Still More Unpopular Opinions: Why Fragrance Collecting Isn’t a Sport

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Your nose is not a scoreboard. Smell what you love, not what impresses Instagram.

It’s Not a Competition.

Scrolling through Instagram accounts of fragrance collectors, I sometimes feel like I’ve stumbled into the Olympics of Perfume Ownership. “I have this rare bottle!” “I have that one too!” Cool story, bro, but… why are we racing to see who can hoard the most scents? Perfume should delight the senses, not fuel a flexing contest.

“Smellmaxxing” is for children, and kind of rude. Seriously, why would a grown adult want to announce their presence like a foghorn of fragrance? I don’t want to smell you before I see you. I don’t want your perfume following me around like a persistent shadow. Smelling more (not better) than the next person shouldn’t be a sport

Top 5 lists are nonsense. When a blogger declares “The 5 Best Fragrances for Women/Men/Everyone,” just remember: what’s best for them isn’t necessarily best for you. Our noses are wildly subjective. Some people are anosmic to specific notes; others may find a beloved note unbearable. Personal taste trumps algorithmic approval every time.

Example: “After hearing about this perfume for years, I finally got a sample. Everyone said it was amazing, captivating, unique. What did I get? Sweet alcohol. I almost blind-bought it, and I’m so glad I didn’t.”

Perfume should be fun, personal, and guilt-free. It's not a competition, a weapon, or a checklist. Enjoy what you love, and leave the scoreboard at the door. Having 200 bottles doesn’t make your collection twice as good as someone’s 100. It just makes your storage situation worse. (Ask me how I know.)

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Another Unpopular Opinion: Smell for Yourself

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Why I Test Perfume the Way I Do

I overheard a conversation recently that made me a little sad. The speakers were all knowledgeable, talented writers and content creators who, when testing a perfume for the first time, admitted that their first thought is usually, “How can I use this in my content?” before even considering whether they personally like the fragrance. One even said they rarely think, “Do I like it? Would I wear it?” The tone implied these questions were trite, or worse, slightly problematic.

Call me shallow, but when I test a new fragrance, “Do I like it?” is the first and most important thought in my head. Unless I’ve chosen to write about a perfume, which, 99% of the time, I already own, I don’t overthink it. I don’t analyze it, study the backstory, or marvel at how gorgeous the bottle would look on my bureau. I focus on the juice itself.

Buckets of Fragrance
Sure, I ask a few follow-up questions: What do I like about it? What don’t I like? Maybe I’ll think: If I don’t like it now, could I like it in the future? (Summer is rough on sweet gourmands. Sometimes they literally make me gag. But in December? Magic.) Then the fragrance lands in one of three buckets:

• Like

• Could Like

• Hate, Get This Far Away From Me

Life’s Too Short
I’m turning 60 this year and have been seriously collecting fragrances for over 20 years. Life is too short to waste on challenging myself to like something just because it’s “classic” or trendy. I’m in this hobby for me.

And in my opinion, the only people who might reasonably challenge themselves are those who make or sell perfume for a living: perfumers and fragrance professionals. They benefit directly from the fragrances. Writers, bloggers, enthusiasts? Not so much.

The Humorous Side of Flowery Descriptions
Even when I do write about a fragrance, I rarely dive into its historical significance or the perfumer’s biography. That doesn't affect how I feel about a scent.

And I don’t indulge in flowery, over-the-top imagery like, “This fragrance smells like a young English woman in white lace, resting languorously in a hammock on vacation in Majorca.”
For someone like me who has never worn lace, never relaxed in a hammock, never been to a beach outside Ocean City, Maryland, that description means… what exactly? (Sweat and dead fish? Close enough.)

A Personal Hobby
Fragrance collecting and wearing is a personal hobby. It’s delightful if others like the same scents, fine if they don’t. But ultimately, I could not care less about other people’s opinions on what I wear.

What does matter is this: if someone is making a list of “Best Fragrances That Smell Like European Beaches,” shouldn’t they at least briefly consider whether they like the scent themselves? Otherwise, how is it “the best”? (We all know that’s just a way to project authority in a completely subjective space. Huge dislike.)

Smell First, Think Later
So yes, call me shallow. But in the world of fragrance, I smell first, think later. And I like it that way.

Because fragrance collecting is about what you love, not what everyone else tells you to.

Plain and Not-So-Plain Vanilla

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Vanilla is a real crowd-pleaser, both as a flavor and a fragrance. A study a few years ago even claimed the scent of vanilla was a major turn-on for men. Women love it too, so it’s no surprise that vanilla turns up in many, if not most, perfumes. It’s warm, grounding, and beautifully neutral. Vanilla can be sweet or dry, take center stage or linger quietly in the background.

Below are a few of my favorite (and not-so-favorite) explorations of vanilla in perfume.

BDK Parfums Vanilla Leather

Violet, Pink Pepper, Tuberose, Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Vanilla, Orris, Leather, Benzoin, Oak, Patchouli

This is a lovely fragrance, but honestly, I don’t think there’s enough leather here to justify the name. Your mileage may vary, of course. On my skin, the floral notes, especially tuberose and jasmine, take the lead, slowly wrapped in a cloud of vanilla warmth. “Vanilla Tuberose” might’ve been a more accurate name, actually. It’s pretty, it’s soft, and that’s about it. Definitely tuberose, probably vanilla. The end.

Electimuss Vanilla Edesia

Bergamot, Mandarin, Bitter Almond, Heliotrope, Pink Pepper, Frankincense, Ceylon Cinnamon, Cumin, Coriander, Rose Centifolia Absolute, Gurjum Balsam, Ylang-Ylang, Creamy/Milky Notes, Vanilla Absolute, Patchouli, Cypriol, Haitian Vetiver, Sandalwood, Virginia Cedar, Amber Woods, White Musks

Vanilla Edesia is a challenging scent. It’s not gourmand at all, and it’s certainly not dominated by the vanilla in its name. Instead, it throws a lot at you—rose, citrus, cumin, coriander, pink pepper—all appearing in rapid succession. The rose and cumin linger, joined by an ashy, scratchy dryness I’m blaming on incense and woods. The result is a bit overwhelming, making it hard to find the vanilla here.

There’s a trace of warm sweetness (maybe that’s it?), but the cumin sticks around longest, thankfully without crossing into “dirty underpants” territory. It adds interest, if not comfort. I can’t decide if I like it… actually, no, I don’t. But it’s intriguing enough to include in a vanilla roundup. Worth a sniff, at least once.

Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille

Incense, Pink Pepper, Bergamot, Cedar, Ylang-Ylang, Bulgarian Rose, Jasmine, Vanilla, Benzoin

This has long been my holy grail vanilla. It was love at first sniff during a breakfast presentation at Bergdorf’s one Sniffapalooza weekend. Back then, Guerlain’s L’Art et la Matière collection was pricey (~$200), but I had a generous perfume patron who’d just given me funds specifically for fragrance shopping.

For a while, SDV was the most expensive perfume I owned, and I babied it, decanting a few milliliters at a time into a travel spray so I wouldn’t risk breaking the bottle. I used maybe 30ml before tragedy struck: despite being stored properly, the box fell sideways, and about 98% of the remaining perfume leaked out. I didn’t even smell it at first, just found the bottle nearly empty and my heart utterly broken.

