A few weeks ago my good friend Carina casually gave me a bottle of this Banana Republic perfume, Alabaster. I spent the night sniffing the bottle every few minutes just to make sure it still smelled as delicious as it had the first time I took a whiff. It did. It does. It’s delightful.
And look at how pretty the bottle is, just lying willy nilly on its side. Mmmmmmmmmm.
This is my current perfume of choice, Vera Wang Princess. It’s in a tie with Alabaster right now. I’m not going to tell you who will be in the lead tomorrow because it’s too close a race to predict a winner at this point. They both have their virtues.
It’s like telling me to pick which child I love more. I can’t; they each have their good points.
What are you wearing? Or not wearing? Does perfume drive you bananas?
I’ve always worn it {since the 7th grade when my mom bought me Exclamation! at the drugstore}, and feel so much sexier when I have it on. I wear it to bed so I smell nice for my husband and in the morning so I smell nice for myself.
Allison
Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!
I'm a lurker…love your blog!
I love anything by Jo Malone but I am totally old school and still dab on Christian Dior "Dune". And Christian Dior "Addict" at night – especially in the winter.
Oh – and when I get into the flannels to watch tv I always splash on "4711" – not really a parfume I guess – reminds me of growing up – my German great grandmother always had it on her dresser.
i do love to smell pretty everyday! for summer i like d&g; light blue and for the cooler months i like viktor + rolf flower bomb. subtlety is key for me. i want people to like sitting next to me – not having to hold their breath the entire time! so i do the old spray-it-in-the-air-and-run-under-it trick to keep it mellow.
Day to day I wear Parfums de Coeur's "Sexy but subtle Vanilla". Yes, the generic spray stuff you get at Walmart. Only I have to buy it online now because no one carries it anymore.
I LOVE "G" from Gwen Stefani's Harajuku fragrance line. It smells like coconut and apples. I also like the Juicy one that smells like candy, but haven't bought it yet.
I like to smell like treats apparently.
I don't wear it. It seems perfume never "sticks" to me. I spray it, but then the smell disappears pretty quickly.
Hey – see you at Blissdom!
Somebody bought me that Sarah Jessica Parker's perfume, Beautiful (at least I think that's what it is called, I am having Brain Remembering Troubles this morning and cannot be sure), so I've been wearing that. But I think it kind of smells like rubbing alcohol. (Apologies to anyone else who wears it.) But I'm too cheap to just throw it away. So hopefully my husband finds that smell sexy.
What do Alabaster and Princess smell like? Fruity? Flowery? DETAILS REQUIRED. Also, how expensive?
Humph, Carina never gave ME perfume. (Although I have every speck of her maternity clothes in my closet, so I suppose I should SHUT IT.) :)
My hubby always gets me perfume for Christmas cuz I can never pick just one and get easily overwhelmed with all those smells. The past few years I've loved Dolce & Gabbana's The One.
I wear Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel. It's my absolute favorite and nothing else compares. Nobody makes perfume like Chanel.
I like Alabaster (obviously) and the price point (around 10-12 bucks for that mini bottle) is hard to beat. "Lotus flower as the top note, wild rose as the base note, and white amber as the drydown." I like BR's Classic as well. I get compliments on both. They are, however, my emergency perfumes. I keep one in my desk at work and one in my makeup bag. They aren't complicated and are really light.
You see, I'm PARANOID about smelling bad. It makes me feel more secure if I have emergency perfume.
Trenches of Mommyhood–oh, it lasts, it's there, it's just that your nose has gotten used to it. Other people can smell it, rest assured. Make sure you're buying something that is quality so you can use less and the ingredients last longer.
Dear Sue. No, that's it, dear, dear Sue.
my mom's perfume drives me nuts–way to strong and floral for me. I like fresh, slightly fruity fragrances like acua di gio (so hard to find anymore) and dkny be delicious (the green apple). Feminine but crisp. I usually stick to one fragrance until I use it all up then get something else. Issey Miyake, maybe? Or a single-note type of fragrance next time around.
Mademoiselle "Top notes are orange, mandarin orange, orange blossom and bergamot; middle notes are mimose, jasmine, turkish rose and ylang-ylang; base notes are tonka bean, patchouli, opoponax, vanilla, vetiver and white musk."
So there you go.
Chanel anything. It rocks.
I want to smell these…I don't wear much perfume because most of them give me a headache, but the ones I can wear are usually more fruity/sweet and less flowery/musky. I'm gonna have to go smell everyone's favorites! Who knows maybe I'll find one I love and can wear!
Oh to design perfume bottles. That would be a dream job.
Philosophy has a beautiful scent called "Falling in Love." I'm not kidding when I say I get compliments every time I wear it! It's definitely my must-have perfume and has been for about five years!
