba Fresca.
We have quite a few favorites in common!
Ditto White Linen and Herba Fresca.
Both are so crisp.
Givenchy Ysatis always makes me smile. It’s the custardy ylang that it has. In some ways Ysatis similar to Hermes 24 Faubourg, but (with apologies to its fans) I find 24F to be rather too humourless, too worried about her skirt riding-up. Ysatis just laughs at her. She wore beautifully cut jeans to that party, and had much better time.
You know what makes me happy? Anthropomorphizing perfume. Seriously, I love it. So, naturally, I love your comment!
What a fun post!
I’ve had a few perfumes make me burst into laughter the first time I tried them. How’s that for happiness?
L’AP Dzing!
NV Bombay Bling
Byredo Pulp
CBIHP A Room with a View
Nice choices, and some of my favorites! Of course, I adore Dzing!.
I need to re-try Dzing. When I sampled it years ago it smelled so very like the Keeneland horse sales that it was like being there.
But in the last year or so I’ve been falling for L’APs that didn’t move me before. So maybe…
Do give it a try! It settles into a sweet muskiness that I can’t stand in other perfumes but adore in Dzing. I’d love to know what you think. Also, we should be in touch, because I have–at least, I think I still have it around here–one of the original bottles of Ambush. You should have it. I’ll see if I can find it anywhere.
The list of perfumes that make me happy is not the same as the list of perfumes that make me cheerful, if that makes sense. Ostara is the only thing I can think of on both lists, actually. I wonder why I don’t wear it more often.
The perfumes that make me happy are things like L’eau Scandaleuse, which was the first perfume I every really fell in love with, Cuir de Russie, which is just so beautiful, or the hug of something like Attache-moi. Ostara makes the cut for obvious reasons. The last slot would probably be Femme, because I just smile every time I smell it for so many reasons.
Cheerful? I’m reaching for Smell Bent Tok’yo Mama or Ostara or… um… that’s all I got. Even my citrus perfumes are a little too husky-voiced to be “cheerful” — My current choice is Bergamask.
I wonder why those lists are so different for me?
Oh! Tocca Stella and Dame Passionfruit, Orange Blossom and Vetiver! That’s five!
You did it! They’re so fresh and fruity, too.
I like thinking about the difference between “happy” and “cheerful,” but, even more, I like thinking about some of the fragrances you mention, like Cuir de Russie. So nice.
May I confess?
Giorgio Beverly Hills makes me happy. Maybe it’s the “driving a golden rolls royce with lucite heels on” effect. Or the sheer amount of transgression involved: such an unreasonable perfume feels like doing three sorts of illegal drugs AND having an affair, heck, two affairs, but without the nasty side effects. Or it might just be the careless youth memories, when life seemed as bright and linear as those nuclear white flowers.
Such a fun poll!
You’re in safe company here, and I love your confession! I also love the way you describe Giorgio–it almost tempts me to sample it again. Almost.
Love this!
Liquid morning sunshine: Jour d’Hermes (I much prefer the parfum version!), 24 Faubourg, Ester Lauder’s Pleasures Intense & Pure White Linen.
Cosmetics: Lipstick Rose, 4160 Tuesday’s New York 1955, Insolence.
Desserts: Aedes de Venustas (Custard rhubarb tart), Nectarine Blossom & Honey
Then there is: Honore des Pres’ I Love Les Carottes. Oh my gosh I love them carrots!! Makes me smile everytime I wear this.
Hey, that’s a great way to categorize happy scents! Sunshine, cosmetic, desserts, and carrots!
Oh, I forgot Les Carottes! I love Les Carottes. Good choice!
Lush 25:43 is my number one happy scent (reading this made me go spritz it!) Smell Bent Never Never Land and Tauerville’s Rose Flash are on my list too. And I’ll join monkeytoe in mentioning Demeter Ginger Ale.
I love how carefree those fragrances are!
Rose Flash is definitely tops on my list.
That clinches it. I’m heading up to Fumerie to try it this week!
Do it!!
And just in case Andy Tauer ever reads this comment: thank you for creating such a fun but complex frag! It’s lovely!
That’s so nice!
I always thought original 1999 J’Adore was the scent of pure happiness. BK Beyond Love is a joyous tuberose. L’AP Fleur d’Oranger 2007 is an ebullient orange blossom. Amouage Beloved is a cocoon of happiness as befits the name. Chanel Coco is a beautifully dressed up kind of happiness.