It’s $440 now (gulp), which is about $250 more than I’m willing to pay for a replacement. But oh, that scent… dark, rich, spicy, smoky, and sexy. Boozy and intoxicating. A vanilla for grown-ups. It's not shy, not sugary, just gloriously decadent.

Apparently it’s been reformulated, and newer reviews call it “plain vanilla” or “weak.” If true, that’s a damn shame. The original 2007 version was truly special. I haven’t dared revisit it (why torture myself with something I can’t afford?), but I’ll keep hoping the naysayers are just missing its magic.

Obvious Parfums Une Vanille

Tonka, Madagascar Vanilla, Musk

Some vanilla perfumes can be tooth-achingly sweet, but Une Vanille isn’t one of them. Like most of Obvious’s early scents, it’s quite linear. What you smell at first spray is what you get until it fades. On my skin, that’s until bath time.

It’s a lightly musky, powdery vanilla with a generous dose of tonka, warm and cozy but never cloying. It’s one of the few vanillas I can comfortably wear in warmer weather.

I also own Un Patchouli and Un Musc, and I’ll likely buy more from the brand. I love their ethics: minimal, eco-friendly packaging, recyclable glass, no unnecessary cellophane, and corks sourced from wine industry byproducts. Ostentatious packaging for no good reason drives me up the wall, and I’ll be ranting about that in an upcoming post.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks

What I've Been Wearing So Far in 2025: May through August

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I thought it would be fun (and a little nerdy) to keep track of what I’ve actually been wearing this year. Back in the first few months, I clocked 101 different scents (yes, really). For May through August, things calmed down a bit: just 65 perfumes made it onto my skin.

Some were one-offs or samples (31 of them, to be exact), but a handful of fragrances became steady companions. Two, in fact, I wore ten times each. That's like a long-term relationship for a promiscuous perfumista like me:

• Liis Ethereal Wave--started as a humble sample, graduated to a decant, and finally earned its full-bottle crown.

• 1907 Vanilla Dry--a real plot twist. I didn’t even like it when I first sniffed it last fall. But this spring? Instant love. It’s vanilla cushioned with coconut, though it never tips into “beachy cocktail.” To my nose it’s firmly vanilla, and somehow it never feels cloying, even in hot weather.

Other scents pulled me back again and again: Heeley Palm (nine times—watery, tropical, green, very coconut-forward), Byredo Gypsy Water (eight times—my most-worn of the year so far, with twelve total wears), and Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 + Mandarin (seven times, easy to wear solo but great for layering).

And because I like to rotate in some old favorites, I reached for Fresh Hesperides Grapefruit (six times, still such a loss that it’s discontinued) and Hermès Jardin Sur le Nil (four times—more love than it’s had in years).

This was also a season of new arrivals. Some snuck in under the wire from Europe before the de minimis exemption disappeared: Vanilla Dry, Palm, Trudon Bruma, and Miller et Bertaux Tulsivivah!. Closer to home, I picked up Molecule 01 + Mandarin, Memo Eau de Memo, Vibiskov Eau Nature Rouge, and Ellis Brooklyn Salt (not worn during the period of study, but worn 2x since).

Now that fall is easing into the mid-Atlantic, I’m still spritzing my summer darlings, but the cozy fragrances are calling. I’m curious to see which bottles I lean on as the weather shifts. Will I keep stretching summer, or finally dive into autumn? Either way, I’ll be counting.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Killer Sillage is Now Available!

I'm so excited! My first work of fiction, a cozy mystery titled Killer Sillage, is now available for purchase on Amazon! It's currently only available as a Kindle ebook, but in the coming months it will be released in paperback format and will be found at other online book shops as well.

Clare Buchowski wanted to be a perfumer when she grew up, but after an accident altered her sense of smell, she did the next best thing: open a perfume shop in her hometown of Baltimore. A death following the launch party for an independent perfumer's latest release has Clare following a trail of secrets, rivalries, and one unforgettable scent. In a city steeped in history and ambition, this fragrance left a killer scent trail, and Clare’s about to track it to the source.

Subscribe to my Substack: LaGue’s Clues, part behind-the-scenes, part fragrance chat. All New Subscribers will receive a FREE bonus origin story. You'll also find out when the next book in the series, Savage Gourmand, will be released.

Visit my new website: katlague.com, where all the book news will live.

And, of course, Killer Sillage! 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Rosy & Earnest

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Rosy & Earnest is a fragrance brand with a mission: to produce fine perfumes that are as luxurious and complex as traditional scents, but worry-free for your health. The founders started paying attention to ingredient lists and realized that the generic term “fragrance” could hide thousands of chemicals, some linked to hormone disruption, cancer risks, or environmental concerns. 

Determined to bring “cleaner” alternatives to the market, they partnered with an independent lab in France and the award-winning perfumer Nathalie Feistauer to create the first eaux de parfum ever to earn EWG certification in Canada, and the second in the US.

The brand also cares about sustainability, using recyclable, minimalist packaging, and donates 1% of profits to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Personally, I’m a bit skeptical of EWG—they sometimes overstate risks—but I love that Rosy & Earnest is thoughtful about ingredients. IFRA already does a good job regulating allergens, so this isn’t about shaming anyone for their choices. It’s about offering an option for those who want it.

Be Rosy
Clementine, Pear, Carrot, Bergamot, Lemon, Blackberry, Black Tea CO2, Orris Butter, Rose, Osmanthus, Ambrox, Cedar, Musk
The pear in the opening is photorealistic, sparkling and joyful. Light, musky, and happy—like a glass of champagne with a slight sweet lift. The black tea adds a gentle smokiness that keeps it from being one-dimensional. Truly uplifting and perfect for a sunny morning.

Be Earnest
Rhubarb, Apple, Hedione, Balsam Fir, Virginia Cedar, Amyris, Musk
The opening is like biting into a tart Granny Smith apple in an herb garden. Realistic, green, and effervescent. Tomato leaves? Basil? Though they're not listed, I smell them or a similar greenness. The woody notes ground the scent beautifully, and the musky drydown adds a creamy, wearable lift. A scent that works all year round—one I bought a full bottle of immediately.

Pistachio Delight
Bergamot, Pink Berries, Roasted Pistachio Chips, Pistacia Lentiscus Oil, Intense Woods, Vanilla, Gourmand Notes, Musk
Bergamot and berries shine at first, and the roasted pistachio is delightful—but the gourmand and woody accords quickly take over. Too much is happening for me; the original nutty charm gets lost in the pastry-like sweetness. Still, your mileage may vary.

Vanilla Rum Royal
Bergamot, Pink Pepper, White Wine Lees, Rum CO2 extract, Oak, Sugar Cane, Vanilla, Labdanum, Musk
Opening is crazy sweet, a mix of vanilla and rum with a dollop of plastic-y weirdness. The rum is surprisingly weak, so it never really becomes a boozy vanilla. It’s certainly different from the more familiar vanilla fragrances, but it's not one I’d reach for.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Confession: I’m Not a Rose Person… Or Am I?

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I’m going to come right out and say it: I am not a fan of rose-based perfumes.

