So, I admit it . . .

I’m a little bit of a fragrance junkie.

Actually, that’s not true- I’m a lotta bit of a fragrance junkie.

I could say I don’t know where that started but then I would be lying and the basis of a strong friendship is trust soooooo . . .

When I was about 12 years old I would steal the perfume samples out of my Mom’s Avon catalogues and try on the grown up scents and feel like an adult (or an old lady, depending on which scent I was trying out).

Mind you, she had bought me my very own bottle of the very age appropriate classic Sweet Honesty and I liked it well enough but I was mature for 12 (or so I thought with my NKOTB obsession and huge pink glasses, so stylish) and yearned for something that would make me feel like the tiny adult I fancied myself.

I’ll never forget the moment when I peeled open a sample of Avon’s Night Magic Evening Musk (which they still make and I still, occasionally, buy)- I thought it was the loveliest scent I had ever smelled at the time.

Soft, mildly sweet and musky (but a white musk, fresh, not a dirty musk) I was hooked- when I dabbed it on I felt at least 14 years old.

I loved it and had to have it.

This was the beginning.

I have had a lot of loves since then; a stint with Biagiotti’s Venezia (that crashed to a halt when it was discontinued), a brief dalliance with Lagerfeld’s Sun, Moon, Stars (that also ended in a discontinuation of the scent), a 2 year love of Mugler’s Angel (that ended when a brutally honest friend told me that it made me smell like her granny’s house), and my dearest love for quite a long time- Dior’s Addict which I simply wore for so long that I don’t like it anymore.

My taste has evolved to include a great deal more florals (when they’re done right- to me this means light and fresh not heavy and old school) but I still love my heavy, spicy perfumes although I live in a rather unseasonably warm place so I don’t wear them as often.

So this is what my scent evolution has brought me too, 27 years after smelling the perfume that made me fall in love with the idea of a signature scent.

My top 5 favorite scents in my wardrobe right now in descending order of frequency of wear;

The Body Shop Red Musk

I had been on the hunt for something new and different- over the vanillas and the floral notes I wanted something clean and spicy and free of sweetness and flowers- but still feminine.

I know. Tall order. But when I typed pretty much those exact words into a Google search Red Musk by The Body Shop was one of the first things that came up to pique my interest because almost everyone who had tried it liked it (if you read fragrance reviews regularly you know that is actually quite rare).

I blind bought this scent when The Body Shop was running a 40% off sale with free shipping and I was pleasantly surprised by how spot-on the reviews and description is- it has cinnamon, tobacco and white musk as the notes and they all come across beautifully in a scent that is spicy and sexy but whispers where it has the potential to shout.

Plus, one of my dearest friends wears The Body Shop White Musk- the addition of that is so recognizable to  me that I feel like I’m hanging out with her when I wear it.

Miss you, girl!

Sparkling Limoncello (Bath and Body Works)

For quite a long time I had backed off Bath and Body Works- not for any particular reason other than in my devotion to them over the years I got bored and decided to give them a rest (because with their buy 3 get 3 revolving sale it takes a long time to work through your stash).

Around Christmas I went in to get the Chickadee some Pink Chiffon lotion (my daughter has, it seems inherited my love of scents that smell like frosting) and since there was a massive sale going on I scoped out a few seasonal scents for myself.

Have you ever taken a 3 year old girl into a BBW?

The wonder on her face and the 8 arms she sprouted were what stands out the most about the visit- and the look on her face when I pulled the Sparkling Limoncello lotion off the shelf for her to smell.

She got this dazed “oh my that smells delicious” look on her face that was so blissed out that I snapped up some lotion and a spray figuring if I didn’t love it when my nose cleared she would use it.

It really is delicious; lemon, sugar, orange blossom and just enough vanilla to make it sophisticated.

This has been one of my favorites in the last year- I just hope they don’t change it or discontinue it anytime soon.

Pacifica Tahitian Vanilla

I know.

I know I said I was off vanilla for the time being, but here’s the thing- this is not a sweet, cupcakey vanilla.

Pacifica’s Tahitian Vanilla is just a different animal altogether.

This is vanilla mixed with a little jasmine and black tea and this is one of the lightest, most wearable vanilla scents I have ever come across- plus the perfume solid pictured above retails for $9.

Not bad when you’re trying something new, am I right?!

Somerset Meadow (Crabtree and Evelyn)

If pressed I would have to actually declare Somerset Meadow by Crabtree and Evelyn my favorite perfume currently- it is fresh and soft, green without being sharp and has just enough blackberry in it to sweeten it and keep it out of the old lady camp without doing a herky jerky into smelling like something a teenager would wear.

It reminds me of my beloved Eau D’Hadrien by Annick Goutal which I love but is far too pricey for it’s lack of longevity- I have owned a single bottle in my adulthood and at almost $100 an ounce, it is beautiful but should last longer.

With Somerset Meadow I get a similar feel but much better longevity at a better price tag- there is a reason this scent is award winning.

The only reason it doesn’t claim the top place is that I don’t wear it every day- I wear it often but it is always sold out so I don’t want to run out suddenly and then not be able to get it for a bit.

I was wearing this when I got married. 🙂

Southern Girl (Siren Soap)

Anybody who knows me knows how I love Etsy- perusing a marketplace filled with handmade goods is right up my crafty alley and I have purchased plenty of jewelry (including my wedding band) and my fair share of scents from individual shop owners.

Around my birthday I stumbled into a shop called Siren Soap and it’s phenomenal; the owner Jessi is as sweet as they come and makes everything from whipped soaps to body scrub to perfume oils in an array of scents.

There is something for everybody in there and if you haven’t gotten acquainted with her shop yet I highly encourage you to do so- you won’t be disappointed.

When I saw Southern Girl and the description of white chocolate, whiskey, mandarin and cedar notes I knew I had to have it for myself.

It is light, sweet, sassy and sexy and as I write this I am steadily working my way through my second bottle of this delicious brew- if this sounds like something you would love, it probably is and you should go meet Jessi and find something pretty to dab behind your ears while you’re there.

You’ll never be sorry you did.

 

What kinds of scents do you reach for day in and day out?

Let me know in the comments section here or on our Facebook page.

Until next time!

Love,

The Chick and her Chickadee