THE PERFUME DIARIES

I have always wanted to do a post exclusively on perfumes but I had to take time to gather my many thoughts on this subject…and now it’s finally here!

Let me start by saying that like most women out there, I love perfume! I have worn so many different fragrances over the years. But I can bet you that people who know me couldn’t pinpoint one particular perfume I really wore, or that I smelled like anything special at all. I believe it’s because I never really had what people call a “signature fragrance.” I just love changing things up and trying new things. There are definitely fragrances I have worn for years, but I never wore one exclusively and ultimately, I stopped wearing all my perfumes at a certain point in my life. I also only wear light floral or citrus scents during the day which fade after two hours. I was never that girl with the scent lingering behind them. I would wear a heavier fragrance only at night.

Photo: Emma Payne, SXC

The reason I love perfumes is because of its power to make you feel attractive in an instant and its ability to hold special memories. I can probably even remember what a few of my girlfriends wore. Emma used L'Eau d'Issey for a couple of years and its woody, earthy smell always reminds me of her. I think Cathy once wore an Anna Sui perfume that smelled really fresh and fruity. Isabel wears very light scents. She probably wore L'eau Par Kenzo once (because I did too!). Angela once wore Lacoste Pour Femme which smelled really nice and my dearest childhood friend Celine used to cover herself with Victoria's Secret Strawberries and Champagne Fragrance Mist. I miss her a lot whenever I encounter that scent. 

So, in tribute to perfumes, I thought I’d play a little game. I’d let you in on some of my favorites and you’d share yours as well (only if you want to of course!). I normally go for citrus florals or woody florals when it comes to perfume. So, let’s get started:


A FRAGRANCE I TOTALLY LOVE RIGHT NOW…is actually a tie between these two perfumes at the moment.

Benefit Laugh with me LeeLee eau de toilette

This smells like Europe in a bottle to me…a field of flowers in an English garden or perhaps a garden in Paris. It is fresh, feminine and sophisticated. Top notes are cassis, melon and citrus. Middle notes are black violet, lily and jasmine. Base notes are blonde wood, amber and santal. I love, love, love this!! It is perfect for day or night.

Tous Touch eau de toilette

This fragrance from Spanish brand Tous is quite sweet, and I normally don’t like sweet scents or vanilla scents (my sister loves them though!). But this has an interesting mix of floral, fruity and sweet notes. It’s warm and fresh at the same time. It smells like jasmine mixed with honey and it is just delicious! Top notes are lotus, lily of the valley and freesia. Middle notes are jasmine, osmanthus, tiare flower. Base notes are blueberry, raspberry, vanilla and honey-coated almonds. Yum!! I prefer to wear this at night.

A DISCONTINUED FRAGRANCE I REALLY MISS…are actually three that are now gone but not forgotten.

The Body Shop Cassis Rose eau de toilette

This remains my all-time favorite Body Shop scent. I still can’t believe they discontinued it! I also had the body spray. Really fresh, fruity and girly…it was the perfect light rose scent. Top notes were raspberry and blackcurrant. Middle notes were rose, freesia and violet. Base notes were musk, sandalwood and cedar. It was the best fruity floral for me! I miss this!

Calgon Turquoise Seas Body Mist

I must have gone through 5 bottles of this stuff in my early twenties. I would always buy the small one so I could stash it easily in my bag and just continue spraying it on myself the whole day. It just smells like salty sea air, ocean waves and the beach…just an amazing aquatic fragrance. I recently heard Calgon is bringing it back due to insistent public demand. That’s how great this is!

Crabtree & Evelyn Lavender Water

I used up two big bottles of this a long time ago. I loved it! It smells like a bouquet of lavender flowers mixed with that fresh just-out-of-the-shower smell. Really clean scent. Crabtree & Evelyn now have a new and different version called Lavender eau de toilette. I haven’t tried that one yet.

MY FAVORITE FRAGRANCE FOR MEN…are these wonderful three. 

CK One (Calvin Klein)

I will always love CK One! It is a unisex fragrance but I think it smells great on men. It also reminds me of high school as a lot of people wore this in the mid-nineties. I think my brother still wears this today. Great iconic, clean and fresh scent! Top notes are bergamot, cardamom, pineapple, papaya. Middle notes of jasmine, violet, rose, nutmeg. Base notes are musk and amber. 

Acca Kappa Acqua di Colonia

Muschio Bianco (White Moss)

This is another great unisex scent. I bought this for my husband Marc once and then I ended up using it too. So we finished that bottle up in no time! This has notes of lavender, juniper, wood, amber and moss. It is just so fresh and clean. I love it!

Drakkar Noir (Guy Laroche)

This is the epitome of a wonderful, powerful, masculine scent. I have a secret. I was once addicted to Drakkar. My dad used to wear this when I was younger and when he wasn't looking, I would grab it from his bathroom counter and sniff it everyday. It just smelled so great and I think every man should wear this once in their life. Notes are lavender, citrus, spicy berries and sandalwood. 

A FRAGRANCE HIGH ON MY WISH LIST…are these two that I just can't get out of my mind.

Gucci Guilty eau de toilette

This perfume is just AMAZING!! I smelled this recently at Sephora and went crazy spraying it all over myself in the store. I had to stop myself from buying it because in China, international luxury perfumes are incredibly expensive due to the high taxes placed upon them. Since this is already a pricey fragrance, I decided to wait and not buy this until I get to a duty-free shop. Gucci Guilty has top notes of pink pepper, heart of lilac, and base notes of amber and patchouli. You just have to smell it to believe the beauty of this fragrance. I am definitely willing to wait for this one.

Chloe Eau de Parfum

I smelled a sample of this in a magazine and thought it was AWESOME. It smells really elegant and sophisticated. I am waiting to get to a duty free for this one too. Top notes are pink peony, freesia and lychee. Middle notes are rose, lily of the valley, magnolia. Base notes are cedarwood, amber and honey. You can definitely smell the soft and fresh scent of roses here and it's done in a very subtle way. Great perfume! 

So these are what's in my perfume diaries for now. How about you? Would love to hear some of your choices. If you have time, complete the following sentences and let me in your perfume diaries as well...

1. A fragrance I totally love right now...

2. A discontinued fragrance I really miss...

3. My favorite fragrance for men...

4. A fragrance high on my wish list...