But here’s the twist: I have owned, worn, and genuinely enjoyed rose-based perfumes. So, what gives? It turns out, it’s all about the amount of rose, the type of rose, and what it’s paired with. And really, the same can be said for my favorite notes like sandalwood, vanilla, and iris: too much or the wrong blend, and it can veer from cozy to overwhelming.

Many of the roses in my collection are unapologetically upfront. They dominate the fragrance from the first spritz to the lingering drydown. But when a rose is balanced, say, with peony, vanilla, musk, or amber, it becomes something truly magical.

Take two of my current favorites: Hayley Kiyoko Hue and ELDO Eau de Protection. Both are rose fragrances I love. Hue pairs rose with peony and musk, creating a soft, playful floral. Eau de Protection takes a different approach: no peony, no musk, just a whole lot of patchouli. And somehow, it works beautifully.

Then there’s the brighter, sunshiny side of rose. Stella McCartney (the eponymous fragrance) is full of citrus, peony, and amber. Gorgeous, uplifting, and sadly discontinued. Bond No. 9 West Side follows a similar formula, peony and amber with a hint of vanilla instead of citrus—warm, sexy, slightly sweet, and a touch too loud, but still a favorite. And Giorgio Armani’s Onde Mystere? A rose that leans into vanilla, amber, and incense, creating a mysterious, smoky floral that I miss dearly.

Other roses I adore:

• Les Parfums de Rosine Viva La Mariée – Neroli, litchi, bergamot, rose, peony, jasmine sambac, magnolia, orange blossom, peach, freesia, vanilla, praline, tonka bean, cedar, musk, sandalwood, patchouli. A complex, whimsical floral that never overstays its welcome. Though the rose has a lot of company in this scent, it is still unmistakably a rose fragrance.

• Ormonde Jayne Ta’if – Pink pepper, saffron, dates, Taif rose, freesia, jasmine, orange blossom, amber, broom. A spicy, elegant rose that feels both modern and timeless, with a generous dose of the company's lovely OrmondeJayne-enade.

• Penhaligon’s Elisabethan Rose – Hazelnut, tangerine, almond, cinnamon, May rose, rose oil, black currant, geranium, red lily, plum, musk, woody notes, violet, vetiver, orris root. A beautiful soft rose that has no rough edges.

• Penhaligon's Luna – Lemon, bergamot, bitter orange, rose, juniper berries, jasmine, balsam fir, musk, ambergris. A crisp, green rose that flirts with the forest more than the garden.

• Tokyo Milk Parfumerie Curiositie Gin & Rosewater – Citrus, mimosa, mandarin orange, rosewood. I still don’t understand how this evokes gin and rosewater at the same time, but somehow it does, and I love it. Truly an alchemical miracle.

So, maybe I’m not strictly anti-rose after all. Maybe I’m just a rose snob. Or maybe, like so many fragrances, it’s all about the blend, and knowing when a rose is allowed to shine and when it needs a little company.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Perfume Math, But Make It Cute

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Sometimes I feel a little guilty about buying perfume. (Okay, more than a little. At this point, I own enough bottles to scent several lifetimes.) But here’s the thing: my tastes have shifted over the years. Fragrances I once swooned over now sit gathering dust. And that’s not a moral failing, it’s just life with perfume.

The good news? I don’t have to drown in a sea of neglected bottles. Last year I had a revelation: eBay.

Turns out, plenty of people are thrilled to take my unloved scents off my hands. Even partial bottles! Since I baby my perfumes by storing them in their boxes in a dark, cool space, they’re usually in excellent shape. Before listing anything, I spritz-test to make sure it hasn’t gone off. (The sting of receiving a ruined bottle is real. Looking at you, GAP Om, which turned into swamp water. And yes, original Victoria from Victoria’s Secret, you’re on that list too.)

Some of my no-longer-worn perfumes have been discontinued, which means they’re suddenly hot commodities. And yes, that translates into more cash, which makes the letting-go process surprisingly painless.

Over the past year, I’ve listed about twenty bottles and made thousands of dollars. That money has almost entirely funded my new perfume habit. Case in point: since May 1st, 2025, I’ve picked up nine beauties: 1907 Vanilla Dry, Heeley Palm, Trudon Bruma, Liis Ethereal Wave, Vibiskov L’eau Rouge Nature, Molecule 01 + Mandarin, Miller et Bertaux Tulsivivah, Memo Eau de Memo, and a travel spray of Ellis Brooklyn Salt. Retail value? $1,656. What I actually paid? $1,235.

And because my eBay sales during that same stretch totaled $1,243, I technically came out $8 ahead.

Yes, I am officially justifying my perfume habit with math. And I’m not even sorry.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

How I Accidentally Wrote a Cozy Mystery (and Loved Every Minute)

Some people impulse-buy shoes; I impulse-wrote a murder.

In early June, I got a bee in my bonnet and decided out of nowhere to write a cozy mystery. And it just…poured out of me. Like it had been bottled up forever, even though I’d never really given fiction much thought before. That’s my husband’s department. Fiction is his thing.

I guess I wanted a change. A challenge. And, well, I found one. Turns out, it was fun. The kind of fun that makes you want to do it again and again. And so, without further ado, I present my first work of fiction: Killer Sillage. And as you may have inferred from the title, perfume is involved. In fact, the lead character, Clare, owns a perfume shop in her (and my) hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.

What I didn’t realize—rookie mistake—is that after you finish writing a book, there’s a lot of other stuff to do. I’ve written three other books with my husband, Neal (aka Mr. Minx), all non-fiction and food-related. They were professionally published, so even though Globe Pequot was hardly a marketing powerhouse, at least they handled things like getting the books into stores.

Self-publishing? Whole different animal. Suddenly, I’m not just the writer, I’m the editor, formatter, cover designer, production manager, and distribution department. Right now, Killer Sillage will launch as a Kindle ebook, but once I get my act together, there will be a paperback version and wider availability.

Oh, and apparently I also need a mailing list and a website. So, in true “let’s-build-the-plane-while-flying-it” fashion, I’ve started both: a Substack for my pen name, Kat LaGue, and a brand-new website.

If you’d like to follow along as I launch Killer Sillage into the world (and get sneak peeks at my next cozy mystery), you can: 

Subscribe to my Substack: LaGue’s Clues, part behind-the-scenes, part fragrance chat. All New Subscribers will receive a FREE bonus origin story. 

Visit my new website: katlague.com, where all the book news will live.

And, of course, pre-order Killer Sillage! 

Come for the murder, stay for the perfume.

P.S. If you know anyone who loves cozy mysteries, perfume, or just a good story with a twist, please send them my way! Sharing this post is the best way to help a new author like me find her readers. Thanks a million!

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Fragrance Discounters

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I have always hated paying retail prices--especially with my own money--whether it be for clothes, shoes, most things. Especially for perfume. I loooove perfume. I have a lot of it and always want something new. But I can't be tossing hundreds of dollars around just to feed my habit, so I either rely on sales or on discounters. And if I have to pay full retail, I try to use a gift card earned from credit card points to cover at least part of the cost. 

As I reside in the US, I can only confirm the reliability of the companies that are based here and with which I have experience; those are marked with an asterisk (*). I have received recommendations, however, from folks outside the States who have made successful purchases from fragrance discounters in the UK, EU, and Canada. 

