My Perfume Collection

Scent is one of the most impactful senses. It can completely change your mood and the aura of a place. For me, it’s a personal crime to ever leave the house without choosing a scent that matches my outfit, the season, and my mood. But the other problem is, I change my opinion on scents within weeks. That being said, I’ve accumulated a bit of a collection these past few years.

Perfumes are tricky because they react differently to each person’s skin and body chemistry. For example, my best friend and I have the same perfumes. But at the end of the day, I always smell sweeter and she always smells more citrusy or zesty. It’s incredible how different the reaction is to each of us, but definitely shows how you can make a scent unique…naturally!

Choosing a signature scent is difficult because not only do you want to find a perfume that reacts well with your body heat but one that also gives off an aura that 1) describes your character well 2) gives people the first impression of you that you want them to receive. With that being said, you’ll notice that the scents I’ve chosen are sweet but not too sweet and slightly musky. This is because if I use a completely sugary sweet perfume, it’ll give me a headache by the end of the day whereas something sweet with a floral or musky tone to it will end up reacting more maturely with my skin. You’ll notice that some repeated notes include peony, jasmine, berries, and musk. I chose these scents because they mix feminine strength and elegance with a little danger and mystery. For me, I think those elements and respective feelings describe who I am well.

Without further ado, let’s take a peek at my collection!

The Sophisticated Scents

In this group, I have four perfumes. They’re typically what I wear to work or for any setting that requires a professional or sophisticated attire. Out of these three, the two that I will keep/repurchase are the two Chloé perfumes. Not only do they react best with my skin, they’re timeless formulas for any occasion. I’ve been wearing both for over three years combined and have yet to grow sick of them. My all time favorite regardless of season has been Chloé Love Story.

For a while, Chloé was my signature scent. Back in my campus-job-and-unpaid-internship days, I used up at least two rollerballs and had to ration out the remaining sampler set mini bottles. Back in June, I noticed Sephora sold a small traveling set of CHLOÉ and Chloé Love Story. Knowing that Chloé products never disappoint, I gave it a try.

Mes chéries, I fell in love.

Chloé Love Story is a very sophisticated, classy, feminine, and subtly sexy scent. While it is relatively light, its fresh and floral aura lingers beautifully and elegantly. It’s rather intoxicating.

In classic Chloé style, the bottle is a beautiful clear glass with the backside smoothly ribbed. The name of the perfume is written in an elegant gold at the bottom. The top is created to resemble the love locks on the Pont Des Arts bridge in Paris. Seeing that locks are an intricate part of Chloé’s most iconic bags and accessories, it seemed fitting to fashion the top of Chloé Love Story with a padlock design and delicate ribbon, resembling love and romance. Much like a wedding bouquet, Chloé Love Story dances across your skin with the open warmth of jasmine and seduces with notes of orange blossom.

1. Chloé Love Story $105
   • Notes: Neroli (Orange Blossom Oil), Stephanotis Jasmine, Physalis, Cedarwood
   • Sensation: feminine, sophisticated, sensual
2. Chloé Eau de Parfum (mini)
   • Notes: Peony, Rose, Honey, Cedarwood
   • Sensation: powdery floral, feminine
3. Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb (mini)
   • Notes: Sambac Jasmine, Centifolia Rose, Cattleya Orchid, Ballerina Freesia, Patchouli.
   • Sensation: oriental, gourmand, floral
4. Marc Jacobs Daisy (mini)
   • Notes: Strawberry, Violet Leaves, Jasmine, White Woods
   • Sensation: fresh, innocent, enchanting

The Stronger Statements

This group of perfumes come out in the fall and winter time. The scents are muskier and warmer but not very sweet, making it a great scent for when the weather gets brisk and your body heats up. Personally, I will repurchase the Gucci Flora perfume after I finish it up because it has been one of my all-time favorites for two years now, but am unsure about Tom Ford’s Black Orchid as I didn’t get to try it enough last winter when I first purchased it. As for Marc Jacobs’ very old Lola perfume, I was gifted that many years ago and hated it. Although I’ve started to like it a little more, it’s old enough that I leave it on the countertop as a decor piece because I’m afraid the formula has changed over time. However, Lola’s spinoff Oh, Lola!  is a great scent that I might try again soon.

1. Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia $78
   • Notes: Red Berries, Pear, White Gardenia, Frangipani Flower, Patchouli, Brown Sugar Accord.
   • Sensation: charming, romantic, optimistic
2. Tom Ford Black Orchid $122
   • Notes: Incense, Orchid, Patchouli, Sandalwood
   • Sensation: warm, luxurious, rich, dark
3. Marc Jacobs Lola $72
   • Notes: grapefruit, peppercorns, pear, fuchsia, geranium, peony, rose, musk, tonka bean, vanilla
   • Sensation: playful, alluring, sensual

The Retired & The Rollerballs

To be honest, I love rollerballs the most because they are low commitment and easy to travel with. Maybe that’s the single girl in me speaking, but you can’t deny their convenience! In this batch of perfumes, I have a mix of my “retired” scents and not-yet-committed scents. Before shooting this, I also accidentally tossed out a rollerball which I will include a photo off Google afterwards.

The Retired Scents: I’ve used these scents to the point that I had to take a long three year hiatus before being able to enjoy the scents again. While I might repurchase Light Blue in the future, the rest are for sure retired favorites of mine but still wonderful perfumes that the flirtatious and feminine girl might love!

1. Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue $98
   • Notes: Sicilian Citron, Bluebell, Granny Smith Apple, Jasmine Sambac, Bamboo, White Rose, Cedarwood, Amber, Musk
   • Sensation: light, summery, true, joyful
2. Ed Hardy Women’s Perfume $35
   • Notes: Apple souffle, tropical mango, wild strawberries, red grapefruit, black freesia, water muguet, linden blossom, warm amber, sensual musks, tonka bean, vanilla pudding
   • Sensation: warm, youthful, flirtatious, sensual
3. Marc Jacobs Dot $22
   • Notes: Red Berries, Dragonfruit, Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Coconut Water, Orange Blossom, Vanilla, Driftwood, Musk
   • Sensation: chic, energetic, upbeat, feminine

The Rollerballs: Most of these rollerballs and minis (+one not pictured) are actually a bunch of some of my possible new favorites! I am thinking about converting to full size sometime in the near future. Each scent has something different about it that makes it unique enough to be irreplaceable by another similar scent. In order from most likely to repurchase to least likely to repurchase:

1. Elizabeth and James Nirvana White $28
   • Notes: Peony, Muguet, Tender Musk
   • Sensation: sophisticated, feminine, captivating
2. Thierry Mugler Alien $29
   • Notes: Jasmine Sambac, Cashmeran Wood, Amber Gris
   • Sensation: woods, warm floral, mysterious, sensual
3. Balenciaga Florabotanica $25
   • Notes: Carnation, Wild Mint, Turkish Rose Essence, Hemp Leaves, Vetiver Roots, White Amber
   • Sensation: beautiful, dangerous, inspiring, rare
4. Narciso Rodriguez For Her $28
   • Notes: Pink Chypre, Pink Floral, Voluptuous Woods, Soft Amber, Sheer Chypre, Flower Honey, Tactile Woods, Amber Light
   • Sensation: seductive, feminine, sensual, romantic, warm
5. Nest Indigo $27
   • Notes: Moroccan Tea, Kashmir Wood, Cardamom, Wild Fig
   • Sensation: warm, mysterious
6. Nest Dahlia & Vines $27
   • Notes: Dewy Daffodils, Peony, Rose, Garden Vines
   • Sensation: elegance, luxury, classic, romantic
7. Ralph Lauren Big Pony Women’s Collection #1 $22
   • Notes: Grapefruit, Blue Lotus
   • Sensation: confident, feminine, energetic, fearless, refreshing

The reason they are listed in this order is mainly from how they react with my skin. For example, Elizabeth and James White reacts perfectly, not too sweet or strong, with my chemistry. I like the smell of Florabotanica more, but straight florals don’t last long and often smell weird on me by the end of the day.

The Future Investment

I’ve been exploring different scents lately and saving up for a Jo Malone perfume, possibly full size, but also probably not knowing my indecisiveness. I’m been between a few different scents and can’t quite make up my mind yet. It will probably boil down to what season I want to wear it the most and what feeling I want to give off with this new scent.

If you have any suggestions or recommendations about which one I should make my next signature scent, leave a comment below!

That’s all for now, mes chéries. I hope this helped give you an idea of what you like your signature scent to be or perhaps introduced a new perfume for you to sample out the next time you go to Sephora, Ulta, or a department store. Until next time!