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’m not so much into scents since my mom never let me wear it growing up (My dad has severe asthma and allergies) But now that I can, I’m a habit of creature and have been wearing Philosophy’s Falling in Love… it smells like brown sugar! I don’t think I’ll ever change it up!
I love love love Ralph Lauren Romance! I’ve been wearing it for years.
I want to try the Burberry Brit! smells so refreshing!
I was introduced eons ago to White Shoulders by my mother. That was my scent through college.
I guess I am a one scent girl. I have some bottles on my dresser but I gravitate to Stella McCartney & Prada mostly Stella.
Love & Hugs, Pam
My mother purchased my first bottle of perfume when I was around 15. Bluegrass – I was in love. I am Australian and live in Sydney. My aunty and her family live in Boston. and on a lengthy visit there when I was 19 I purchased Shalimar – I still love it but love different experiences with pefume – Chanel is a favourite – Palermo Picasso is also a favourite and at the moment I have sitting on my dresser – Opium, Prada, Shalimar, Chanel Mademoiselle and Estee Lauder youth dew and white linen – quite a variety but enjoy each for it’s own personality. – love your blog – Love, Jenny
Your post brings back so many memories…Ralph Lauren Polo was popular with the boys when I went to high school…ahem…a few years ago. That scent reminds me of Friday night sock hops after the football game.
Fast forward 30 years….now I like lighter scents on the men I dance with. My husband wears Patrick Dempsey’s Unscripted….mmmmm……
For me….Love’s Baby Soft was my first love. Then came the triangular bottle of Liz Claiborne with its bold scent. Now, I like the lighter scents, too, and my signature smell is Light Blue.
How interesting that our memories are brought to the forefront on our minds with one sniff.
Oh my god… Sunflowers. Yes, I definitely went through a phase with that perfume as a girl. Then it was Davidoff Cool Water perfume, given to me as a gift from a boy who wore Cool Water cologne – I had such a huge crush on that boy ;). Nowadays, I love Ralph Lauren perfumes: Blue, Romance, Glamorous, Ralph Hot & Cool… I think I need to branch out!
don’t laugh, my first scent was Jean N’ate (cause it looks fancy that way) and tea rose. I think i wore so much tea rose folks thought I lived in a rose garden. Then i went through the VS phase with strawberries and champagne and graduated to Moschino (blame Lil Kim). Now though I like Amazing Grace by Philosophy. I got a small shower gel for my birthday last year and loved it, bought the set and it was gone in less than 6 months. BUt love it, it’s light and smells…………..girly and sexy but not overpowering.
Stella by Stella McCartney is my “sauce” as I like to call it. I’ve been wearing it for a few years with a few switch ups of Burberry Brit Sheer and Nina. Stella is my ultimate favorite and I would cry if it ever is discontinued.
I was in the cosmetic biz for years and fragrance was the last thing I wanted after a long day at work! BUT…my go-to fragrances are Pablo Picasso and Quelques Fleur. I have never gotten compliments on perfume unless I am wearing Quelques Fleur…and it’s usually from men! ;) Right now I wear ‘Falling in Love’ by Philosophy. It’s sweet and that’s how I like it. I also bought two bottles of Pink Sugar, but that fad ended for me halfway through the second bottle. All the perfumes I have ever worn…Allure, Tresor, Poeme, Eternity, Lauren (hello Junior High!), J Lo—ha ha!, tons and tons more…part of the luxury of working is cosmetics is that there is never a shortage of them to try…and you usually have a friend that works in fragrance ;)
Ooops…PALOMA Picasso :-) I haven’t had my coffee yet! lol
I wear Happy by Clinique. Every time I put it on, it brings back memories from my honeymoon because a friend of mine gave me a little bottle of it and I took it along to the honeymoon.
Light Blue by Dolce and Gabbana is my favorite!
I have to be very careful with perfume, because most of them make me feel ill and give me a headache (weird, huh?). My absolute favorite perfume is Chanel Allure. I wear it every single day! I might have to stop by the cosmetics department the next time I’m at the mall to check out some of these suggested perfumes!
