What I Smell Like.
Weird… right?
Anyhoo.
I’m a big scent person. The most delicate whiff of toasted coconut makes me think of baking thumbprints with Mother Lovett at Christmas time, and when I come across one of those old school perfume kiosk things in a Walgreens or drug store I always search out White Diamonds because my mom used to wear it when I was little.
When Bath and Body Works opened up in our mall (um, I still remember this) I was fanatical. I don’t even know if I was 10 years old yet, but my best friend and I would practically beg our moms to take us, then we would come home and videotape ourselves making a TV show with our purchases.
I’ve always favored fruity, vanilla, coconutty or musk scented products, as anything with the slightest hint of florals makes me sneeze 63 times in a row. And thats only if I’ve taken my Claritin.
My first big girl perfume was Sunflowers by Elizabeth Arden… oh dear, was I ever obsessed. I’m pretty sure Sunflowers began the whole 90s obsession with actual sunflowers for me. I may or may be hoarding half a bottle in my dresser drawer just because I like to smell it occasionally and be transported back to the 6th grade when I work silk shirts. Along with my straw hat with a big, poofy sunflower in the center… that I never put on.
In college and the few years following, I dabbled in Armani Mania, Armani Emporio, Dior Hypnotic Poison, Dolce and Gabbana The One, Hanae Mori and Vera Wang Princess. Some young adults dabbled in drugs… I stocked up on perfume. I don’t think I ever bought the same bottle of perfume twice as I bore extremely easily, until Chanel Allure. The 2nd bottle is still sitting half full on my dresser too. Old habits die hard… but I occasionally still wear it.
The past few years I found my signature fragrances, and am still in lust in Prada and Burberry Brit. If these are even discontinued, I will cry cry cry.
I’m currently on bottles 4 and 5 of both, but since I can’t just stick to one scent, I switch them up – sometimes every day, sometimes every week or even month.
I’m not a huge fan of body sprays – I find that most of them have an alcoholy smell, the scent never lasts, and I don’t like smelling like a 14 year old girl. But I usually keep one on hand for in the car or after the gym – and that’s what this little bottle is replacing now. [BTW, many of you were asking about those Tokyo Milk products from last week’s post – I got mine in a little boutique in Michigan, so check out the website and store locator!] In high school, I was obsessed with Victoria’s Secret Amber Romance and Love Spell, and both of those scents remind me of friday night football and the like.
So now I’m wondering what scents you love + wear, and the ones that transport your back in time, like how my mom wore Passion in the 80s. That reminds me of big hair and shoulder pads… which my mom still stuffs in her tops.
Mr. How Sweet wears Burberry Touch – he’s been wearing that since we met. Every time he tries to switch I throw a complete conniption and make him buy a new bottle of Touch. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is. SO… tell me about your scent!
256 Comments on “What I Smell Like.”
I love that you wore Sunflowers because I DID TOO. And then I wore Explanation! And then some other crap that I can’t remember.
These days I rub up against a bouquet at the grocery store and call it a day.
LOL!
I’m in love love love with Marc Jacob’s “lola”. The perfume bottle cracks me up, as the lid is a giant rubber flower that is bigger than the actual bottle, and is a very, very nice trap for dust. But it smells divine and make me feel extra girly.
I’ve always loved that bottle!
I never ever used to wear perfume, but my parents went to Egypt and brought me back this amazing smelling oil. Its the only perfume I wear…and I have managed to have it last for 2 years. Not sure what I am going to do when its all out. maybe go to Egypt?
Uh… let’s take a trip!
I get tired of scents sooooo easily!
Currently my perfume is Vera Wang princess though i did love True Love for ages and it totally takes me back 10 years when i occasionally sniff it
The truth is that i prefer scented body lotions and I might have thrown a fit in Bath & Body Works yesterday when i found out they discontinued Pink Grapefruit, baaahhhhh! :P
I’m a big fan of Burberry Brit too! My other three favorites are Light Blue by D&G, Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker, and Coach Legacy perfume
We have similar taste ;) I am a big fan of Hanae Mori, Burberry Brit, D&G Light Blue, and my go-to is Vera Wang Beautiful.
I rarely buy the same scent twice mostly because there are too many new choices I want to try!