That said, to be honest, I don’t so much notice if perfumes smell happy, but there are many good and maybe even great perfumes that I’ve passed over because they small sad to me. I can’t bear sad perfume! I tend not to remember them, but one example is Heeley Verveine. It’s excellent and I thought I liked it when I bought it, but I never wear it because I take one whiff and get a sad feeling.
It’s really weird how strong my reaction is to what I perceive as a sad scent – unbearable!
Oh, now, that’s interesting. Lush, full florals make you happy, so what is it that makes you sad? Now I want to smell Heeley Verveine.
I agree; I want to smell the Heeley too.
I should try to send you both some – I have plenty!
BTW, the one I have is the original Verveine, not the current Verveine d’Eugene.
Yes, I think florals can be especially happy, but they can also be sad, too.
A store in my town sells Heeley, so I should be able to sniff it there. I sure appreciate your offer, though!
I will be eternally grateful to AnnE for introducing me to Fleur d’Oranger. It’s exquisite.
Perfumed joy-hmmm. Joining in on the love for Bombay Bling. It’s just such a fun, in-your-face kind of fragrance.
And in a high quality way, too. Agreed!
Pulp, Bombay Bling and Mimosa & Cardamom are my top picks, love them all and wear them often.
I also adore Champagne/Yvresse, but it smells a bit of bad girl fun to me (I call it “a sinister bellini”), so it’s not an entirely sunny-happy scent in my case.
I’m scaring the cat with my laugh at “sinister bellini”! Hilarious.
Just to mention a few:
DKNY- it smells like sweet lemons, yummy!
Precsriptives/Clinique- Calyx green fresh explosion
Loewe- Loco another crazy fresh fragrance
Guerlain- Limon Verde smells just like the name
4711 Acqua Colonia Lemon & Ginger another sweet lemon
All those fragrances sound so fresh and rich and happy!
Nice post, Angela!
My happy perfumes are:
1. Atelier Cologne Cedrat Enivrant – liquid vacation in a bottle!
2. Prada Candy – does anyone NOT like this?
3. Chanel les Exclusifs 28 La Pausa – who says you can’t have fun while smelling elegant?
4. Le Labo Iris 39 – fizzy animalic ginger (I am not into animalic but this one works!)
5. Chanel No. 19 EDP – soooo good it makes me deliriously happy that I can spray with abandon!
My Iris 39 is on its last legs, and I need some more! Lucky for me, I just learned that Le Labo opened a store in Portland. I need to visit.
My happy scents are some of the oldies. My first bottle of Paris (1983), Avon Charisma, Deci Dela, and the first version of Sortilege.
I gravitate more toward contemplative scents now; a more relaxed happy.
Hmmmm…I should think about that.
I think there’s a story there….
I remember that you have an attachment to Parure, too, right? (Or am I remembering wrong?)
Oh… you are good.
Yes, bring on the Parure Apocalypse. I have the stuff on tap! But that was then. I guess my definition of happiness has changed.
I wish I could get my hands on some Santal Sacre. Sample gone, and no promise if more.
Is it my age or the times?
How’s about a Fentynal patch as a GWP?
I know what you mean about changing definitions of happiness. I swear, a hot bath and a good night’s sleep are worth diamonds.
Your idea of GWP would sell a lot of lipstick!
Happy scents- Rhubarb Escalarte and Basil Mandarine ; they make me think of warm spring days digging in the garden! Love planting new plants and rubbing basil leaves between my fingers!
Oh, you make me want to get out into the garden. Talk about happy! Will spring ever get here?
1) Tom Ford Neroli Portofino – vacation happiness
2) Chanel Eau Premiere 2007 – fizz and sunlight. Ethereal happiness
3) Gucci II EDP – fruit, woods, florals and musks, = earth mother happiness
4) Gucci Rush – Sexy happiness. I wasn’t clubbing in 1999. I was a 24 yo new mom. GR made me feel sexy again. It still does.
5) Angel EDP- She’s a gorgeous, genius lunatic. The best jokester with the brashest belly laugh ever, who reminds me always, “Never take yourself too seriously.”
I love your descriptions of different types of happiness! Each of them is its own wonderful type.