Oscar de la Renta – it reminds me of my greatgrandmother, my grandmother, mymom & my aunt. they all wore it when I was growing up. My grandmother still has a bottle that I will take a whiff of…brings back memories of Christmas with my greatgrandmother.
Angel (not from Victoria’s Secret) by Thierry Mugler. I have been wearing it for years. I love it!
Oh my goodness, I too LOVED Sunflowers! I remember going through that phase! I had a dress with a sunflower print that I wore with leggings and a huge sunflower headband! LOL! I also remember freshman year of high school when everyone discovered Bath & Body Works….Sun-ripened Raspberry and Country Apple were the favorites. I also went through a Thierry Mugler Angel phase…today I can’t stand the stuff! But I still keep a bottle for memory’s sake.
Nowadays, I rotate between Stella McCartney, Miss Dior Cherie and Coco Mademoiselle for daytime. For nighttime, I love Flowerbomb.
I still am under the Love Spell. I don’t care if it makes me sooooo 2001.
And I also remember when B&BW opened in my town. They had this black raspberry vanilla scent that made me drool. It was discontinued, as are most things that I enjoy.
Though it’s not a perfume, the smell of any Aussie product takes me all the way back to fighting for mirror space with my sisters in the early years. I still use it cause I just can’t resist a trip down memory lane EVERY DAY.
My mom wore White Diamonds, too, but only when they went out to events like a fancy dinner or wedding. It always reminds me of my parents getting dressed up and my favorite babysitter coming over to play. I love how a scent can take you back somewhere!
I’ll have to check out the Burberry Brit and Prada. One of my favorites is the original Coach one. I took a little bottle on our honeymoon and everytime I wear it I think of Mexico!
Okay here goes…..Loves Baby Soft..loved it especially in the pasel variety pack.Next, Debby Gibson’s Electric Youth.Last but not least….CK One…yikes!Holy Embarrassing!
Ahhh…..a friend from the same embarassing generation…..good times. I seriously just cracked up at my desk over Electric Youth! I’d totally forgotten about that one, but I owned and wore it!
My first ‘perfume’ was Country Apple by Bath and Body works. I think I sprayed my entire room with that huge 16 oz plastic bottle of appley goodness. As for legitimate perfumes, I went to Gap and purchased my first bottle of spritzer called Heaven. Remember the series of scents they had? Heaven, Grass, and I forget the rest. Later I used to keep a travel size bottle in my car to spray inside to cover up the scent of the really cool Marlboro Lights I smoked on the way home from high school. I also sported Sunflowers (yeah!), CK One, and Clinique Happy – still a fav. Husband didn’t wear cologne, but that’s ok because he always smelled like Old Spice Pure Sport. He was just tall enough to my nose and his armpit were next to each other when we stood and I used to turn my head slightly towards him to get a wiff of that clean scent. Some stores have discontinued it, so when I see it, I stock up for him (me).
I used to work my way through one bottle of perfume and then move on to a new scent when that bottle was empty. However, recently I’m beginning to understand why my mother and grandmother had multiple perfume bottles of various scents lining their dressers. Of the top five that are currently in my rotation, DYNY Delicious (Green Apple) is my go-to. It’s fresh, energetic and crisp.
You’re so right! scents do bring back vivid memories. Estee Lauder private collection reminds me of my mom when I was little, specifically of her at Christmas time, because it was her “special” perfume. Now her signature scent it Coco Chanel -when I miss her (she’s still with us, I just live in another state) I go to sephora and sniff a bottle :) Polo blue is my dad’s scent :) All through High school my “signature” scent was Ralph Lauren Romance….I still love it, but my tastes have changed. I have worn and loved Miss Dior Cherie, D&G Light Blue…but my current favorites that are on my dresser in constant rotation are Issey Miyake De Issey and Coco Chanel Mademoiselle. Thanks for this fun post!
I love your blog and decided to post since I had not seen my favorite scent mentioned… Dior Addict – smells a little musky and also sweet like vanilla. Although it is not in my budget right now, I have always received compliments when wearing it. Another that I used to wear waaay back in the day is Dewberry by The Body Shop – got compliments from complete strangers for that one, but I don’t know if they even make it anymore.