I will endeavor to update this list when I find new places to add. It will eventually become a page, linked on the left sidebar. <-------- If you have any additions for the list, please leave a comment and I'll add it.

US

Aura Fragrance 

Beautyhouse.com sells a little bit of everything--designer, niche, and celebrity scents. They also have a decent selection of Arabian fragrances.

*Fragrancenet is my favorite discounter; I've made dozens of purchases from them, all of which arrived quickly and safely. They stock the gamut, from cheapie celebrity scents to expensive niche brands I've never heard of. They sell testers and purse spray decants as well as full bottles, plus beauty products and cosmetics. I discovered Monotheme Venezia's great and inexpensive fragrances on Fragrancenet, and I've purchased most of the ten Serge Lutens frags in my collection from them. It's a good place for blind buys in that they have so many choices. It's a bad place for blind buys in that they have so many choices. PRO TIP: their catalog of niche brands is listed under the "gifts" header. They're in random order, unfortunately, but you can always select a brand to see all the fragrances from that brand that they generally have in stock. Also, some niche frags aren't actually discounted. Essential Parfums, for example, are more expensive on Fragrancenet. 

*Fragrancex is practically identical to Perfume.com. They send out similar sale emails on the same day, and carry a lot of the same brands. They have a single page directory of the brands they carry, which is great when you're in the mood for a blind buy and have a company in mind. 

*Jomashop is like a high-end discount department store. They have clothes, shoes, sunglasses, jewelry, and watches from brands like Burberry, Cartier, Tag Heuer, Ferragamo, and more. And perfume. They have lots of brands, both inexpensive and high end. Shipping took a bit longer than I'm used to, but my purchase arrived securely packed. (I bought the normally $300 100ml bottle of D.S. & Durga Pistachio on sale for $125.)

*Perfume.com is practically identical to FragranceX. They have a vast inventory of goods at great prices, and they have a single page directory of all the brands they carry. One problem with Perfume.com is that fragrances I want might be listed, but they are usually out of stock. 

Venba sells a limited selection of popular expensive designer and niche brands like Creed, Amouage, Parfums de Marly, Nishane, Maison Crivelli. While prices are still quite high, they are definitely lower than full retail. 

Canada 

Fragrancebuy.ca

UK & EU

All Beauty

Direct Cosmetics 

Escentual

LookFantastic

My Origines

Notino

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Kaffeeklatsch

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I have always loved the smell of coffee. When I was a kid, my Dad and I would go to a place called The Bun Penny, which was located at the Mall in Columbia in Columbia, MD. A large portion of the floor was covered in giant sacks full of aromatic coffee beans, and I delighted in sniffing each variety. I can still conjure up the smell of The Bun Penny in my mind's nose, but it isn't solely scented with coffee. There's also the scent of raw almonds, though I can't remember if they sold those or not. It is a precious scent memory I am always trying to recreate through perfume, but haven't yet reached that particular scented nirvana.

There aren't all that many coffee fragrances on the market, actually. Sure, there are perfumes that contain a coffee note, but not that many that star my favorite caffeinated beverage. And some that do, like Montale's Intense Cafe and Ristretto Intense Cafe, pair it with rose. Those, to my nose, are rose fragrances that happens to have some coffee in them. When I see a coffee fragrance, I give it a try, but few have actually come home with me. My absolute favorite is the sadly discontinued Comme des Garcons Sweet Wood Coffee, from their Sweet line of fragrances. They brought back Sticky Cake, so I'm hoping that Wood Coffee will reemerge from the archives someday. I have a small bottle that I treasure, and I use it sparingly. It makes me feel so cozy and delicious. 

Apparently coffee is a trending note these days, so we'll be seeing more of it, and that's fine with me.

Comme des Garcons Sweet Wood Coffee

Licorice, Cardamom, Ginger, Coffee, Almond, Woodsy Notes, Indian Patchouli, Vanilla

This is one of my all-time favorite fragrances. It's coffee, but not, with none of the dark bitterness of actual coffee. It's gourmand-ish, but not too sweet; spicy, but without recognizable spices; and woody, without splinters. Sweet Wood Coffee is so well-blended that I find it hard to pick out individual notes. It just envelops me into the most gorgeous cloud of edible scent. Stunning, and I was crushed that it was discontinued before I was able to snag a back-up bottle or three. I have half a bottle and use it sparingly.

Al Rehab French Coffee

Coffee, Caramel, Vanilla, Milk, Sugar, Cacao, Cinnamon

This is liquid tiramisu in a bottle. The coffee note is quite strong and black at first, but soon fades into an amalgam of sweet and creamy notes reminiscent of the delicious Italian dessert. Nice, but rather one-dimensional. I wish it had some patchouli or woods in the drydown to ground it a bit. 

Bonus Trivia: Retired Baltimore bakery owner Carminantonio Iannaccone claims to have invented tiramisu while he was still living in Treviso, Italy. I've tried his version--it's very good. Impossible to say if it was the original.

Bohoboco Coffee White Flowers
Cinnamon, Cloves, Chocolate, Coffee, Cocoa, Jasmine, Golden Rum, Vanilla, Leather

This starts out like the most delicious caramel latte, and honestly, I would be happy if the notes ended at cocoa and I smelled like this all day. But I am not unhappy that the scent gradually changes to a sexy honeyed white floral. It's an amazing transformation, so totally unexpected, but completely delicious. A great scent for the transition from Winter to Spring, but I find it a bit too sweet for Summer wearing. 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks

A Favorite: Trudon Bruma

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What I really wanted to do was fairly complex, involving a suede purse tipped on its side on the grass, with a lipstick and a tin of pastilles spilled out of it. Behind it would be irises, violets, jasmine, peonies.
Unfortunately, Ideogram wouldn't give me the purse I wanted, or it made some bizarre mutant purse with straps coming out of odd places, with far more things spilling out than I asked for. So I gave up and generated something far more simple. I still had to Photoshop the heck out of it. 

Trudon Bruma

Galbanum, Black Pepper, Lavender, Iris Flower, Violet, Peony, Jasmine, Vetiver, Labdanum, Tonka

During a visit to the Trudon boutique in SoHo, I scored a travel spray of Bruma. It was given as a thank you for attending the Spring Sniffapalooza event in 2024--a very generous gift. I had sniffed it before, during an online master class with Trudon and BeautyHabit, but it didn't stick in my mind. Rather, I was too taken with the sublimely smoky Revolution to pay attention to the other scents in the collection. (This goes to show that perfumes may need to be tried multiple times before they hit the right spot.) At the boutique, I was given a choice of two or three fragrances; I chose Bruma because it was presented as an iris scent, which is right up my alley. But to me, Bruma does not smell particularly of iris. I mean, yes, there's iris, but it isn't what I'd call a primarily iris fragrance. It smells of too many other things. It's green. It's floral. It's powdery. It's peppery. It's aromatic. It has an old-fashioned vibe. It's quite perfume-y. It's warm, but also cool. It's cozy. It's musky. It's one of those fragrances that can fit any occasion, be worn in any temperature, and has become something I reach for when I really don't know what I feel like wearing. Bruma is subtle, sophisticated, balanced, velvety and a bit mysterious. It is always perfect. I honestly adore it. 