I knoooow! So many choices.
I currently wear Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and I adore it. I bought it to wear on my wedding day and on special occations but just can’t get enough so I wear it almost daily now. The smell of Herbal Essences “Hello Hydration” shampoo and conditioner always takes me back to my time spent in London and travelling. I only used that shampoo and conditioner the entire 6 months I was there.
i’m still in love with stella mccartney’s stella. i have it in a bottle and a rollerball for traveling. i also love the “stella” scent by tocca. apparently i have a thing for stella?
also – the tokyo milk perfumes are usually available at anthropologie stores!
I used to wear FCUK for women, Armania Mania, and Burberry “Brit” but have now switched to D&G No. 6 and am in love with it, on bottle #3.
If you like Burberry “Brit” and Armani Mania check it out.
Will do!
I think my first scent obsession was Ibiza Hippie by Escada. Oh the memories… :)
I wore Escada Tropical Punch for awhile too – love those scents!
My fiance wore Ralph Lauren Double Black when we first started dating, but he ran out and hasn’t bought more. I need to buy him some because it’s forever etched in my mind as HIS scent. Double Black smells like Mat.
My absolute favorite is Tocca Stella from Anthropologie. It’s a vanilla/musky/orange blossom scent that isn’t overpowering. Love love.
I tried the Tokyo Milk scent Gin & Rosewater perfume a couple weekends ago and loved it! I regret not buying it….might have to go back to that store soon. :) Although is it bad to smell like gin at work?
It might be tempting to sneak out for a lunchtime cocktail?
I have way to much perfume! I used to wear Clinique Happy, Michael by Michael Kors, many of the different body sprays from Bath and Body Works and Victoria’s Secret. Current perfume obsessions include Pucci, Amazing Grace, Tahitian Sunset by Escada, Rock Princess by Vera Wang (this has been discontinued, so sad!) and Envy by Gucci.
My first perfume in high school was Clinique Happy. If fact I think my makeup was Clinique too!
I love Marc Jacobs scents… but right now I’m obsessed with CLEAN perfume in Fresh Laundry. Its so light and perfect for summer :)
A lot of my first “nice” makeup was Clinique too!
Nuthin’. :)
But I grew up wearing (in no particular order) White Shoulders, Love’s Baby Soft and Opium when I was in college. I have become quite scent-sensitive, so I avoid pretty much everything these days.
OH man… Love’s Baby Soft! How could I forget?!
I’m really sensitive to smell. Traditional perfumes make me feel like I can’t breathe and I can’t really wear them. I love good smells though. I found these perfumes in Sephora and I adore them. They are fresh and light, and don’t seem to irritate me at all. I love anything citrus and they have so many different citrus scents that I’m hooked. You can even layer a couple of their scents together and it still smells fresh and crisp.
http://www.pacificaperfume.com/
I’ve seen these before and always wondered about them!
The don’t last all day – the only down fall. However, I usually just use the little solids. Perhaps if you layer the products it would last.
I’ll have to check those out! I’m soooo sensitive to any perfume that’s floral, perfume-y, or musky… which covers about 95% of them. Gives me a horrid migraine-ish headache. One of my pet peeves is ladies who drown themselves in perfume… it’s inconsiderate and ensures that I’ll be miserable after about 30 seconds in their company! LOL So, thanks for the recommendation, Sarah!
I agree with that – I think you really have to be mindful about where you are going – like if you’re going to be in an enclosed area like church, etc.
I have an almost empty bottle of Allure that I love to sniff occasionally, too! I’m a huge perfume lover – but I’m super picky. I rarely buy one more than once, but for the past 4 years I’ve loved Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it – it’s become my signature scent and I *ALWAYS* get compliments on it. Must just work with my body chemistry – seriously love it!
My Grandma wore Gloria Vanderbilt. I rarely smell it on anyone else, but if I did, it would definitely bring back a ton of memories. My Mom’s two faves are Opium and Obsession…can’t smell either without thinking of her.
OMG my mom and grandma also wore Opium and Obsession! I knew I was forgetting a few. Haven’t smelled them in a long time.