Did I mention that I love your blog? I do! <3
Thanks Shannon! :)
My mom was a huge perfume fan and always stayed true to Estee Lauder, whenever I smell hints of the original Beautiful or Pleasure or Knowing, it reminds me of her(she passed away when I was 16 and after she died, I would spray her perfume onto one of her shirts and sniff away until I couldn’t smell it anymore.) I think my first real perfume was CK Black, but I never used all of it because i was afraid it made me smell like a dude. I remember I used Noa for quite a while in high school and then college brought on the Lucky but Lucky Jeans which I bought a couple of times, DKNY red apple that I bought a couple of times, and now finally I have come full circle and now wear Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess, it only comes out in March and when its gone, its gone until the following March so I stock up and this year I bought the Bronze Goddess and Bronze Goddess Soleil which I switch between. I usually just have one scent and wear it until its gone and then go buy a new bottle of something. When I was in high school I would have trays and trays of different Bath and Body works stuff and douse myself in a different scent everyday. My favorite in high school was the Papaya scent that came out in the summer only, now i buy Exotic Coconut almost exclusively for lotion and after gym body spray. It smells summery like my Bronze Goddess so they don’t clash!!
Does anyone remember Tabu? It was horribly (and I mean that) popular during the junior high days. Can you relate to those poor teachers, trying to teach and breathe amid a murky cloud of over-annointed pre-teen girls? Now it seems to be the boys who have taken over the title: imagine, if you will, a school bus filled with sweaty Axe-drenched band members. You are the chaperone and it’s a very long ride home. Good thing the driver sits in the front next to a large window or it might be an even longer ride.
I wear Burberry Brit too! I’ve been wanting to try something different, but I always just end up with Burberry Brit because I know I like it. Maybe I’ll try Prada next though…
Oh gosh, silk shirts in 6th grade… Just stirred up some painful memories right there. :)
My “signature” scent is D&G Light Blue. I’ve been wearing it for a few years, and I do feel very grown up claiming a “signature” scent.
Hands down, my favorite scent of my husband is in the morning when he comes downstairs for breakfast and smells like Barbasol shave cream… Is that weird?
The ones I wear now are Ralph Lauren Blue and Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue. (Names are coincidentally, I’m not obsessed with blue!) :)
My time warp fragrances are Estee Lauder’s Cinnabar, Youth Dew and White Linen as I remember most adults in my life wearing those when I was young. I always wore Ciara and Skin Midnight Musk by Bonne Bell and I would LOVE for them to bring that back!
Lauren. Red bottle. Takes me back to 7th grade everytime. Classic.
somehow i wound up with a bottle of dolce & gabana light blue lotion. since getting married 3 months ago I wear it every night to bed. bday is next week and i can’t imagine how many times i’ve hinted to my man that having that perfume would be perfect (: i love how smells can bring you places and create awesome memories.
Oh! I love Burberry Brit! Love. Juicy Couture is my favorite, but I tend to switch to Brit during the winter. Sometimes some Vera Wang for fun.
Charlie Sunshine and Clinique Happy take me back to middle school and high school.
Armani Code on a man does me in. Seriously.
I’m a new reader, and I’m really enjoying your blog! I think I am a little older than most your readers, because our go-to fragrances in junior high were mostly the Love’s collection. You know, Baby Soft, Fresh Lemon, Misty and Rain? Love’s Baby Soft was of course the go-to for cheerleaders, etc., but I loved all 3 of the others. Even when it was available, Misty was hard to find. (Now it’s virtually impossible, but you can pick up Rain on ebay.)
I went through a few expensive periods – Chanel 19, Jessica McClintock, and Red Door by Elizabeth Arden. They all give me a headache now. My final choice was Rare Rubies by Avon, which has been discontinued for years. My new husband vetoed that, so I’m in the market for a new scent.
I wore Clinique Happy for many years. I would sometimes mix it with bath & Body Works Mango Mandarin. I still have people at my old station say if they catch a whif of those scents, they think of me and wonder if I am there.