I just love Gucci Rush, it’s all cheerful slightly vulgar fun. Reminds me of hanging out in the courtyard of Pat O’Brians in New Orleans drinking Hurricanes with a bunch of friends; the night is sultry and everybody’s kind of sweaty and rowdy, you decided to wear your vintage fruit basket earrings and you haven’t laughed like this in ages.
Kerosene Black Vines made me laugh as soon as I smelled it, that pure licorice just makes me think of a greedy little kid in a candy store.
Really have enjoyed this great post and everyone’s comments. We all need cheering up these days when spring is just out of reach.
I love your description of Rush–especially the detail about the fruit basket earrings! As for spring, I can feel it lurching forward, but I sure look forward to two sunny days in a row.
I also love your Rush description!
I third Rush for all the reasons stated by everyone!
I echo the suggestion of the discontinued Ostara as a cheerful scent — I just love it and have bought my second back-up bottle, while it can still be had for a reasonable price.
Custo Barcelona L’Eau is another of my happy, cheerful fragrances. It is so bright, light, un-serious! And for me, it evokes happy times discovering Barcelona and Gaudi, all swirls of color and funkiness. Barcelona is now one of my favorite cities, after several visits (including a recent trip that included some “perfume tourism”!) and Custo Barcelona L’Eau symbolizes it for me.
You’ve inspired me to wear Ostara today. I only have a small decant, and I’m thinking I’ll need a whole bottle.
I hope you get to Barcelona again soon!
My favourite mood lifter is Vamp à New York. I find many fragrances to be cheering, but none quite so uplifting as the vamp. Thanks for such a fun post.
You’re the second (or third?) person to mention Vamp!
I loved reading this! I love lists
Two that I find uplifting: Apres l’Ondee, En Passant – they share this sheer veil of water and purple spring flowers that makes me very happy and a teensy bit contemplative.
Three that are sunny and happy: vacation scents! Mimosa & Cardamom, MMM Beachwalk, Lys Mediterranee. I wore all three during my honeymoon in Hawaii, so that memory adds to the joyful feeling when I wear these.
Memory and association can supercharge a fragrance in such a good way.
I hadn’t thought about it much, but I think happy/cheerful scents tend toward green or some sort of pretty floral with citrus…
Aliage, partially because it reminds me of being in my 20s and it is just so refreshing on a hot day.
Bendel’s Pink Grapefruit and Vetiver (long discontinued), Pamplemousse Rose, Le Temps d’Une Fete, The Body Shop’s Satsuma EdT, which is so mouthwatering delicious, and then my Plumeria floral water. That last one is a transport to Hawaii….
All of those sound so delicious!
I’m pleased to see so many people mention my beloved Le Temps d’une Fete. It’s my personal Happy Place.
Others that make me feel cheerful: Guerlain AA Pamplelune and Teo Cabanel Alahine, as well as nearly anything with galbanum in it.
Galbanum can be so spring-like that it’s hard not to feel cheered by it.
The last fragrance that made me smile at first sniff was Lipstick On! It’s not very high on my fb list but I smile every time I think of it.
I think most of my list is fairly common – or at least, there’s nothing unexpected here.
1) Guerlain Mandarine Basilic – I wear this all summer long, it’s so bright and cheerful.
I got my first bottle on a trip to Disney World a few years ago, so aside from how fresh it smells, I have some strong happy memories associated with the scent.
2) Jo Malone Nectarine and Honey
3) Jack Covent Garden – It’s so fizzy and fruity, although I’m not as in love with the drydown.
4) Laila from Geir Ness – Yes, the “Essence of Norway”.
5) Clinique Happy
It’s funny that no one mention Clinique Happy before now! I see a strong leaning–through all these comments–toward fresh, citrusy, and fruity scents.
I have samples of your first two- I think I’ll have to dig them up this week, I could use the extra cheer. (Couldn’t we all?)
A big YES to that!
Shalimar – when black clouds hang over me, this perfume comforts me, there is something very deep and spiritual about Shalimar.
Beautiful (Estee Lauder) – brightens my day, makes me feel beautiful.
Alien – our of this world, beam me up shot, I only wear this once in a while
Opium (new) – makes me feel strong
Stash – good man by my side smell, I dig this perfume
I love reading people’s lists. I feel like I know you a little bit from it, even though we’ve never met.
You are my favourite perfume blogger, Angela, your writings have a good sense of humour and practicality, they resonate with me.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that.