I still have a deep-seeded obsession with Bath & Body Work’s Limelight. Luckily I think their latest lime flavored scent is an exact rip-off of my now-discontinued favorite, so I STILL WIN, Bath & Body Works. Ha!
My “something blue” for my wedding was actually a scent–True Blue by Faith Hill. I have long since knocked out the bottle and have yet to replace it, but every time I wore it from my wedding day on, it took me back to that day. I think I’ll have to pick up a bottle for our anniversary in October! :)
In other weird scent news, my high school boyfriend wore Abercrombie & Fitch’s cologne and that scent still gets me all lusty like a high school girl.
Well, just walk into ANY mall and you should be able to smell it right? That store tries to suffocate people I swear.
Oh, Sunflowers. I loved that scent when I was younger, too. I think I still have a half-used bottle lying about somewhere.
In the last few years I’ve been very much into floral scents, especially realistic rose scents. Bath & Body works makes (made??) a scent called Moonlit Path that actually smells fabulous and not teenagery at all. I also like soapy smells (like classic Dove), but a perfume that smells soapy would be…weird.
I’m a sucker for Ralph Lauren Blue… I don’t know why, but every time I search for a new perfume, I always regret the purchase and go back to my trusty square blue bottle.
But Clinique Elixir still brings me to tears… smells attached to strong memories always do, don’t they? My nan wore that every day of her life until we said “see you later” on August 17, 2010… almost exactly a year ago. I still keep a bottle and spray it on a blanket she knitted me to take to college years ago so I could carry her with me wherever I went.
As a long-time (part-time) employee of Bath and Body Works, I am still pretty loyal. I alternate between the Aromatherapy Jasmine Vanilla (though I have a theory that only brunettes can pull that scent off) as well as Japanese Cherry Blossom and Black Amethyst. I think, even if I wasn’t still working there, I woudl still wear these fragrances. I just love them. The Jasmine Vanilla makes me feel sexy/sassy no matter what I am wearing, which I love. :)
BAHAHA! I went through the Sunflowers phase in middle school, too! Too funny!
My very FAVORITE perfume on the planet is Flowerbomb by Viktor and Rolf. It will always remind me of my courtship and romance with my amazing husband! I wore it on our first date as well as our wedding day and love to bust it out on special occasions as a reminder of where we started:) I will always have a bottle (or two!) in my cabinet. I even have a purse-sized bottle just in case:)
As for men’s colognes, Hubby wears Versace and I swoon every day he wears it. Gah, it smells so good! :)
Body spray is Sensual Amber (Bath and Body Works). I usually apply it a couple of times a day. I also use perfume, but I like having something to mist all over my skin.
Perfume is Vera Wang Princess OR Pink Sugar. Love both (I’m like you, can’t do florals)
We have the EXACT same noses! :)
I wear Chanel Chance, and have been for the last few years. It usually lasts me for about a year, but I am almost done with the bottle and thinking about changing it up.
I wore sunflowers too! And vanilla fields. I loved anything vanilla. These days Im loving Daisy by Marc Jacobs, but I’m almost out and wanting to try something new. Now I have some good suggestions!
Um… cancan by Paris Hilton. Don’t judge me, that (choose your own expletive ) really knows her fragrances. That’s only in the summer. The rest of the time, Romance by Ralph Lauren or Euphoria by Calvin Klein. Sometimes, also Obsession, too.
At Walmart by the little travel sized perfumes, they have little mini empty bottles that you can fill with your own, big bottle of perfume. They hold 75 sprays – that’s how I finally ditched the B&BW body sprays that made me feel like an 8th grader in my car console.
No judgement… a few years ago my grandma saw the cutest sparkly clutch purse in the mall, and she tried to buy it but it ended up being a gift with purchase of CanCan. So she bought the Cancan and gave it to me and I don’t think it was that bad!
Good grief I totally forgot about Sunflowers. Yep I wore that. Remember Tribe? Wore that too, and I’m pretty sure it stunk…bad.
Back in the day it was also Tommy Girl, Clinique Happy, Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise or Lucky Brand’s Lucky You, oh and maybe some Curve.
Today I wear Juicy Couture or Burberry London or Calyx. Anymore I tend to like earthy, grassy and slightly floral scents.