It starts out soft and girly, and a bit old-fashioned, with definite iris and violet but also the dry warmth of pepper and a whisper of leather. It's like rummaging through a suede purse and pulling out a lipstick. It's also green and floral in turn, as if that purse was outdoors, in a garden. For a moment, there's also something vaguely candied about it, though it's not sweet. As if that lipstick has become pastilles instead, but are still living in that purse. 

Sometimes, when I wear this, I get a whiff of something clean wafting up from my shirt. It's basically the same floral/lightly green scent, but in a different form. A shift from powdery to soapy. Actually, Bruma isn't really powdery, but rather coated in a gauzy floral veil that's airy rather than heady.

If you're into unusual floral scents that seem to veer a bit old-fashioned (yet don't smell vintage), give Bruma a try. 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Jacques Fath Le Loden

created with Ideogram AI and Adobe Photoshop.
I always wanted to star in fragrance ad.

Jacques Fath Fath's Essentials Le Loden

Haitian Vetiver, Ginger, Pink Pepper, Green Mandarin, Bourbon Vetiver, Juniper Berries, Bourbon Geranium, Raspberry Leaf, Java vetiver oil, Tobacco, Patchouli, Ylang-Ylang

I used to think that I disliked vetiver, but I may have been mistaken. There are some fragrances that I cannot abide that have a vetiver note listed, so I have assumed that's what makes the scent unwearable to me. Yet, I am finding more and more vetiver scents that make me happy. I definitely can now recognize the somewhat watery-but-also-smoky grassiness of proper vetiver. I enjoy Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver, and I simply adore Bamford Gray (though that seems more spicy than vetiver-y). A new favorite, Fath Le Loden, was a love-at-first-sniff sorta thing; it includes three different vetivers.

What? There's actually a vetiver scent I love? Sometimes I don't recognize myself. 

I first encountered Le Loden via a sample included in a goodie bag from my friend Angie. She and I have very different tastes in fragrance and I was not having much luck finding something I liked among her generous selection. When I got to Le Loden, my first thought was, "Jacques Fath is making new perfumes?" I of course was familiar with Iris Gris (1946) and Fath de Fath (1953), but had no idea that the house had been creating newer scents since the 1990s, including the Fath's Essentials series. My second thought was, "wow!"

Some have compared Le Loden to Lalique Encre Noire; while they both have prominent vetiver notes, that's where the similarity ends. It's like comparing Hermes Hiris to Houbigant Iris de Champs. Yes, they are both primarily iris scents, but are otherwise quite different. Overall, Encre Noire is a cold and wet scent, as befitting the name "black ink." I owned it at one point, but found it to be too chilly and dark. It's too "moody vampire" for me (but if you like vetiver, def check it out). Le Loden is also a scent that lives up to its name. While it contains potentially excessive amounts of vetiver, it's a bit wooly, almost snuggly. The leatheriness of the Javanese vetiver and the sweet almost licorice-like quality of the Bourbon vetiver give the fragrance body and warmth. The patchouli is pretty prominent as well, adding a pleasing earthy quality.

For whatever reason, sniffing Le Loden conjures up a feeling of nostalgia, but for memories that aren't actually mine. It makes me think of being outside on a rainy winter day, perhaps walking through the countryside, while wearing a cozy coat. Indeed, the name itself refers to the sturdy, waterproof, 100% wool outerwear that originated in the Tyrol region of Austria. Loden also refers to the traditional olive green of said coats, though modern iterations come in many styles and colors. 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Calvin Klein Obsession

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No, this is not an actual image of me from the late 80s, though I did own
rainbow suspenders and pleated tartan trousers.

Calvin Klein Obsession

Fragrantica: Basil, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Green Notes, Peach, Lemon, Spices, Sandalwood, Coriander, Oakmoss, Cedar, Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Rose, Amber, Incense, Vanilla, Civet, Musk, Vetiver

Basenotes: Lemon, Mandarin, Bergamot, Peach, Jasmine, Rose, Orange Blossom, Rosewood, Coriander, Marigold, Armoise (mugwort), Ylang Ylang, Cedar, Sandalwood, Amber, Oakmoss, Vanilla, Musk, Civet

Obsession was something I wore regularly in the late 80s, along with the even spicier Karl Lagerfeld fragrance, KL. (Floral fragrances were grody and gagged me with a spoon, but ambers were like totally bitchin'.) These perfumes scented my days of lugging a heavy brown pleather portfolio from Art History to Life Drawing and Children's Book Illustration to Computer Graphics (where we learned how to draw shapes on a tiny black and white Mac Classic--this was the Stone Age of personal computers) at the Maryland Institute College of Art. I never wore Big Hair, but I did wear Big Perfume and even bigger earrings. 

While writing my post about Must de Cartier, I came upon more than a few comments and reviews that compared Must to Obsession. I didn't remember it being that similar, but it had been a while since I owned a fresh bottle of Calvin Klein's now classic fragrance. Fragrancenet.com had it on clearance, which allowed me to score 50ml for $23.

I was immediately disappointed with my new purchase. The original opaque poop-brown cap with the gold border had been replaced with a cheaper translucent cap in a darker shade. Did the juice change, too? I spritzed a tester strip and immediately got a flash of the past, though it wasn't as strong and nostalgic as I thought it would be. Damn if the opening doesn't smell a lot like Must de Cartier, with a strong galbanum-like dark green sensation, though it doesn't last as long as Must's. Obsession also has a fairly prominent animalic quality that comes out early and persists for a bit. This is possibly the civet, but could also be indolic jasmine. Cinnamon and a pinch of clove swirl around, with some fruitiness, oakmoss, and of course a lot of ambery-style notes. The drydown is fairly musky and includes quite a bit of vanilla, but not as much as I remember.

I'm not sure why they bothered creating an Obsession for Men, because there's nothing particularly feminine about the original. There's definitely a similarity between the two, though the masculine has even more cinnamon and vanilla and seems softer. It's been my husband's signature cold-weather scent for over 25 years now, and he always smells glorious. Frankly, I think I prefer the men's version to the original, at least in its current formulation. (I'm not saying it's been reformulated, but considering how old this scent is, I think it's likely). 

IMHO, Obsession doesn't smell at all dated. It's a spicy amber fragrance that is just as good as--or better--than many of the newer perfumes in the same style. It's not particularly sweet, nor is it overpoweringly strong unless one oversprays. It's much less-expensive than most new perfumes, only $100 for 100ml if purchased directly from Calvin Klein, and even less than that at discounters. Fans of amber-style scents should definitely look into trying this 1980's classic.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

1907 Vanilla Dry

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1907 Vanilla Dry

Ylang-Ylang, Orange, Mandarin Orange, Tiare Flower, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-Valley, Vanilla, Coconut, Sandalwood, White Musk

In April of 2024, I requested a "perfume prescription" from Suzy and Nicola of the On the Scent podcast and posted the results here. If you don't want to go back and read, here's a synopsis: I had tried Matiere Premier Vanilla Powder multiple times and was repelled by a stabby mystery note. Hubby seemed to enjoy it though, so I requested a dry woody scent with a background of amber or vanilla that could be similar. Three vanilla-based scents were recommended: TF Tobacco Vanille; Maya Njie Vanilj; and 1907 Vanilla Dry.

