We've got a thread for dept. store perfumes but I was wondering if anyone wanted to list their own cult/obscure perfumes? This might not work because I know a lot of women are secretive about this (I am if it's someone I spend time with - I don't want anyone stealing MY scent!) but since we all live so far apart I thought it would be OK. I'll start:
Comptoir Sud Pacifique in Matin Calin - smells like burnt sugar and milk/cream (not too sweet, either)
Kai (a lot of you are into this one, too)
Monyette Paris - kind of a spicy/creamy/gardenia scent - very lush...
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"Don't be cool. Cool is conservative fear dressed in black. Don't limit yourself in this way." - Bruce Mau
my two most-often worn scents are mainstream (burberry brit for day and dior hypnotic poison for evening), but one of my favorites is my "mystery scent" -- people often ask what it is and i don't reveal it because i like thinking it's *my* fragrance (even though i'm certain others out there wear it...) -- anyway, it's fresh index redcurrant basil - i've been wearing it on and off for years and it's still my favorite scent.
other off-beat scents i love are jo malone verbenas of provence and demeter cucumber (i love this in the summer).
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"to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its night and day to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop trying." - ee cummings
My favorite perfume isn't very rare, it's actually very popular. My fave is Aquolina Pink Sugar, I just adore anything sweet like that. I'm lucky to live in an area where I have NEVER smelled it on anyone else...so I'm happy. But when I feel like trading up scents for something a little more rare, I have an onld bottle of this- http://www.1loveperfumes.com/perfumes/women/vanilla-musk.html
It's just a simple, sweet vanilla musk that smells sweet on my skin after a few minutes. There's just something so simple and romantic about it.
My daily perfume is L'ollia Breathe No. 19 eau de parfum. I've been told it's floral with marine notes. I have no nose for anything. But look how cute it looks...
The other one I wear a lot, which I'm not even sure if it's sold anymore is Demeter Danedlion.
hmm, i don't know how cultish it is but i love cinema by yves st. laurent--it's very...womanly to me if that makes sense. i also love j'adore by dior and the summer version of it as well. oh and allure by chanel.
Hmmm, this one's more obscure than cult-ish but oh well. When I was little, my mother wore this scent called China Rain - the only place you could get it was at this tiny chinese shop that mixed the oils and hand labeled everything. It's a very warm scent, but still light and mildly floral. Maybe just a tad musky, but not overwhelmingly so. Anway, the shop went out of business long ago but I still have a bottle! I only wear it on special occassions
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To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment ~ {Ralph Waldo Emerson}
I love "cult" perfumes! I'm not sure why, but most department store fragrances don't do it for me.
I love L'artisan fragrances. I love their Vanilia, which manages to be sweet & fresh at the same time, Drole de Rose (a powdery yet fresh rose with a sweet violet note) and Premier Figue (fig). I also love Sage's Onxy oil, which is smells like a smokey coconut.
Maddie, I LOVE that perfume bottle. I'm a sucker for pretty bottles. but I'm not a floral person, unless it's a floral blended with something sweet and/or spicy or powdery.
Yeah, when I saw Maddie's post I thought for a moment I needed that scent...based only on the picture of the bottle of course.
bean - dept. store fragrances are, to me, mostly too harsh. Whenever I go to the perfume section of a dept. store I always end up thining they all smell the same. One I do like is Gucci Rush (the original one, not one of the latest versions).
dc - Matin Calin used to be Lait Sucre - I think they just renamed it. You can buy samples on eBay - one seller I particularly like is lisalaw - she sells a lot of high-end samples and they are genuine. I love CSP fragrances in general - the Vanille (Abricot, Canelle, Banane, Cerise etc.) series are all nice and Tiare is a minor classic.
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"Don't be cool. Cool is conservative fear dressed in black. Don't limit yourself in this way." - Bruce Mau
i wear the Monyette a lot, too. it smells like summer to me.
Narciso Rodriguez used to be more rare, when they only sold it at Saks, but now you can buy it at many places. i still love it--i usually wear it more for evening.
Hot Couture by Givenchy is a fun "going-out" fragrance that not a lot of people know or recognize--it's more sweet than i usually like, but sort of different, too.
i also love Jicky by Guerlain (it was Bardot's signature scent). it's very hard to find these days.
another daytime green scent that i use regularly and definitely qualifies as a "cult" one is L'eau Belle d'Azzaro--you can't buy it in the states, though it is common in France.
i usually like chypres and woody/mossy scents, so i don't like a lot of the really popular American ones that are fresh and/or floral.
i used to wear jo malone honeysuckle and jasmine, but i don't think that's really considered "cult" at least not anymore. i also used to wear demeter's wet garden, but i had the darndest time replacing my last bottle, so i'm trying to use this one sparingly.
quote: Originally posted by: Mia "bean - dept. store fragrances are, to me, mostly too harsh. Whenever I go to the perfume section of a dept. store I always end up thining they all smell the same. One I do like is Gucci Rush (the original one, not one of the latest versions).
Mia, I feel the same way! and they give me a headache. but I like Gucci Rush too! I'm not sure how I like it on me though. I haven't bought it, but when I smelled it at the store, I was like, wow, this is really unique and complex. Donna Karan's Black Cashmere is nice too.
bean and Mia, I feel the same as you do about department store scents. When I decided to buy my first real perfume I think I smelled everything in Nordstrom and felt like none of them were worth the money; they all just smelled perfumey. Where do you go to buy more unique stuff?
quote: Originally posted by: Maddie "bean and Mia, I feel the same as you do about department store scents. When I decided to buy my first real perfume I think I smelled everything in Nordstrom and felt like none of them were worth the money; they all just smelled perfumey. Where do you go to buy more unique stuff? "
Maddie, except for my Sage Onyx oil, which I bought from the store Sage in LA, I have yet to find an actual store where I can find perfumes that I like. I guess that's irrelevant to you anyway, since we live in different cities. but here's a really good online store that sells boutique fragrances: www.luckyscent.com. You can try out frgrances by ordering samples!
I discovered L'Artisan when I read about it, then bought small decanted bottles from eBay or ordered samples from this online store (I forget what it is now) to try them out first. The ones I did like I ordered full bottles online.
Maddie - hee, www.luckyscent.com that was the exact site I was going to post - they rule because, as mentioned, you can order samples. I just think that is the best idea ever. They also have a good selection.
I always get mad about dept. store fragrances, because most (not all) of them are such junk - I am just talking ingredients, which tend to be cheap and synthetic - and they are so overpriced for what they are. Boutique fragrances are like becoming knowledgeable about wine (which I am not) - once you know how to recognize the good stuff, you can't ever go back. The Gucci Rush just actually does have a unqieu scent, it's kind of warm and spicy and subtle. I also don't mind Calvin Klein's 90's classic 'Escape'.
Someone mentioned Frederic Malle and I agree - very high quality, very good. Also concur with Jo Malone, esp. the Amber and Lavender one.
-- Edited by Mia at 18:31, 2004-12-22
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"Don't be cool. Cool is conservative fear dressed in black. Don't limit yourself in this way." - Bruce Mau