Especially cool since I love perfume but I'm allergic to the majority of them :(
I have Herve Leger but I've worn it forever and I've been thinking I would like something new. Thanks for the recommendations! I always need a fragrance that goes nicely with soy formula spit up. What pairs nicely with that?
I love Ralph Lauren's Blue, and I also love the Lemon Sugar perfume from the fresh line (even before PW) it reminds me of my lemon tree back in AZ! I love how different perfumes can bring back old memories in an instant. I'll have to check out the banana republic one, I used to wear their W in college, now that could bring back some memories!
As a joke a couple of years ago a friend bought me Britney Spears' Fantasy (pink crystalled bottle). I mean, I love Britney and all but I didn't really think perfume was her thing. Well, I actually love it and get compliments on how well it "goes" with me. I guess I'm still 16 on the inside. :)
Current favorite: close (gap scent). I love it.
My oldest daughter has her first scent (what else?), Love's Baby Soft. Maybe when she's a grade or two higher she can graduate to Exclamation!
I always mean to wear perfume. I really do! And then I buy a bottle and forget all about it and never put it on and then one day I'm like, "oh yeah…perfume exists. And I have some! And I want more!" It's a vicious cycle. I usually get by with good smelling lotion.
My absolute favorite is Romance by Ralph Lauren. I have loved this perfume for years and have a hard time leaving it.
{Trust me, I've tried, but I always end up going back to it!}
I can't live with out perfume. I love it, when I wear it it makes me feel pretty. My tops favs are 1.Vera Wang 2.Versace- Bright Crystal 3.Juciy- Couture Couture 4.Avril Lavigne- Black Star 5.Hillary Duff- With Love
Perfume's a moveable feast as far as i'm concerned (i.e. i move into a shop and i feast, literally)
Current (including some long term) faves are:
Bvlgari 'Jasmin Noir'
Givenchy 'Ysatis'
Paul Smith 'Rose'
Issey Miyake 'L'eau d'Issey'
Chloe 'Chloe'
Chanel 'Allure'+ 'Cristalle'
Trussardi 'Skin'
Dior 'J'adore'
ok – nuff said, you get the picture. I like perfume ALOT. Love the packaging on your new treat – cool friend! I wonder if BR will ever come to OZ?!Loved their shop in London – grabbed some clothes, but didn't see perfume.
I wore "Warm Embrace" from Victoria's Secret since the 8th grade….until they discontinued it. Boo. Now I use "Maybe Baby" from Benefit. It's in this chic 1930's bottle. So cute. And! It smells delicious.
I'm new to the blogosphere and I just love your site- it's such an inspiration!
I love perfume and how it can instantly transform your state of mind and the way you carry yourself.
Chanel Gardenia is my mainstay. Just putting it on instantly makes me feel happy and gorgeous, even if I have spit-up in my hair :)
I'm an other for D&G; The One. Love it for winter!
Awesome gifts for valentines! Those bottles looking so cool and pretty.
Thanks for such adorable post.
I'm in a total perfume meltdown right now! I've worn Estee Lauder's Beautiful forever, but then it changed on my, so I switched to Burberry's London, which was stolen out of my hotel room during a vacation, now I'm DESPERATELY trying to find a new scent!! I'll check out your two suggestions, but for evening, when I just get out of the tub, warm and ready for bed, I lather myself in Aveeno lavender stress relief lotion. Perfectly scented and clean.
oh, I loved exclamation! I never had any of my own but used to snitch my sisters. I don't recommend snitching your sister's perfume by the way, she'll always find you out.
I'm generally drawn to light citrusy florals like Victoria's Secret Pink and Gap So Pink (I also like pink as a color, go figure) but I also have a deep and abiding love for Hypnotic Poison by Christian Dior. Its rich and heavy, completely different from anything else I've ever liked.
Once I found a scent called "papillon" in Dillard's I loved it truly but I was broke so I memorized the name, the location in the perfume display and the bottle design and went home empty handed.
I've never found it again. I've asked sales people, I've visited perfume and perfume only stores, no one has ever heard of it. Maybe I dreamed it.
A few years ago someone gave me "Swiss Army" perfume…for obvious reasons they thought I would love it. I did not. I may love my Swiss Army knife…I may love to camp…I may love a good microbrew but that doesn't change my love for Chanel Mademoiselle.
My one and only scent.
You're shocked. I know.
Eva,
Hanae Mori has a butterfly perfume, I think it used to say papillon on the package a couple years ago. Have you checked that one?
i remember the days of exclamation and sunflowers. :)
i wore clinic happy for years but i am currently wearing something by jean paul gautier. i can't remember the exact name but it comes in a tacky pink bottle.
i love the name of the BR perfume, alabaster. i'll have to check that out. thanks!
Nice post, finding a good perfume is not a difficult job, but finding a perfume in antique bottle is quite difficult.