I was able to sniff the first two pretty easily, but I couldn't source a reasonably priced sample of the third scent in the US. And then I met Angie, of @angiesmellstheroses on Tiktok and IG. She happened to have a bottle of Vanilla Dry and sent me a small decant. Rather than a being the requested woodsy vanilla, Vanilla Dry is quite floral. Additionally, there was something oddly mentholated about it that displeased me, so the sample was banished to a bag of similarly rejected vials that were to be shared with others. One day not long ago, I was sorting my bag of disliked samples to pack some up for a friend. I decided to try Vanilla Dry again, as it had been 6 months since the first attempt. Surprise! The second time, I liked it. And the third time, a few days later, I loved it. The fourth time, the sample was all gone and I had to buy a bottle. I found it at Jovoy, a Parisian perfume purveyor with great prices (though not a discounter), and added it to my cart with a bunch of samples from unfamiliar brands, a backup bottle of Essential Parfums Orange x Santal for hubby, and a bottle of Trudon Bruma for me. (One needs to purchase €400 to get free shipping. €45 is a little steep for postage, the equivalent of 10 samples or a partial bottle, heck, a decent dinner with a glass of wine, even a latte at the Towson Town Center Starbucks. I was going to buy the other two scents eventually, so why not now?) 

I'm not sure why I had such an about-face with this scent. The first time I smelled it was in the fall, and the second time in the spring, so the temperatures weren't all that different. I will admit that I find vanilla-heavy scents a bit disgusting in the heat, but that wasn't the case here. While jasmine isn't a favorite note, I actually do like ylang-ylang and lily-of-the-valley and generally have no issue with tiare. In fact, I've recently been looking for a tropical coconut scent in the same family as Azuree Soleil/Bronze Goddess but lighter, perhaps with some green notes (Heeley Palm, formerly Cocobello, is a contender). Oddly, despite the tiare and coconut, Vanilla Dry doesn't come off as a tropical scent at all. Apart from the gentle yellow floralcy in the early stages of the fragrance, it's a vanilla scent from start to finish. For me, the coconut is more of a texture than an actual smell. Imagine a jar of coconut grated so finely that it's nearly a dry dust, and nestled within are a couple of vanilla beans. The vanilla perfumes the coconut, and the coconut keeps the sweetness of the vanilla within acceptable levels (for me). I really don't get the orange notes at the opening, and find the sandalwood and musk to be pretty subtle, but I'm really fine with what's left. Now, I don't know if Vanilla Dry is indeed dry enough to wear in the summer, but it's worked nicely so far this spring in temperatures up to the mid-70s.

One thing I don't like about 1907 Vanilla Dry isn't about the fragrance at all--it's the cap. It's a heavy metal sphere that is a bit awkward to remove. The first time I pulled it off the bottle, I wasn't prepared for the weight. It bounced out of my hand and across the room, narrowly missing the window (which it would have cracked, I'm sure), and clattered noisily across the bathroom tile. Now, I'm all for a sturdy bottle situation, but I'd rather have a hollow plastic cap than one that could be used as a weapon. Other than that, it's good stuff, and I am so glad I gave it a second chance.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

A Favorite: Must de Cartier

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Cartier Must de Cartier

Galbanum, Brazilian Rosewood, Aldehydes, Bergamot, Lemon, Green Mandarin, Peach, Pineapple, Leather, Carnation, Vetiver, Orris Root, Musk, Ylang-Ylang, Yellow Narcissus, Neroli, Rose, Jasmine, Orchid, Amber, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Civet, Vetiver

Must, released in 1981, was Cartier's first fragrance. Scents from that decade tend to be stereotyped as brash, suitable as a finishing touch for women who favor big shoulder pads, big earrings, even bigger hair, and lots of blusher. That may have been true of Giorgio and Poison. Must, however, seems much more from the era of classical fragrance that preceded it, containing a complex cocktail of numerous notes that are so well-blended that few stand out, apart from the unusual combination of top notes. 

I'm pretty sure I first encountered Must in the early 90s, which would have been after it was reformulated. I received my bottle as a gift in the early 2000s, and its scent seems to have always been this way to me. In those days--before I understood fragrance notes and the way they were supposed to smell--rather than perceiving greenness in Must's galbanum top note, I felt it smelled...brown. The peculiar combination of earthy galbanum with some citrus and fizzy aldehydes, backed up with pineapple and lots of flowers somehow evoked chocolate. It's like a whiff of an open can of cocoa powder, a bit bitter and somewhat dusty, but recognizably chocolate. Though I now know that galbanum is considered a green note, Must is still far more brown in character, especially as the tapestry of floral notes is rather dusty and mingled with hints of leather, powder, and civet in the base.

I have read comparisons to other scents of the time, particularly Calvin Klein's Obsession. While they share similar bones (citrus, sandalwood, musky drydown), they are entirely different fragrances. I wore Obsession in the 80s, in college, and it seems far more fun and youthful with its vanilla and spice overtones, while Must is far more grown-up. Though this is said from a distance; I haven't owned both fragrances at the same time. (That's about to change--thanks, Fragrancenet!) In any case, Must de Cartier is a beautiful classic fragrance that deserves to be discovered and worn today and beyond.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Remembering Mom

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I lost my Mom on February 12, 2001, when I was 35 years old. She had suffered with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus for many years, but her death was still a huge shock. I had gotten married only 4 months prior and was barely settled in my new life and my new home when my world was shattered. Though my Dad--with whom I had always gotten along and loved very much--was still alive, with the death of my mother, I considered myself an orphan.

Mom was my best friend when I was a kid, but after I became an adult, we didn't always get along. I was out and about, living my life, seldom considering that she must have been in constant pain. It didn't help that she expected us to be mind-readers rather than communicating her needs, but I should have been more sensitive. Still, I had led a rather sheltered life, preferring books and music to activities with friends, when suddenly, in my late 20s, I had become Miss Popularity. Rather than spending time with Mom, re-re-watching our favorite movies--Evil Under the Sun and The 12 Chairs among them--I was going to multiple parties every weekend, hanging out with newfound friends (some of whom turned out not to be friends at all). What's the big deal? you're probably wondering. Everybody goes through this. That might be true. It's more than fine for able-bodied parents who have supportive spouses and friends to lose their children to their own adulthood. But Mom really only had my brother and me. And I could have done better.

Mom liked perfume, but she wasn't into it nearly as much as I was. She didn't wear it every day, except in the summer when she'd have a splash from the giant bottle of Jean Nate that she kept on the top of the toilet tank. If she went out anywhere nice--which was very rare--she'd apply some Wind Song. She kept its charming crown-shaped bottle among the various toiletries and bath products in a drawer at the bottom of the linen closet. Once in a while I'd dig through the treasures and pull out the small round orbs filled with multicolored bath oils, occasionally squashing one through my fingers and making a greasy mess. I also liked playing with the little rose-shaped guest soaps, though I thought they stank. Actually, I thought all of it stank, especially the strong-smelling stuff in the curvy pale blue bottle: Youth Dew, which I called "Youth Pee-yew" or "Youth DooDoo." But as the cliché goes, "the apple doesn't far from the tree." Little did I know that similar spicy amber scents like Obsession and KL would become my signatures in my 20s. I particularly loved Germaine Monteil Bakir, which I discovered in a catalog offering discount beauty products. Mom and I would pore through those mailings and order a bunch of various necessities, like lipsticks that changed color depending on one's pH, bars of Magno black soap, and vintage perfumes like Jean Couturier Coriandre and the aforementioned Bakir. 