OMG Tommy Girl… that was HUGE!
oh vanilla vanilla vanilla! I spent a bonus once on Flowerbomb, delicious! These days since it’s summer and it’s warm out and everything feels too heavy, I lather up with Shikai Coconut body wash and body lotion…. and then I want to snack all day at work.
I wear Versace Bright Crystal. Clean and refreshing! But a better story is that I work for a large university and the other day a student walked in with what I SWEAR was Michael Jordan cologne. WOAH tossed me right back into awkwardly slow dancing in middle school thinking that my flavor of the week boyfriend smelled like what a real man should smell like. Yikes.
My first big girl perfume was Elizabeth Arden too (Spiced Green Tea)! Nowadays my signature scent is Zen by Shiseido- awesomely spicy. I like spicy perfume smells by not foods… It’s this whole thing…
My mama wears Beautiful by Estee Lauder and it will always always always remind me of her.
Ha, Sunflowers totally brings me back. So does Tribe (remember that one?! http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_svG_PaBUr5k/Sa_BPz2NS6I/AAAAAAAAB-4/WKRrY6s3YrU/s320/perfume-tribe.gif), and Exlamation: http://www.fragrancex.com/images/products/SKU/big/358W.jpg
These days I wear my favorite ever (which is discontinued, so I’m forever on the hunt for it and buy it in heaps when I can from Amazon)- Jil Sander, Sun. And I still wear Liz Claiborne Realities because my mom wears it and it smells pretty!
Oh and I used to bust out Tommy Girl and Cool Water in college…
Cool Water!! Ahhh all of my school crushes wore that.
I wear Chanel No. 5. My friends say I’m the youngest person they know who wears it. But it smells great with my body chemistry and my boyfriend always tells me how good I smell, so I don’t care.
Sunflowers and Happy! Oh the memories. I think for me it also started with a big sunflowers obsession, hard-core, and I actually still love them to this day (would have had them in my wedding if the colors weren’t totally off). But anyways…I’ve been wearing Hanae Mori for years so it’s pretty much my signature. But I don’t wear it every day, so in like, 6 years I’m not even through my second bottle! Loved seeing you mention it because I didn’t think it was very common or popular. Love it!
I’m a Lavanila girl – Vanilla Coconut, to be specific :) And it’s all-natural, so I don’t generally have to worry about people reacting badly to it, which is nice. Before that, I wore Pink Sugar for a while. For some reason, I’ve always loved smelling like dessert.
I love the Lavanila scents!
I’m currently loving gucci II, stella mccartney, juicy couture. I’ll have to check out burberry brit and prada. love your random non-food post!
Im a big fan og D&G Light Blue, and theres a Gucci one I love too, I cant remember what its called though. Thats going to bother me.
Also, not gonna lie, I’ve got a couple of Britney Spears perfumes, and I love to wear them when Im feeling . . . friendly.
My all time favorite men’s cologne is DKNY Be Delicious. Back when I worked at the bank a customer came in wearing it and I got so distracted I accidentally gave him $1300 extra (dont worry, he told me and gave it back). I loved that cologne so much. Then my brother started wearing it. Its officially ruined for me.
Hahaha! I had an ex-boyfriend that wore a Marc Jacobs scent – I freaking LOVED it. So after we broke up I bought it for my brother so I could still smell it… lol.
Recently I’ve just been using scented lotions. Bath and Body Works’ Sensual Amber right now.
I love Armani Code and Dolce & Gabbana light blue, but I don’t wear perfume that much anymore.
However I am fully convinced that just one light spritz of Gap Dream will immediately transport me back to middle school as will CK One and Victorias Secret Love Spell.
And everyone knows puffy shirts with straw hats & Blossom flowers were super cool. Esp if you wore them with big red Sally Jesse Raphael glasses.
CK One!! Another one I forgot, haha.
I wear Intimately Beckham and more recently J’Lo’s Love and Glamour. IN LOVE
I adored Sunflowers, and remembered when Bath and Body Works opened in the mall as well! Like you, my friends and I made weekly trips there!! My mom wore Passion as well, and I looovvvved that smell!! These days I’m all about Ed Hardy….I love every scent of theirs!
