Scentsational

Pati gave me the idea for a blog entry about favorite colognes and scents. She wrote about this already on her Multiply blog a few weeks ago.



So, here's my scent collection, arranged in front of my dresser mirror in my bedroom. I hope the numbers I typed on or near the bottles are visable. (click on the photo to enlarge if necc.)



1. Ici perfume by Coty
I am using this one sparingly these days. I have a feeling Coty doesn't make this anymore, since I have not seen it in stores(it ought to be with the other Coty drugstore scents)in ages and even online, when I look even for an Ici body lotion, nothing is out there. This one smells sweet at first, but then develops into a incense-like dusky chocolate and magnolia scent, which I just love! A perfect blend of soft (floral) and earthy (the smoky chocolate tones). My husband REALLY likes this one, too. It's delicious.



2. Ombre Rose L'Original by Jean-Charles Brosseau
Soft and mossy--a sophisticated rose with an almost baby powder dry down. I like to snuggle into my clothes to get a whiff of this throughout the day. I used to wear this when I was a young thing back in the 80's, and then forgot all about it. When I saw a teeny bottle of it in a store a few months back, I had to get it.



3. Il Bacio by Borghese
Mamma Mia!! This one is pure femininity and oh so sexy. It makes me feel instantly pretty when I spray it on. It isn't subtle--a sweet fruity floral (heavy on the fruit--very plummy). But this isn't a cloying, sappy, super sweet floral at all. There is a little spice to it (which is probably why I like it so much)



4. IVOIRE perfume by Pierre Balmain
I wear this scent the least out of all my perfumes. I will wear it when I want to feel elegant and mature(not my usual deportment). It has a distinctive soapy and clean smell. And it lingers for hours on me. Not a light floral scent, nor a strong spicy scent. It is hard to describe, actually. I sometimes think this would probably smell better on someone else than it does on me. No one has ever asked what scent I am wearing when I am wearing this--a good indication that it is maybe not right for me. And I don't LOVE it. It's just okay.



5. Tomorrow by Avon
Yay, Avon!! For the price, there are some nice perfumes out there made by Avon. My mother has been an Avon lady for the last few years and when she first started giving me the monthly catalogs to look over, I pooh-poohed the idea of wearing Avon stuff. First of all, without a sample, there was no way to tell what the stuff smells like. And if the colognes are so inexpensive, would I smell cheap wearing them, I thought?
But, I was given a sample set of the Salma Hayek line --Today, Tomorrow and Always. The first and last named were okay, but I really like the second--the soft oriental Tomorrow. A sexy, lighter spicy scent--not too heavy (I even wear this one in summer)but definitely not a wimpy scent. My skin chemistry accepts spicier, stronger scents and that is usually what I am drawn to. But I don't want to smell too overwhelming and assualt unsuspecting bystanders with too much of a scent. So, this one works and with all those Avon promotions (thanks, Mum!), I have a constant supply of purse-sized spray bottle, shimmering scented body powder and the body lotion as well as a bottle of the cologne.



6. Tomorrow Purse Size spray cologne



7. Cabaret by Grès
I think this is my new favorite. Well, second to my all-time favorite, Ciara, which isn't in the picture becasue I have been out since March!! (I will hint around for a birthday gift of it for October, so don't worry about me)
While the design of the bottle has always bothered me (something tacky and showgirl-ish about it), I adore this scent!! There is definitely a peppery smell to it, but a soft peppery smell--a woody combination of soft rose and sandalwood (?)that drys down in a subtle way and lingers on my skin with that intoxicating peppery scent. I just love to smell myself when I wear this and end up probably re-applying too much of this throughout the day.



8. Oxygene by Lanvin
Perfect summer scent, with a cool aquatic color. Clean and fruity and airy. It doesn't last on me, though. Ten minutes after I have applied it, I can't even smell it!! Something about my oily skin and body chemistry, again, that is better off with slightly heavier spicier scents. I may end up giving this away to my daughter. Since it doesn't stay on me long, it might be the perfect scent for her paler, more sensitive skin. And it is a perfectly acceptable scent for a young lady.



And, not pictured above, but......



Ciara

This is my all time favorite scent--the missing Ciara!! When I wear it, I feel like I am wrapped in velvet and spices.. Maybe it is too much but with me loving how this smells, this is one perfume I don't care if no one else can stand it (or stand to be around me). It ain't subtle. I'll admit it is STRONG stuff. But it makes me feel GREAT when I wear it! It is spicy and sweet and unlike any other perfume I have ever smelled. And I never notice anyone else ever wearing it, either, so I feel this is my signature scent.
It's always in the case at the drugstore--Revlon, after all. I hope they never stop making this stuff (I think it was put out in the early 70's) and I will keep asking my husband for it as a birthday gift. Usually a big bottle will get me through the fall and winter. I tend to reign myself in and not buy another bottle when it runs out by early spring and then I wear other scents in the warmer months. There is definitely something about Ciara that makes it a cold weather scent only for me (see? I know where to draw the line), and I love how it lingers on my cold weather clothes ( like wool and velvet and tweedy jackets) in my closet.