Later in life, Mom gave up on her old fragrances and started to wear different things. Back in the early 1990s, when grown-ups wore Victoria's Secret lingerie, they released their first fragrance--Victoria. That was my mother's name, so it called to her. It came in a classy and expensive-looking fluted bottle with a blue faux gemstone on the cap and smelled gently of raspberry and rose and other things that I no longer recall. After the success of Victoria, Mom tried their next scent, Rapture, a floral amber that was a bit sweet. I hated it, referring to it as "Rupture." Mom didn't like it as well as Victoria, but she wore it anyway. Around that time, she also discovered Guerlain Jardins de Bagatelle, a heady white floral from the 80s. I have never been a fan of gardenia, tuberose, or jasmine, but somehow I liked this one, especially on my mother. She called it "Bagels," because she thought calling it by the French name was pretentious. One of my cousins gave her a fresh bottle of JdB every Christmas, though she didn't wear the scent frequently enough to use a bottle a year. After Mom died, I found three unopened bottles in her closet, and I regret now that I sold all of them on eBay. For a time, Mom also wore Gap Heaven, a light white floral musk. I wore it too, and we both thought the juice in her bottle smelled better on me, though both bottles were of the same vintage. I still have them, but I would rather have Mom.

I got my hands on new bottles of Jean Nate and Wind Song and have reviewed them below. A couple years back I bought a used bottle of Victoria on eBay, knowing that there was a very good chance that the scent had turned. It had, and not just the top notes. The only thing salvageable is the pretty fluted bottle. From what I remember, this fragrance smelled lightly of raspberry and more strongly of rose, but that could be a false memory. As for Jardins de Bagatelle, I only remember it being a bold white floral, elegant and complex, and like nothing else. It's a little spendy for a blind buy (for me...I try to stick to $50 and under if I'm throwing my money away), but I might try to get a sample or decant in the future and write about it.

Revlon Jean Nate After Bath Splash

Lemon, Bergamot, Lavender, Geranium, Spicy Notes, Rose, Lily-of-the-Valley, Jasmine, Musk, Sandalwood, Virginia Cedar, Tonka Bean

This doesn't smell anything like I remember. Back in the 70s, to my nose, it was an in-your-face kinda citrus fragrance with some lavender. It's much more subdued these days, still citrussy, and far more soapy than I recall, even a tad spicy. Something about it smells stale and dusty, but only briefly, like a ghost of fragrances past. And then, surprisingly, the dry-down is musky and a little sandalwood-y and quite pleasant. If this stuff were only the drydown, I might love it. I wish I had been able to try the cologne as well as the much lighter and more fleeting "after bath splash" concentration--what Mom always wore--to see if there's a difference, but I'm not curious enough to hunt down a bottle.

Prince Matchabelli Wind Song

Coriander, Tarragon, Neroli, Orange Leaf, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Lemon, Carnation, Cloves, Ylang-Ylang, Rose, Brazilian Rosewood, Orris Root, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Cedar, Musk, Benzoin, Amber

I really had no recollection of the smell of Wind Song, only the memory of disliking it. Going by the notes, I should love this stuff: a spicy citrus-forward floral with a musky amber drydown. The opening is quite mid-century vintage-y, cold-cream-like, with lots of smooth, not sharp, citrus notes mingled with muted florals. It's far more pleasant than I remember, but I'm sure what I disliked about it so much was the soapiness. I enjoy a rooty iris note these days, and there are glimpses of  that in Wind Song, along with a good amount of spicy, clove-like carnation. The drydown is gently woodsy, with persistent carnation and orris. While I can't say my mother smelled exactly like this scent during my childhood, Wind Song is definitely the smell of a mother from my parents' generation. And if one is into vintage-style scents, this one is still well done and totally wearable.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

What I've Been Wearing So Far in 2025

created with Ideogram AI and lots of Adobe Photoshop

Though my desk is a messy disaster most of the time, I am pretty organized. I like lists, and I am forever updating various Google My Maps with places I plan to visit along with directions on how to get to those places. In 2020, I started a spreadsheet of daily dinners so I would be able to keep track of leftovers and be better able to plan meals (plus we were locked down; there wasn't much else to do). And in January of 2025, I started a SOTD spreadsheet to see which of my many fragrances I wear more often or none at all. 

I don't quite have enough scents to be able to wear a different one every day for 365 days, and I vow never to get near that many. I currently have 200-ish bottles and around two dozen travel sprays (at least according to my Fragrantica wardrobe), so I would have a good part of the year covered. Some scents, however, I might not wear for a few years in a row. Others--usually newer additions to the collection--I will wear more frequently. Until, of course, some new purchases usurp their places in my cold black heart--a regular occurrence. 

In the first third of this year, the 120-day period between January 1 and April 30, 2025, I wore 101 different fragrances. Thirteen of those were samples, only one of which I have since purchased (Perfumer H Rain Wood). On eleven separate days, I layered 2 or more fragrances, and on thirteen others, I wore 2 scents on the same day but at different times. (When I say "wore," I mean applied to my décolletage area, where I normally wear scent. I don't count those I sampled on my forearms or backs of hands, which would raise the number of total scents by several dozen.)

The fragrance I wore most often was D.S. & Durga Pistachio, four times on its own and twice layered with another scent (once each with 4160 Tuesdays Rhubarb & Custard and Sarah Baker Peach's Revenge). Tied for second place were Byredo Gypsy Water and Celine Saint-Germain-Des-Pres, with four wears each.

Several scents I wore thrice (Buchart Colbert Le Bain de Lulu, Maison Louis Marie Bois de Balincourt, Peach's Revenge, A.N. Other WD/18, Gallagher Mists of Time, D.S. & Durga Wear at Maximum Volume, Perfumer H Rain Wood, Profumum Roma Battito D'Ali, Hermes Barenia, and Chanel Paris-Edimbourg). Sixty-five different scents were only worn once, either by themselves, layered, or applied later in the day after my first fragrance faded/I got tired of smelling it. And of course the rest were worn twice. 

Does this info surprise me? Not really. I already knew that I'm pretty fickle when it comes to fragrance, and that I could never be a "signature scent" kinda gal. I don't even really understand why someone would want to smell like the same thing every day forever. I rarely want to smell like the same thing two days in a row, and didn't in the first four months of 2025. What I do find somewhat interesting is that I wore 88 different scents from my collection of just under 230, or about a third, over a third of a year. I highly doubt I'll go through the remaining 2/3 of my collection this year. Several things no longer interest me and should probably be re-homed. Some other perfumes have been discontinued and I'm in no hurry to use up the precious few drops I have left. Seven fragrances I consider "holiday" scents, and will likely rotate only those during the month of December. But we'll see. I think I will repeat this exercise again in early September and then again around January 1, 2026. 