Now I am strictly a Philosophy Pure Grace girl. I do sometimes dabble a bit with Philosophy Amazing Grace, but I never stray from those two scents. Everything else just seems so overpowering now.
If you love musk… try “Sophia” by Ms. Loren… very dark and spicy, great in the winter to warm you up!
Love Spell from VS brings back so many memories of high school. In fact, my dad has a fit anytime my mom tries to wear it because he’s so sick of it. I have worn Burberry Brit a little in college, but I always go back to my husband’s favorite – Clinique Happy Heart!
Sunflowers!!! Ah it’s all coming back to me! I once bought a bottle of Clinique “perfum” from a seller and accidentally bought cologne. Didnt realize it until after I sprayed it all over my body & my sister came in asking why I smell like a 15 year old boy… OOPS.
burberry brit is my go-to scent too. i love pulling out my winter scarves b/c they all smell like burberry! this summer, i have been alternating that and marc jacobs daisy, just b/c its lighter and more summer-like. another fav i need to stock up on is givenchy very irresistable.
My fave summer scent is Escada Pacific Paradise. Found it by accident, because I simply wanted Escada for a birthday gift, but my DH brought home Pacific Paradise. I love it, and strangely enough, it is reminiscent (in a more expensive way) of Malibu Musk, a fave junior high scent of mine! My DH normally wears Drakar, which somehow he can totally pull of WITHOUT smelling like high school, but he’s recently switched to Armani CODE, which is YUMMY!
i also have perfume ADD, and switch from one to another from day to day.
First off – let’s talk LOVE SPELL. I once had a boy-space-friend tell me that I should wear love spell because it smells “optimistic” and I was “the most optimistic person there ever was.” I even “just look optimistic at first glance.” He bought me a bottle of spray and lotion, and I feel it was a good fit for me at the time. Every time I catch a wiff of it now, I think happy thoughts. I guess he was right.
My OLD favorites from middle school:
CKOne. end of story.
My OLD favorites from high school and college which I no longer wear:
Gap Blue and Abercrombie 8 and clinique happy
One of my all time favorites, which I no longer wear?
victoria secret mood succulent
we called it “granny” because it smelled like the sweetest grandmother ever. [that sounds a lot more weird than it is. i think.]
Perfumes I own currently that I spritz and spray on different days depending on my mood:
Ralph Rocks Orange
Kenneth Cole Black [this is my “date night” or “fancy” or “want to smell like an adult and a tad bit mysterious” choice.]
Lacoste Inspiration [i think this also smells “optimistic” and may have replaced my need for something happy.]
Victoria Secret PINK Bright and Fruity (the pink one) – its a body spray, not a perfume and I use it similiar to yourself.\
and…umm… okay…so…confession time:
sometimes I just spray a mist of febreeze and walk through it. It’s true. Most especially if I am wearing jeans and hoodie and feel i need something. I rotate Febreeze scents, too. Currently I think I am using “Meadows & Rain”
Go ahead. You can judge me. I’m okay with that.
I also often go perfume less and just wear a scented lotion. Usually these are kind of “earthy” such as eucalyptus mint, green tea something-or-another, fresh bamboo, or anything with the word “leaves” in the title.
my current favorite fragrence that i don’t yet own, because, HELLO, please see the long list above – SJP NYC. It’s been on my wish list since I first smelled it in a magazine. love love LOVE it – and not just because it’s SJP, but let’s be real – that’s not hurting the lust-factor. [PS – did you read the rumors about SATC possibly coming back!?]
Hahahaha!!! :D
Oh man was I ever obsessed with Sunflower perfume. I absolutely love that stuff…still to this day. Brings back so many high school memories. I also would sneak sprays from my older sisters Debbie Gibson’s Electric Youth perfume. Oh man I loved that stuff. haha. I wonder if they still have it and if I would still enjoy the smell? CKone was what all the cool girls would wear. I stuck w/ Sunflowers. My husband still says he thinks of me in h.s. when he smells it. :)
I also love Tresor by Lancome but my mother in law wears it and I was told I’m not allowed to smell like her. Hahah. I understand so I’ve stayed away.