My mom wore White Diamonds too. I think she still does. I’ll always associate that perfume with her! Coconut reminds me of summers in Miami. Anything pumpkin scented brings me back to my first fall here in Michigan. Leather makes me think of my dad and the briefcase he used to take to work. I’m a big fan of smells too. :)
Right now I’m obsessed with J-adore. I also really really like BBW’s new White Citrus body spray.
My mom wears J’adore!
too funny! i just pulled the burberry out of the archives this weekend. . i forgot how wonderful it smells! it is officially back in my rotation along with the ol’ Banana Republic stand by.
My scent of memories is Miss Dior. It brings a rush of memories from when I lived abroad and discovered it in a duty free shop when I landed in Switzerland in the mid 80’s. I have a bottle with a tiny bit left and have managed to find it occasionally throughout the years at a very high price.
Vanillas, coconuts, orange even. Bath and Body works doesn’t make their stuff like they uses too, such a disappointment. I love sandalwood! So gals you can find it again now. The real deal, essential oils with bergemount and a touch of rose. I make my own scents, no point in the chance of over powering me with sneezing. Plus living in AK is not a Miss Dior setting!
omg..we have the same scent personality!!
Chanel Allure is my VERY favorite perfume and I will be buying more. I also love Burberry Brit. Wore Vera Wang, Dolce & Gabana, etc. Sunflowers too!!
I really like Juicy Courture too – I always get compliments when I wear it.
I love anything citrusy, but I must admit… I’ve never owned a “big girl” perfume! And the one smell that makes me wanna puke is anything baby powder-y. Must be repressed memories.
My first perfume was Vanilla Lace from VS and it takes me back to my first kiss every time I smell it. I always gravitate towards scents that smell like food…my go-to perfume is Angel by Thierry Muiegler. Smells like chocolate. ;)
I was a Love’s BabySoft girl in junior high….although can’t figure out why I would want to smell like baby powder. Now if I had a signature scent, I would say anything citrus or vanilla. I usually only were scented lotions from bath and body works and every Christmas if I canactually get my hands on some winter candy apple, my husband says it reminds him of our early years together. We met 12 years ago so I guess that is pretty sweet ;)
I remember, like it was yesterday, the teacher I had that wore Vanilla Fields – or whatever that fragrance was called. It made you smell like a vanilla macaroon in just a couple spritzes. I can almost still smell it.
My mom wore all kinds of perfumes. She was a partier in the 80’s…there was no end to the crazy. Shoulder pads that came in cans – High wasted acid wash with zippers on the side (she even had a peach acid wash pants suit…the hotness – she brought it). She wore Poison (Dior I think) and Tiffany (which – even though I share the name – and everything Tiffany makes me light headed with glee – their perfume made my head ache in ways that are not humane) and Prescriptives Calyx (which is actually pretty delicious).
My high school perfume days were horrific. I can’t even bare to tell you. The drug store was involved. These days though I stick to Burberry Brit (I agree with you LOVE LOVE LOVE), Dior Addict, and Armani Code. They seem to do the trick. And I don’t smell like alcohol and musk.
First of all, I rocked my sunflower studded hat, only mine was big, black, and made of wool or something (probably poly) and I loved it! Nobody else really liked it, but it didn’t matter to me. I wasn’t allowed to wear perfume because everything (other than Eternity or Tresor) made my mom go in to a head-spinning migraine. So, I didn’t really start enjoying perfume till I moved out at 17. What I have settled in to now is a love of Fresh’s Sugar Lychee and Miss Dior. I am in the no-floral club….can’t handle even a whiff. Like in the movie theater…have to move…..in line at the grocery store…have to get out fast…it’s bad news. I am turning into my Mother. No question.
I found my “signature” scent with Lancome’s “Miracle” years ago when sniffing in a magazine – I think I’m on bottle 4 or 5? I also just found an old bottle of bodywash in its scent, which I absolutely love using because, although a bit overpowering while in the shower, the lingering scent lasts and lasts. And I love that even my toes end up smelling great. (does anyone else like perfumed shower gel?)
On days when I’m not feeling so floral, I also switch it up with Banana Republic’s “Malachite” – I like it, but it doesn’t last too long. I also think it might be discontinued now (pout!) but I stocked up during a sale at one point, so I still have two bottles.