Fall is finally here and with it come so many changes. It’s time to get your sweaters and jeans out again, pull the throws out of storage and dust off your boots. Once the air gets crisp and cool outside I also feel the need to change up my perfume rotation.
Fragrance is such a personal thing. Someone’s all-time favorite scent may smell horrible on the next person. Others may find different fragrances offensive or even have allergic reactions to them. Every perfume can smell unique depending on the wearer’s body chemistry. Years ago I couldn’t wear Calvin Klein’s Obsession because I totally pulled out the mandarin orange note and not in a good way. Others wore it and it smelled wonderful!
Do you have a signature scent?
Some people have a signature fragrance, one they wear every day and when others smell it they’re instantly reminded of that person. I consider Clinique’s Happy to be my signature scent and have been wearing it since it came out 20 years ago. I don’t wear it every single day but I always have a bottle of it and it is my most worn fragrance.
There is something I find comforting about wearing it. Years ago I remember rubbing my daughter’s blankie under my shirt the first day she was going to daycare. I wanted to put my scent, which included Happy, on the blankie. I knew she’d smell me on it and hopefully, it would remind her of me. As much as I love my Happy and the memories it invokes it’s not a fragrance I wear much in the Fall.
Now that it’s cooler it’s time for a change so here is what I’m going to wear this Fall. Stick around until the end to find out my favorite places to score fragrances for a fraction of the price you’d pay at department or beauty stores!
Favorite Fall Fragrances
Burberry Brit Eau de Toilette – Gourmand lovers will enjoy this deliciously intoxicating fragrance. It starts out with a little lime zest and pear but dries down into a base of mahogany and vanilla. The edt is a lighter version than the edp but still has enough almond and amber to keep it warm and cozy. I originally bought and wore this during the Summer but have since chosen to wear it during cooler months. Of course, since it’s one of my all-time faves I’d use this whenever the mood strikes. I can’t say that about many other scents I own.
Victoria’s Secret Pink Warm and Cozy – Speaking of warm and cozy this one lives up to its name. I hate to admit it but I do like a lot of V.S.’s fragrances. Even though this one is geared towards the Pink crowd and is more of a body spray I decided to include it because it’s one that has better staying power. The main notes according to Fragrantica are raspberry, peony, and vanilla. The plus side of having a plastic bottle is the ability to throw it in your bag for quick touch-ups.
Amor Amor by Cacharel – This is a sweet scent that could overpower you in warmer months. Even though there are fruits and flowers (pink grapefruit, blood orange, lily of the valley and jasmine to name a few) packed into this scent there are enough warm notes (vanilla, musk, sandalwood, and tonka bean) to keep it from wearing too fruity on the skin.
Burberry Women – I love to wear this once the weather cools down. It’s such a classy fragrance and reminds me of one of my old faves, Design by Paul Sebastian. I consider it one of the best warm vanilla scents that doesn’t smell synthetic or cheap. It starts with a little fruit (peach and apricot) but quickly dries to a sandalwood, cedar and musk base. The vanilla is present throughout for me. So yummy.
Chloe Narcisse by Chloé – Okay, this is a definite floral and it’s a power fragrance so a little goes a long way. Oh, how I miss my original bottle from the ’90s. The newer version is good but not as good as the original. Unfortunately, that’s the case with just about every scent out there that was created before 2000. Many reformulations just don’t have the same heart and soul but for those who never tried the originals, what they don’t know won’t hurt them as they have nothing to compare it to. Anyway, Narcisse’s notes include peach, pineapple, violet, narcissus, gardenia, vanilla, and spices, just to name a few. Try it with a light hand.
One of the questions I got asked all the time when I worked behind the fragrance counter was, “How do I make my perfume stay on longer?”.
Here are some tips to make your perfume last longer. They are in no particular order.
- When in the shower use the same scented body wash.
- Don’t use deodorant soap as it’s purpose is to combat odor (fragrance). Instead, use unscented soap.
- Layer your fragrance starting in the shower. Use your fragrance’s shower gel then follow with its body lotion or body cream.
- Spray directly onto pulse points or skin in general. Don’t spray the air and walk through it.
- When spraying onto pulse points don’t rub skin because it may damage the fragrance.
- Store perfume in a room where the temperature is stable, not the bathroom.
- Concentration of perfume oils from most to least: perfume/parfum – eau de parfum – eau de toilette – cologne.
So where is the best place to buy fragrances? I get mine from T.J. Maxx or Ross. If you don’t have either of those near you try checking out Marshall’s or whatever discount shopping stores are local to you. You can find great scents for a steal! I check their perfume display every time I go because you never know what they’ll have from one week to the next.
And here’s another tip…
Some of my scents are blind buys, meaning I’ve only read about them and haven’t actually smelled or tried them. I spend time on my favorite site, Makeup Alley and research different ones I may be interested in. First I make a list, then when I’m at Kohl’s or Ulta I try different ones on that list. I keep an eye out for the ones I like the next time I go to Ross or T.J.Maxx.
As a perfume lover, there is no way I could ever limit myself to just five fragrances but this list is a good start for Fall. And now that you know where to score them for a bargain are you going to try something new? What are some of your favorite cool-weather fragrances?
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