I love Jovan Musk as well and always have one handy.
I now have a desire to run to the mall and start sniffing out new stuff! Thanks! ;)
THE minute I saw your mention …”toasted coconut…” I thought for sure you were going to mention Laura Mercier’s Almond Coconut Milk Souffle’ Body Creme’!! You wanna talk about smelling delicious and fresh!!!
You will love the way it makes your skin feel and glisten! Try the scrub also! :) Like many of the comments here, I am really funny about perfumes and smells. I get headaches and some perfumes smell like bug spray on me!! LOL! I am constantly being asked what I’m wearing when I’ve used the body souffle’ creme’!!
It’s hilarious to see people stop and stare at me for a minute and say, “Do you smell that? I smell ….coconut!” “Is that you?!!” Hahaa! “Yep, it’s me!” It’s not perfume, it’s my body creme’!
Im in love with fruity smells but I usually stick to one for awhile, right now its country apple from B&B works! My ex always wore stetson & oldspice deodorant, and even now the smell still makes me think of him!
sunflowers! I used to love that! I also wore Exclamaion! oops.
beautiful was a big one too. I love Burberry Brit! I like the Burberry Brit Sheer too. Juicy Couture has one that is so yummy and vanilla-y. some people say a little too vanilla-y?? is there such a thing?
EXCLAMATION! How could I forget that one from high school! lol
Funny…I wore Sunflowers for most of my teenage years which I completely forgot about.
There are a few fragrances right now that I absolutely love. My favorite is Jean Paul Gaultier MaDame, a zingy, sparkling fruity floral that I cannot get enough of! Another is Vera Wang Princess. Back when prices were lower and I was visiting a third world country, I bought the full-size three ounce bottle and four years later it still smells just as good as the day I bought it and I’m about halfway through the bottle. The last is Miss Dior Cherie. This is one of my all-time favorite scents, it’s so light and feminine and beautiful. Unfortunately I do not own it, but as soon as I can justify spending $60 on a bottle of perfume, I’m getting it.
Holy crap, my sister and I smelled like sunflowers too! Hahahahaha! My whole room was decorated with sunflowers! I still pass by them in Marshalls and want to buy it just to have it. In my youth I went through the ck1 phase, cool waters, jadore dior, and heavenly from victorias secret. I used to be obsessed with Very Valentino and they discontinued it, I cried. And now I just love Miss Dior Cheri.
We have the same taste in perfume! I used to wear Sunflowers too. Then I transitioned to CK One when that was all the rage.
I love Burberry Brit and I am wearing it today. My favorite classic one is Jessica McClintock (smells like lilacs) and I always receive so many compliments when I wear it.
The only perfume I smell on others and absolutely despise is Dolce and Gabanna Light Blue. Sorry to all of those who love it, but it makes me sick.
I love Narcisco Rodriguez…it’s my scent! Also D&G Light Blue, Marc Jacobs Cucumber and I’ve also been dabbling in Chanel Mademoiselle. Love them all :)
I’m TOTALLY with you not enjoying smelling like a daisy. I am NOT a big fan of floral scents. It makes me feel like the only thing I’ll attract is killer bees.
I absolutely LOVE armani and anything coconut from bath and body works.
I’ve also become very fond of Victoria’s Secret frangrances lately, specifically the Very Sexy Now.
Axe Kilo makes me think of all of the boys I liked in high school because they all seemed to wear it. lol I still enjoy that smell. It’s like seduction for me and I’m not quite sure why.
This post transported me back in time! Elizabeth Arden Sunflower was my very first “real” perfume, too! I loved that stuff… probably too much. Victoria’s Secret Strawberries & Champagne takes me back to 10th grade. My best friend doused herself in that stuff and I always think of getting ready for school dances when I smell it :)
I’m completely in love with Clinique Simply. My cousin worked for Clinique and gave me a bottle of it, I used it a couple times and lost it… then found out it was discontinued. YAY EBAY :) My lovely fiancee found it and bought me a giant brand new bottle <3