Do you wear a different scent every day? How many do you think you wear over the course of four months? Would love to chat about it in the comments.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

A Favorite: Diptyque Tempo

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Diptyque Tempo 

Patchouli, Mate, Clary Sage, Pink Pepper, Violet Leaf, Bergamot

Lured by the promise of gifts with purchase, I visited the Diptyque Grand Tour pop-up in New York's Meatpacking District in the Fall of 2021. I had recently participated in a Sniffapalooza master class that introduced me to the two new limited-edition Diptyque "Grand Tour" scents, Kyoto and Venise. I was intrigued by the strong greenness of Venise. It came only as a set of three travel sprays--which made it actually affordable--so I bought it. The delicious Paris candle (which I would love as an EDP, hint hint) also went home with me. Almost as a reward for schlepping myself to an area of town I don't visit particularly often, I received the best "gift with purchase" ever: a branded canvas tote, a poster of an early Diptyque design, a box of long matches, and a travel spray of Tempo. Patchouli-heavy fragrances have never been my favorites, but I thought this was one I could wear. To be totally honest, it was love at first sniff. And as a travel spray, I could take it with me on solo trips and avoid comments from my famously patchouli-averse husband.

I have read that perfumer Olivier Pescheux used three varieties of Indonesian patchouli when he created Tempo. I can only identify two: a chocolate-y patch (like the patch in Les Nereides Patchouli Antique); and a sharper/brighter, almost ozonic, woodsy one (like the one in Dior Gris Dior). The only other style of patchouli that I can think of is what I think of as "dirty hippy" patchouli, and I'm not detecting that in Tempo. But what do I know? The first several hours of Tempo is more chocolate-y, a little herbaceous, and somewhat dusty. The long drydown has more of the brighter patchouli, and this is when I love this fragrance most. I feel strong, confident, and very much in-the-know when I wear Tempo. I would buy a large full bottle if I could wear it more often. But like Chanel Coromandel, Mr Minx definitely notices when I wear this one, and not in a good way. Still, Tempo is one of my favorite fragrances and I hope never to be without some in my life.
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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

My "Spring Edit"

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You spot your new crush/love/infatuation across the crowded sales floor. You sniff it, you spray it, you NEED it. And then you buy it. Come on, this happens to all of us except those with strong willpower and tight wallets. It happens to me on the regular. I find myself sampling new fragrances on almost a daily basis and every once in a while--ok, at least once a month--there's something new that I can't live without. So I buy it. Believe me, I've been trying to be better about spending money on perfume, so I've been going for travel sizes, if available. There are so many great scents in my collection, some purchased a decade or more ago, that I don't need to buy anything new. But still...I do.

I think of my collection as having ages. There's the Stone Age, comprising scents that I purchased 15 or more years ago. The Modern Age includes all the stuff I've bought since 2020. And the Middle Age (duh) scents are all the frags I bought between 2010 and the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020. Surprisingly, the Modern Age seems to be the biggest cohort. I blame it on the podcasts I've discovered over the last couple years, and Instagram, and the various perfume Substacks to which I subscribe. They have introduced me to scents I otherwise wouldn't have known existed. 

My goal for this season is to wear scents I've been neglecting. So far, my Spring Edit contains five fragrances I purchased prior to 2025, plus new additions Byredo Gypsy Water and Diptyque L'Eau Papier. 

Armani Prive Orangerie Venise  

Bitter Orange, Citruses, Bergamot, Neroli, Buchu, Ambroxan, Moss, Cedar

This mossy bitter orange scent was one of my fairly rare love-at-first-sniff situations. It was on a table near the up escalator on the Beauty Floor, where Bergdorf Goodman occasionally displays new items. I can't resist a scent that has any part of an orange tree in it, so I gave myself a spritz. My nose was glued to my wrist for the rest of that day. I don't normally visit BG two days in a row, but I made an exception this time because I needed this scent. It has all the orange-y parts that I love, but the moss takes it into a chypre-esque direction that I find so lovely and refreshing in warmer months. I have usually kept this one in circulation through the summer and might do the same this year.

ELDO Don't Get Me Wrong, Baby

Lily-of-the-Valley, Jasmine, African Orange Flower, Marshmallow, Musk, Aldehydes, Cacao, Patchouli, Amber

Quite a few of the floral perfumes I like contain lily-of-the-valley, therefore I must like lily-of-the valley. (This needs more study. Also, I'm going to refer to it as muguet, since that requires less punctuation and fewer words.) Don't Get Me Wrong, Baby (the original, which is a little different from the sequel, Yes, I Do) is a lovely muguet-and-jasmine scent, fairly innocent, a bit sweet, slightly fizzy with aldehydes (making it a touch old-fashioned). I get more of the musk and marshmallow on paper than I do on my skin, and none of the cacao, patch, or amber--so I am totally puzzled at why I like this one so much. In any case, I plan to wear it more this Spring and probably into the Summer.

Fragonard Lilas  

Linden Blossom, Black Currant, Lemon, Lilac, Heliotrope, Hawthorn, Cloves, Musk, Violet, Vanilla

This is a new scent--it came out in 2024--but I only wore it once last year. I discovered I like the smell of lilacs only recently and blind bought this one because it was: 1) inexpensive; 2) created by hottie Aurelien Guichard. Despite the preponderance of other notes, this smells like sticking one's nose directly into a lilac bush (a magical one that's not swarming with bees). A little green, a little spicy, so lovely. And well-priced at less than $50 for 50ml.

Houbigant Iris des Champs  

Lily-of-the-Valley, Bergamot, Pink Pepper, Pear, Rose, Iris, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine, Musk, Woody Notes, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Amber

This might have iris in the name, but I wouldn't call it primarily an iris scent. There's definitely a nice bit of muguet and jasmine in this as well. I've seen this called "powdery," but powdery is more a sensation than a scent to me. Iris des Champs is more baby lotion-y in that it's sweetish and creamy. It's vaguely old-fashioned but should appeal to younger folks if they just gave it a try. It was a blind buy for me (from a discounter, 10-ish years ago, probably cost <$60) back when I was eager to add more iris scents to my collection, and definitely a good bet.

L'Occitane Iris Bleu & Iris Blanc

Black Currant, Citruses, White Iris, Iris, Peach, Fig Nectar, Ylang-Ylang, White Musk, Cedar

The iris is right up front in this scent, blended with what smells more like pear than any of the notes listed--certainly not berries, peach, or fig. It's cool and watery, light but not weak, and dries down to a more musky iris. When I sniff my shirt a few hours after applying this, damned if I don't get a bit of peach. I like this one enough that I'm on my second bottle, though I'd say I haven't worn it for at least 5 years. That is changing right now.

Van Cleef & Arpels Gardenia Petale

Gardenia, White Flowers, Jasmine, Green Notes, Lily-of-the-Valley, Citruses

This is a weird one for me. All of the scents that I've tried from Van Cleef & Arpels Collection Extraordinaire are indeed extraordinary, so maybe that's it. California Reverie is my favorite from the collection, also Bois D'Iris and Moonlight Patchouli. This one I got in a trade, and I was totally surprised to love it. As I've mentioned before, I'm not big on jasmine and gardenia can be a bit much for me. But the proportions of both in Gardenia Petale are just perfect, with jasmine taking over by a hair. Overall, the scent is fresh and dewy, gentle and not too heady, and it's not particularly sweet. And I don't particularly care for sweet scents on a warm day. This one is my perfect gardenia perfume. Probably because it's not very gardenia-y.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.